toughest race-drivers opinion!

[RWC]

I saw a good article in dirt bike magazine today which game this idea.*
We allways endlessly debate which race was the best/toughest/most amazing by various drivers.But have any of you read quotes by drivers telling which races THEY consider the most difficult they have ever done?

My memory is pretty bad but i can recall senna saying that spain '86 (?) was much more difficult than donnington '93 (because there was no traction control in '86 and his car was better set up that the opositions at donnington)

Also i think (my opinion) shuey would say that spain '96 was nothing special for similar car set-up reasons.I seem to remember him saying that he was trying SO hard mid race at hungary in '98 (? where he fleww off the track because he was overdoin it) but that memory is abit vague

Can anyone remember drivers talking about such things?




* for those interested alot of wet enduro races featured in the article.The one that REALLY made me sit up and take notice was scott summers finnishing and winning a race with a broken wrist!!!!
He explained it this way -"I knew if i could just win this race i would wrap up the title early.I knew (that the wrist was broken -after the crash) but really didn't want to take a few months off and have to come back and have to win a race right at the end of the season, so i decided to try to finnish and see if i could win.I managed to do it but to this day i still rememeber the pain"



oooooowowwwwwwwwwwwww

[Adam43]

I think Senna was referring to was Portugal '85. Spain '86 was the close race finish with Mansell.

Anyway to the main topic. The two examples you give I remember. Ross Brawn has always mentions Hungary '98 as a great Michael performance.

Mansell as the touchest race ever most times out.

Other than that I don't really remember a particular example of 'tough' plenty of great drives, and even some against the odds, but tough. Good thread.

[Rich R]

i think alan jones could be added to the list of tough racing drivers. he always seemed so bullish, without being arrogant, and he managed to make a shadow win a gp, i'd say that was pretty tough.

[krt917]

I also recall Senna preferring '85 Estoril to '93 Donington (and I agree!).

One example I remember is Jackie Stewart. People often talk of his 1968 German GP win (by 4 mins in appalling conditions) as his best race, whereas the man himself seems to rate his fourth place (after an early delay) at Monza in 1973 as the moment he got closest to 'perfect' driving. His rationale, if I remember correctly, is that Monza was a much easier circuit, so to actually make time up on other drivers there you had to get everything absolutely right every lap.

I reckon holding the BRM H16 in gear at Spa in '67, just a year after his huge smash, must rank pretty highly too.

[Mattracer]

One of the toughest races would have to have been Brazil '91. Nothing but 6th gear, rain, fatigue, nationalistic pressure goin over the top, Senna certainly earned that one!

Adelaide '86 was tough for everybody concerned.