Auto Racing

Brazilian Ayrton Senna won his second consecutive Formula One driving championship when a crash early in the Japan Grand Prix put Nigel Mansell out of the points chase.

Senna wound up second in the event, picking up six points for the victory. He has 91 points to 69 for Mansell.

Gerhard Berger, Senna’s McLaren-Honda teammate, won the race.

Senna, winning the title for the third time, was assured the championship in the next-to-last race of the year because Mansell needed to win each of the last two events to have a chance. Senna needed only to finish third in either the Japan Grand Prix or the Australian Grand Prix.

Berger had the pole position. He took off at the start and beat Senna to the first corner of the 3.64-mile Suzuka circuit. Senna led most of the race, however, moving over to give his teammate the victory at the end.