Senna '88

Whether Alain Prost fully realised the consequences of opening the door to Ayrton Senna at McLaren by encouraging Ron Dennis to sign him as his team mate for the 1988 season, and with him, the prospect of Honda powered engines, it’s difficult to say. But open the door he did: to someone who’d not only become part of motor racing’s fiercest in-team rivalry, but also one of its greatest drivers. 

During his time at Lotus, Senna had already shown the dazzling talent he’d become legendary for with 14 poles and 6 wins in only 3 seasons. All he needed now was the right car to take him where he felt he belonged. Gordon Murray duly obliged by designing the superb MP4/4 and his friends at Honda furnished him with the necessary horsepower. From the race opener in Brazil, Senna started as he meant to go on seizing the first of 13 poles that year. But what began as mutual admiration between the drivers, quickly turned to something else entirely as the season progressed, culminating in a number of dramatic race incidents. In Monaco, Prost set the fastest lap of the race, but Ayrton refused to accept he could possibly be faster, especially as he’d out qualified him for pole - his third in a row and soon to become 6. After putting the matter right, he hit the wall and promptly returned to his apartment. He made up for his mistake at Imola, by lapping the entire field to take the win.

 

By round 13 in Portugal, the McLarens had won every race bar 1, with Senna leading Prost 7 victories to 4, and by 10 poles to 2. It was close, very close, so when Prost went to pass him after the Brazilian had dived into the first corner ahead, Senna could hardly be expected to let him calmly by. He didn’t. Instead, he swerved to block him forcing the Frenchman to almost run into the pitwall at 180 mph. Senna later apologised but the stage was set for the intense feuding that would come to symbolise their relationship for the rest of their careers.

The title was decided in Japan - scene of many of their notorious battles - in the wet. Senna took the World Championship, the first of 3 and perhaps his most outstanding. He’d been in Formula 1 less than 5 years.  

Prost had indeed opened the door, perhaps only an inch, but it was all Senna needed to become one of the world’s all-time greats.

GPtee designs are printed on:

EarthPositive® - Climate Neutral® T-shirts.
100% Organic Cotton Jersey 155 g / 4.6 oz.
100% Organic Product in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), produced from Indian Cotton, and certified by the Control Union and Soil Association Certifications.
90% reduced Carbon Footprint (CO2e) according to the BSI PAS2050 and certified by the Carbon Trust.
ETHICAL TRADE AND JUSTICE FOR WORKERS.
Audited by the Fair Wear Foundation.

 

The inks we use:

 

We only use water-based inks to print our tees. Free from the PVC or phthalates toxic ingredients found in Plastisol inks, water-based inks aren't only kinder to the environment, they give our designs a softer, more natural feel. Because, unlike Plastisol inks, water-based inks actually blend into the fabric as opposed to sitting on the top.

Formulated free from lead and other heavy metals, the inks we use have passed the Oeko-Tex Class 1 standard with 60% to spare. That means they don’t contain ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC's and HCFC's, aromatic hydrocarbons or any volatile solvents. Basically, all the bad stuff. What's more, when it comes to cleaning our screens, we don't need to use solvents - just good old fashioned plain water.

So why doesn't everyone print with water-based inks? Well, quite simply, it can be a massive pain in the derrière.
You see, unlike Plastisol inks, which can be left on a screen for hours and hours without drying out, water-based inks have to be worked with quickly as they have a tendency to dry out before you can say “Mansell is slowing it down, taking it easy. Oh no he isn't! It's a lap record” (good old Murray) and clog the screen you're printing your design through.