MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Error Helps Senna Win Canadian Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna of Brazil, benefitting from teammate Gerhard Berger’s mistake at the start, drove to an easy victory Sunday over countryman Nelson Piquet in the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal.

Senna’s McLaren-Honda averaged 111.946 m.p.h. for 70 laps on the 2.73-mile circuit, finishing 10.497 seconds ahead of Piquet’s Benneton-Ford. It was Senna’s third victory in five Formula One races this season.

Seena also increased his lead in the driver point standings to 31-19 over Berger, who was assessed a one-minute penalty for jumping the green light at the start.

“I didn’t gain any advantage from my overeager start, but I did anticipate the green light,” Berger admitted.

With Berger hopelessly in arrears and no other team capable of keeping pace, Senna merely had to avoid trouble.

“It was a very tough race,” Senna said, “because the track surface was wet and dirty off (the racing) line and first gear broke after I stopped to change tires.”

Berger’s car was allowed to continue, and it was actually the first car to take the checkered flag. Berger jumped up to fourth by putting up the fastest lap of the race, 120.344 m.p.h. on the 70th lap.

Senna, 30, led 67 laps in notching the 23rd victory of his career. He relinquished the lead only once when he pitted to change tires because the track had dried after being wet from a morning rain.

The drying track was a puzzle to some of the drivers. Thierry Boutsen of Belgium, last year’s winner, spun his Williams Renault on the 19th lap as he hit a wet spot while trying to overtake Alain Prost. “I was behind Prost and losing a lot of time on Senna, and my car was much better than Prost,” Boutsen said, “so I saw an opportunity to overtake him. But unfortunately there was still a lot of water on the left-hand side, and I put my left rear tire into a little bit of water, and then I lost control of the car.”

Nigel Mansell’s Ferrari was third, 13.385 seconds behind Senna, followed another 1.469 seconds back by Berger. Prost, in the other Ferrari, was fifth, another second behind.

Sixth place, the last for which points are awarded, went to Derek Warwick of Britain, whose Lotus-Lamborghini was two laps down.

John Heinricy drove a Chevrolet Camaro with three others to win his third consecutive IMSA Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship 24-Hour street stock race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Heinricy joined teammates Leighton Reese, Jeff Theodosakis, and Ken Pederson in the winning car. They led a Porsche 944S2 driven by Jeff Purner, John O’Steen, Tom Rathbun and Bill Cooper across the finish line by 67.209 seconds.

The winners averaged 76.339 m.p.h. on the 3.377-mile circuit, covering 1,833.711 miles in 24 hours.