Gallery: Senna’s 1984 Toleman TG184-2
Sunshine, boats and bikinis are what come to mind when one thinks of the atmosphere in the paddock at Monaco when Formula One rolls into town for the weekend. When the sun came up on the Sunday morning of the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, however, you’d hardly have noticed. The sky was black and the street circuit was just as wet as the usually glittering harbour it’s set against.
The only dry part of the circuit was in the tunnel, which officials took to with fire hoses after the drivers argued that the transition from wet to dry to wet on the fastest part of the circuit and down into the heavy downhill breaking zone was too dangerous.
Alain Prost was on pole, followed by Nigel Mansel and René Arnoux. Ayrton Senna was sitting in 13th place on the grid, on one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult circuits to pass on in Formula One. A young Stefan Bellof was manning the back of the grid in his Tyrrell.
Two rookies in two generally uncompetitive cars on one of Formula One’s most demanding circuits at its most treacherous in the heavy rain.
By the time the conditions convinced Jacky Ickx to, controversially, bring out the red flag and end the race, Prost and Senna were completing their 32nd lap and Senna was flying. Senna blew past Prost as he pulled over at the red & chequered flags, with Bellof up to third place and gaining on them.
The race was classified at the 31st lap, with Prost in the lead followed by Senna and Bellof, who would later be stripped of his podium finish when Tyrrell was disqualified from the entire season for a technical infraction.
This was a race in which two of the legends of the sport, still rookies at the time, would show the world their full potential.
The car that Senna drove that day, to another podium finish at Brands Hatch and throughout his rookie year with Toleman, was the Toleman TG184-2. This magnificent machine – an incredibly important element of Senna’s legacy and the history of the sport – has been in private ownership for the past 16 years and will be put up for auction at Silverstone Auctions’ upcoming Spring Sale.
Silverstone Auctions’ Spring Sale takes place from midday on 16th May 2012 in The Wing building at Silverstone circuit. Head to their website here for more info.
Images via Silverstone Auctions
