In the pouring rain on April 11, 1993, Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna raced into history with one of the greatest performances of his career. In treacherous conditions, he held off a spirited challenge from arch-rival Alain Prost to take a famous victory, one of the last he would savour before his tragic death a year later.
So itās typical of the internet, then, that the race is remembered more these days for the trophy Senna was presented with than for the victory itself.
The image you see here may be familiar, as it pops up and does the rounds of both gaming and even sporting sites every 6-12 months before settling in and awaiting its next time around. It looks absurd. One of the greatest sporting heroes of the 20th century being presented with an enormous, tearful Sonic the Hedgehog trophy? Please.
The thing is, itās real. Sega, in a taste of the PR disasters that were to come with its British football sponsorships later in the decade, thought itād be a good idea in 1993 to sponsor the entire weekendās racing at English circuit Donnington, to the point where the race was known officially that year as the XXXVIII Sega European Grand Prix.
https://lastchance.cc/the-long-strange-history-of-video-games-sponsoring-foo-5825815%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Which if true would be amazing. The enormous Sega logo, the stoic pose adopted by its then-triumphant platforming hero, the raising of a hand to a teary face even hinting at some humility beneath Sonicās usual brashness, it would make for one the greatest sporting trophies of all time, if only because it had absolutely nothing to do with the event itself other than sponsorship rights.
Sadly, thatās not the case. As you can see in the video here to the left, after he hoists the Sonic trophy for a photo op, itās quickly dropped and heās given the real cup, the Sonic one no doubt binned or thrown in a closet somewhere at Segaās UK offices.
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends.
