Thursday 11th March, 2010 13 Michael Atherton wins sports writer of the year The former England cricket captain Michael Bruno Senna Atherton was named out to show he is sports writer of the year at the Sports Journalists’ Association awards last more than just a night for his Times col- umn, while the Daily Telegraph’s coverage of famous name the “bloodgate” scandal at Harlequins rugby club Bruno Senna, nephew of was selected as the story three-times world champion of last year. Ayrton, is looking forward to Atherton, who accept- his Formula One debut ed his award with a pre- recorded video filmed in Bangladesh where the When Ayrton Senna’s Williams explain. “The family was very much sparkling brown eyes and soft lips, British Formula 3, GP2 and Le Mans England cricket team are FW16 careered off the track at based around Ayrton. Everything the same jawline. And beneath them sports car racing. on tour, also won the Imola’s Tamburello corner and revolved around him. The first few the same competitive fire, albeit in Typically he views this as a posi- award for best columnist. struck an unprotected concrete bar- years, I was like ‘OK, it’s not going to Bruno’s case concealed by a more tive. “I have not reached my maxi- Sports news story of rier during the 1994 San Marino happen so just leave it’. relaxed demeanour. mum at all,” he says. “There is so the year went to the Daily Grand Prix, the life of the most “But after a while it [not racing] What does he remember of his much to come. But I can only do it if Telegraph’s Paul Kelso for revered and charismatic racing started bothering me a lot. When I uncle? “Actually my main influence I do it. It will probably take half a breaking the story of the driver the world had known was was maybe 15 years old it was really and the person who always nurtured season to find the limit of the car.” coverup surrounding the suddenly and brutally extinguished. tough. I didn’t speak to my family my talent was my grandfather, Half a season? The Brazilian public use of a blood capsule by It was the crash seen around the about it because it was such a taboo Ayrton’s father,” Senna says. is not exactly known for its patience. a Harlequins rugby player world, immortalising the three-time subject that I just had to hide it. “He used to take me to the family There are big shoes to fill in the to feign injury during a world champion and heralding Even watching F1 at home was a bad farm to drive go-karts. But Ayrton land that spawned Emerson Heineken Cup tie. sweeping changes in the sport. situation. I didn’t feel comfortable was always my reference. From the Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Senna. The Daily Telegraph’s Back in Brazil, life as he knew it doing it, although I did sometimes. It very beginning he used to tell me: Too big for Rubens Barrichello, who sports desk also picked up also stopped that day for one 10-year- was like a guilty pleasure.” ‘Oh, you have to take this race line goes by the name of “The Tortoise” the award for best team Michael Atherton old boy.From racing go-karts and jet Those stolen Sunday afternoons because this is the best way’. back home despite twice finishing for its coverage of last skis with Ayrton, dreaming of the are a distant memory now. Sitting in “But I think the biggest thing he second in the world championship year’s Ashes cricket The BBC presenter day he would follow in his famous an Italian restaurant in Mayfair, did was to nurture my competitive- for Ferrari. series between England Jonathan Agnew won best uncle’s footsteps, Bruno Senna was laughing and chatting, you would ness. We used to race everything. “They don’t give Felipe [Massa] and Australia. radio broadcaster, while forbidden from driving and made to never guess the trauma and Everything. We used to race jet-skis much credit either,” Senna nods. Sky Sports’ TV cover- Sky Sports’ Jeff Stelling knuckle down to his studies. It heartache Senna went through as a on the water, karts, everything we “We are spoilt. Spoilt by having age of the Ashes won best was named best TV broad- would be 10 years before he got back child. could race we did. three multiple world champions. If TV programme, while the caster for the fifth year on track, and another six before he Charming, self-deprecating, he “He used to also make me fix the you’re not world champion, you’re BBC’s Test Match Special running. would make it to motor racing’s top is as laid-back as they come. “I eat jet ski engines and the go-kart ****. won the radio award. The Guardian) table. very slowly,” he apologises at one engines so I had to learn how to do it “But I don’t feel any extra pres- On Friday, Senna will climb into point during lunch. “If I was as myself and that has given me a good sure because of my name. My uncle the cockpit of his untried, untested quick at driving as I am at eating understanding of how things work. and I used to drive against each Hispania Racing machine – a then I would be in last place every Generally I learn very quickly about other on the track and I could do the prospect described as “madness” by race.” the car, about how things work. I same lap times that he could in go- Modi ambition could create David Coulthard – and begin the Yet get him on the subject of his think for me this is the key for quick karts and I was eight, so he obvious- final leg of a journey that looked a racing and suddenly those famous progress in F1.” ly believed in my talent. But as problems for IPL franchises nailed-on certainty when Ayrton, Senna genes bubble to the surface. I Yet how quickly can Senna rea- much as people compare me to him, upon leaving McLaren in 1993, ask him whether, given his late sonably hope to progress in the and want me to be him, I’m not. I’m Cricket has ticipants in yester- uttered the famous words: “If you arrival on the scene at the age of 26, sport? Driving for a team who have just myself. never seen a sales- day’s auction had think I’m fast, just wait until you see he really believes he can follow his stumbled to the start line, in a car “What I have to do is just make man of the calibre to write a cheque my nephew.” uncle to the pinnacle of motorsport that has never seen the light of day, sure that as a driver I take advan- of Lalit Modi, the for $100 million to They were words to haunt a child and become a world champion. His and with relatively little experience tage of every single opportunity I Indian Premier participate — con- whose father, Flavio Lalli, also died reply,delivered with a piercing look, given the 10-year hiatus in his devel- have. I’m confident talent will shine League (IPL) chair- tributed to the lack tragically in a motorcycle accident leaves me in no doubt: “It’s a pure opment? through.” man. But yesterday of interest. just a few months after Ayrton’s obsession,” he says. Young pups five years Senna’s Don’t count against it. After all, his efforts to sell two Enthusiasm is like- crash; whose whole world was Clearly it is not just looks Senna junior regularly pitch up in Ayrton himself foretold it. And he new IPL teams in an ly to have been turned upside-down. has inherited from his uncle, Formula One with 1200 or 1300 races knew a thing or two about driving. auction with a base tempered by the “You know, when somebody in although they are startling enough; behind them and still sink without a (C) The Telegraph Group, price of $225 million Lalit Modi knowledge that a your family dies...” Senna tries to the same dark wavy hair, the same trace. Senna has 200 at best in London, 2010 (about £148 million) side bought in fell embarrassingly flat. excess of $225 million is “The bids that were unlikely to make a profit received were returned soon. Lievremont makes without being opened,” The creation of crick- Sports Illustrated Modi said. He added little et’s brashest tournament else in the way of explana- in 2008 rested squarely on 2 changes for Italy game tion — an omission that Modi’s success in persuad- honours Tendulkar will increase suspicions ing a group of Indian bil- that the IPL has fallen lionaires, Bollywood stars short of the money-spin- and international entrepre- ning bonanza its creator neurs to invest more than had promised investors. $700 million in eight It is likely that strin- untested city teams. gent bid conditions — par- (Times Online) MARCOUSSIS, France "There are very few (AP) - France coach Marc changes," Lievremont said. Lievremont made two "We thought about rotating changes to his team for the the forwards but we upcoming Six Nations favored a form of continu- match against Italy, includ- ity." ing Marc Andreu and Coming back from a David Marty in his starting knee injury, Biarritz lineup on Wednesday. scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili Castres winger Andreu was on the bench.