European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 the stars and stripes motor sports season in. Review Ayrton Senna. World driving Champion Eddie Lawson. World Cycle Champion Mikl Olasion world rally Champion Danny Sullivan. American cart Champion 1988 year of Mclaren Honda by Handy 1urnett Molo sports editor the Only learn that mattered in formula one grand prix racing during 1988 was Mel i red Honda. From the opening race in Brazil la the finale in Australia the other cams were simply also rans. With 15 victories in 16 grand prix races the Mclaren Honda team established a re Cord that May stand forever and Moil observers on inc grand prix scene Hope that it will. After All Competition is what racing is All about and there was precious Lille of it during the 1988 formula one world Cham Pio Liili in season. The Mclaren Honda Cani s steam roller was so impressive in fact that Ayrton Senna s winning of his first world championship amounted to something of a sidelight. After All. If Senna had t won the title then his Mclaren teammate Alain Prost would have. Bui it s Only fair to Point out that the in Millarr Senna and the Frenchman pros made a dramatic contest out of it Senna finally clinching the Crown in the penultimate round in Japan. The is season was the last for Turbo curs hut new rules had been set up so that he Turbo powered cars would run on a More even level with their non Aspi rated opponents the new rules dictated that Hie boost would be Cut and that the Turbo cars had to gel by on less fuel. To meet the Challenge i Honda designed a Brand new Turbo engine and Mclaren built new cars especially designed for that engine. The move paid off because Mclaren had the Best far the Best engine and two  meanwhile chose Only 1o revise its car Anil engine for the 1988 Campaign and despite the services of the Brilliant Young austrian Gerhard Berger the Ferrari team was never in the Hunt. And the other teams never had a Chance. Most of them were Only looking Forward to 1989 and simply making do with what they had. So these circumstances gave the Mclaren Honda team a once in a life time Opportunity and Mclaren Honda made the most  Are the results Senna won the world driving championship pros finished second and Mclaren Honda won the formula one constructor s championship. In capturing his first world Crown Senna won eight races a record an recorded 13 pole positions in 16 races another record. Prosl twice world Cham Pion and record Holder of the highest number of career grand prix victories. 3s. Won seven races and scored two Pote positions. Between them Senna and i Rosl recorded 10 one two finishes for the Mclaren team. The mechanical Rel lability of the mylar Airton Senna on his Way to Al Clary in the hungarian up As Alain Prost follows Enid Ferrari in cats and Honda engines was nothing Short of amazing with the Only mechanical retirement of the season involving Prost when his engine blew at Monza in the ital Ian grand prix. This race the sole flaw in Mclaren s season was won by Ferrari s Berger after Senna crashed while leading with Only two laps to go. Austria s Berger meanwhile placed third in the world driving championship while Ferrari finished a Distant second to Mclaren in the formula one constructor s championship. For the first Lime in its Long history the Ferrari team was without the guidance of Enzo Ferrari its great founder. The legendary Ferrari had been ill during most of the 1988 season and he died in August Altha age of 90. Ferrari will be remembered not Only in for Mula one and sports car racing history but in the history of tic automobile As Well. His Ferrari sports ears for use on regular roads arc among the world s Best moving to the world of motorcycling the american rider Eddie Lawson had a Superb year winning his third world championship in the top level  1lawson on a Yamaha led for the title practically from the Start and scored seven victories during the 15-Racc season. After winning the 1988 Crown Lawson surprised everyone by announcing that he was leaving the Agostini Yamaha team to join austra Lia s Wayne Gardner at rothmans Honda Gardner the 987 Champion was Hurt Crup to Lawson while the american rider Wayne Raincy of the Kenny Roberts Yamaha team placed third in his first full sea  prix Cycle racing. In the 250cc class world Champi. On ship honors were won by Sito Pons of Spain who scored