Schumacher won the race on the 30th and final lap, after Häkkinen attempted to overtake the German in a manoeuvre which caused the Fin to hit the rear of the future seven times Formula 1 world champion’s car. The race has gone down in history as one of most compelling to be held at the mythical city circuit.
Founded in 1973 by Adrian Reynard in Bicester, United Kingdom, Reynard Motorsport became one of the biggest racing car manufacturers and achieved great successes in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, Formula 3000 and Formula Ford Indy.
After winning Formula 3000 in 1989 with the 893 model, Reynard set its sights on creating the 903 model. Maintaining the general specification of the previous model, improvements on the 903 focused only on aerodynamics. The car however, was not easy to drive, nor was it often fast, an issue which led a lot of the drivers who had to pay for their drives, to opt for the rival Ralt RT34.
The Finnish driver’s dramatic victory and subsequent abandonment on the final lap after the collision with Michael Schumacher, ensured the entry of this legendary Reynard 903 into the history of world motorsport forever.
This automobile belongs to Fundação Casa de Macau and was kindly provided to Museu do Caramulo to feature in their exibit.