26/02/2013
NEWS STORY
Gerard Lopez - owner of the Lotus F1 Team - has paid £22k for a pair of racing gloves once worn by the legendary Ayrton Senna.
The gloves, donated by former McLaren team co-ordinator Jo Ramirez, a close friend of the Brazilian three-time world champion, were worn in 1991, the money raised going to the Grand Prix Mechanics Trust.
Even Ramirez looked surprised when Lopez bought them for £22k, his company Genii Capital owns the Lotus F1 Team which is able to trace its ancestry back to the Toleman team with which Senna made his F1 debut in 1984.
After Toleman, Senna subsequently raced for Lotus, though that team, founded by Colin Chapman, shares no DNA with the outfit which now bears its name.
The auction took place at the Motor Sport Hall of Fame event in London.