Motor Racing Roundup : Senna Wins After Prost Drops Out of Race Early

Ayrton Senna posted his fourth Formula One championship victory of the season Sunday when he won the British Grand Prix in the rain at Silverstone, England.

World championship leader Alain Prost of France, whose modified McLaren Honda had steering problems all week, went out of the race on the 26th lap. Prost’s advantage in the standings over teammate Senna was cut to 54-48.

It was Senna’s third victory in his last four races.

Senna, 28, of Brazil, led from lap 14 of the 65-circuit race to beat Nigel Mansell of Britain by 23 seconds and extend the unbeaten streak of the McLaren Honda team to eight races.

Alessandro Nannini of Italy was third, and Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin gained his first points of the season by finishing fourth.

Ralph Bruning drove his Buick to a record sixth championship in the stock division at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb despite a course made treacherous by sleet, hail and snow at Colorado Springs, Colo.

Three fans were hospitalized with minor injuries resulting when Tom Foltz of Colorado Springs and Roger Mears of Bakersfield slid off the course and into the crowd.

Bruning, of Colorado Springs, finished in 12 minutes 40.24 seconds, followed by Bobby Regester of Florissant, Colo., in 12:45.81.

Robby Unser of Albuquerque, N.M., son of Bobby Unser, won the open wheel division, Richard Kelsey, of Huntington Beach won the production rally division, and Glenn Harris of Camarillo won the truck division.

Derrike Cope of Charlotte, N.C., won the NASCAR Winston 200 stock car race at Portland, Ore., beating Hershel McGriff of Green Valley, Ariz., by 3.47 seconds.

Cope, who had not won since 1985, averaged 69.659 m.p.h. in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the 200-lap, 100-mile event.

Roy Smith of Canada finished third to improve his series lead to 22 points over Bill Schmitt of Redding, Calif. Bill Sedgwick of Van Nuys was fourth.

Jochen Mass of West Germany and Jean-Louis Schlesser of France, driving a Mercedes, won a Sports Car World Championship race at Brno, Czechoslovakia.

Mass and Schlesser covered the 224-mile course in 2 hours 6 minutes 40.62 seconds.

Schlesser has a 135-119 series lead over Mauro Baldi of Italy.