MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : At Home in Brazil, Senna Nurses Car to Victory

World champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil won the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, delighting his partisan fans.

Senna, in a McLaren-Honda V12, battled rain, a broken gearbox and challenges from two Williams-Renaults for his 28th Grand Prix victory.

Riccardo Patrese of Italy finished second in a Williams-Renault, 2.99 seconds behind. Austria’s Gerhard Berger was third in the other McLaren-Honda.

The hometown crowd cheered and applauded as Senna mounted the winners’ podium waving a green-and-yellow Brazilian flag, popped the champagne bottle and dumped the foaming contents on his head.

Senna led all the way in the 71-lap race at San Paulo’s 2.68-mile Interlagos circuit, a course he helped design.

But the victory was not easy.

“With seven laps to go, I thought I wouldn’t win,” he said. “I lost fourth gear halfway through the race, and fifth and third gears went with eight laps left.

“By the end of the race, I only had sixth gear. The car was practically undrivable.”

Joe Amato, the second-fastest qualifier, was an easy top-fuel winner at the National Hot Rod Assn. Motorcraft Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla.

Amato’s elapsed time in the finals was 4.897 seconds at 285.89 m.p.h., besting Don Prudhomme, who ran 12.433 and 81.59 m.p.h.

Amato, of Old Forge, Pa., drove through matchups with Pat Dakin of Dayton, Ohio; Frank Hawley of Gainesville; and Kenny Bernstein of Dallas en route to his victory.

Mark Oswald, of Cincinnati, beat John Force in the funny-car finals, driving 258.91 m.p.h. at 5.375 seconds.

Warren Johnson, of Duluth, Ga., won the Pro Stock class, and David Schultz, of Ft. Myers, Fla., won in Pro Bikes.

American Kevin Schwantz edged Australian Michael Doohan in winning the 500cc motorcycle event of the Japan Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Luca Cadalora of Italy beat Spain’s Carlos Cardus in the 250cc class in the opening round of the World Motorcycling Championships.

Schwantz, riding a Suzuki, sped 22 laps around the 3.66-mile Suzuka International Racing Course in 48 minutes 35.747 seconds, an average speed of 98.671 m.p.h.

Kenny Wallace, brother of Winston Cup driver Rusty Wallace, won his first NASCAR race, the Spring 200 Grand National event at Barberville, Fla. Wallace drove a Pontiac Grand Prix to a 5.41-second victory worth $12,975.

Ron Braaksma, of Downey, drove his top-fuel hydro to a victory over Ralph Padilla, of Yorba Linda, to win the International Hot Boats Assn. Winternationals at Chandler, Ariz. Braaksma’s time for the quarter-mile was 6.43 seconds at 204.54 m.p.h.