four victories for Honda to Edge but his countryman Juan Garriga who Rode for Yamaha. In american racing Bubba Shob Crl of Lubbock tex., won the Ama super Bike. Series on a Honda leaving the motorcycle action and re turning to Auto racing Victory in the 71nd running of the Indianapolis 500-mile classic went to Rick Mears of the Roger pc Sec team Mears driving a Chevrolet Vuk pow ered pc Sec car to his third Victory on the famous  it was the Penske team s fourth win Al indy in the last five years an impressive showing. Danny Sullivan who won the 1985 indy 500 for Punske let big in the Early stages of this year s race building a solid Lead Over his pc Isic to cammies Mears and Al Unser or at the half Way Point however the front Wing on Sullivan s car slipped out of Posi Tion sending the car into the Wall nose first. Sullivan was Lucky to walk away unhurt. Finishing second at indy behind Mears was former world driving Champion Emer son Fittipaldi of Brazil in a Patrick March Chov Rolt while placing third was the voter an Unser. Winner of the 1987 race for Penske. In another pc Sec Chevrolet is. La was a Happy race for Chevrolet As Well As for Punske with Chevrolet engines powering. The first three cars across the Tine although Sullivan had bad Luck at Indi Anapolis he More than made up for it Dur ing Hie rest of the cart lady car season by winning four races and capturing the cart pig american driving championship. It was his first american title and lie did things right by clinching it with a Victory at Lagunas Ca Calif touching the highlights in the rest of the season the 24 Houm of be mans was won by Jaguar with Jan Lammers of Holland Johnny  and England s Andy Wallace beating the porsche 962c driven by germans Hans stuck and Klaus Ludwig and the englishman Derek Bell. Porsche was seeking its eighth be mans Victory in a Row but Jaguar turned Back the Challenge. It was a close race both cars Fin Ishing on the same Lap after 24 hours of All Oul racing. After la mans Jaguar went on to win the world sports car championship scoring a total of six victories in the i a race series. Second was Sauber  and third the Josl porsche team. It was a a cat year for Jaguar with englishman Martin a Rundle of the Jaguar team beating out Sauber Mer cedes Driver Jean Louis Schlesser of France for the world sports car driving championship. In world championship rallying Lan Cia of Taly took the manufacturer s championship for the second year in a Row with the Lancia Delta car the italian firm winning 10 of 11 rallies and clinching the Crown Al mid season in the american round in Washington state. The italian Driver Miki Biasion won the world rally driving Crown in a Lancia the first italian to win the title since it was instituted in 1979. In the United states the Lascar Winston cup grand National championship was won by Dill Elliott of Dawson Villa a it was the first Lascar title for Elliott who drove a Ford thunderbird Dur ing the 1988 Campaign. Run Crup was Rusty Wallace of Charlotte ., Pontiac grand Pri while in third was 1987 Cham Pion Dale Earnhardt of Doolie Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Elliott who clinched his title in the final race of the season at Atlanta beat Wallace by Only 24 Points the third Clos est finish in 10 years.  in the International motor sports association i Mesa series Jeff Brabham of Australia devastated the opposition win Ning 10 of the 14 Simsa races aboard his Nissan Ftp Zyx prop Olpe sports car. Brabham scored eight straight wins on his Way to the title an unprecedented feat in Simsa racing.  Europe the Ford Sierra co Worth won the european touring car championship for teams while the italian Roberto Ravaglia captured he touring car driving Crown in a Bow m3. In the american trans am series Audi won the honors with its Audi 200 Quairo in Only its first year of Competition. One of Audi s three Drivers. Hurley Haywood won the trans am driving Crown the 1988 season moved toward its lose on a tragic note when Al Holb Cri a five time Mesa it Champion and three Lime. Winner of la mans was killed on sept. 30 in a crash of his Light air plane. Holburt. Who was returning from an Simsa practice session Al Columbus Ohio when his plane went Down ran his own porsche team in Mesa events. He was also deeply involved in the porsche indy car project and was porsche North american director of to to sports. -