Motor Racing: Senna finds an extra gear to transform the ordinary: Schumacher slips to second in practice for Pacific Grand Prix

AYRTON SENNA took up the challenge, earnestly, spectacularly and decisively, here yesterday. He bullied his Williams-Renault around the TI circuit and slammed it on provisional pole for tomorrow's Pacific Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher, 1.2sec faster than the Brazilian 24 hours earlier, was unable to raise his game and grudgingly settled for second place. . . at least for another 24 hours.

They resume their duel in today's final qualifying session and, more importantly, in the race. If Formula One is lucky, this contest could run and run.

The grand prix itself may suit Schumacher's Benetton- Ford, but Williams appear to have recovered significantly from their lacklustre showing in the first, unofficial practice session. Damon Hill, in their other car, was third yesterday, three-tenths of a second down on Schumacher and half a second behind his partner.

Hill's time is probably more representative of Williams's current state of health. Senna, deeply dissatisfied with his car on Thursday, demanded improvements and his team duly responded. He, in turn, committed himself to the cause with a nerve-jangling lap.

He and the FW16 were on the edge; for one breathtaking moment, they seemed beyond it. The car twitched over the kerb of the last corner (imaginatively called the Last Corner, as distinct from the first corner, called. . . the First Corner).

Yet somehow he relocated the tarmac and crossed the line in 1min 10.218sec.

Schumacher, in command until then, went out and pushed himself with similar determination. He could not even better his early time and accepted this was not to be his show. An adjustment, making the car lower, had failed to produce the intended grip and speed.

Williams's engineers acknowledged that Senna had conjured something out of the ordinary to achieve his overnight position and remain less confident about their prospects for the race. Even Senna cannot be expected to register qualifying lap times for the duration of an entire grand prix.

He said: 'The car works fine and it is great to have improved so much. This is only provisional pole, so we have to keep pressing. We have to look for ways to make the car even better for the second qualifying session.'

Schumacher, somewhat disgruntled, said: 'My first run was good but not as quick as I expected. I was quite happy with the car and we made a small adjustment. On the second run, I was a little slower, but I'm confident we'll be able to fight for pole.'

Hill, too, hopes to be involved in that argument. He said: 'I'm surprised we were able to make up so much ground. Now Benetton will have to put their thinking cap on. We're still learning how to make the car work. We have only started to dip into the areas where the car can show its potential. I'm not happy in that I'd rather be ahead of Ayrton, but he's not out of reach.'

That dip was sufficient to distance Williams from the rest of the pack. McLaren-Peugeot are gradually getting to grips with their task but Mika Hakkinen, fourth fastest, was still almost a second down on Hill. Next was Gerhard Berger, in a Ferrari, and sixth was Martin Brundle, in the other McLaren.

Brundle, at last able to run relatively trouble-free, was hugely relieved. He said: 'I feel I'm just beginning to get into it. I'm still a bit of a stranger to the car, like a passenger watching the driver doing a not very good job. But it will come.'

Nicola Larini, deputising for the injured Jean Alesi, in the other Ferarri, was a creditable seventh, immediately ahead of the now consistently impressive Rubens Barrichello, in a Jordan-Hart.

Britain's Mark Blundell, driving a Tyrrell-Yamaha, was 12th, while his compatriot, Johnny Herbert, was left stranded among the strugglers, a dismayed 23rd.

PACIFIC GRAND PRIX (Aida, Japan; 3.702km, 2.295 miles) First qualifying times: 1 A Senna (Bra) Williams-Renault 1min 10.218sec (189.8kph, 117.9mph); 2 M Schumacher (Ger) Benetton-Ford 1:10.440; 3 D Hill (GB) Williams-Renault 1:10.771; 4 M Hakkinen (Fin) McLaren-Peugeot 1:11.683; 5 G Berger (Aut) Ferrari 1:11.744; 6 M Brundle (GB) McLaren-Peugeot 1:12.351; 7 N Larini (It) Ferrari 1:12.372; 8 R Barrichello (Bra) Jordan-Hart 1:12.409; 9 J Verstappen (Neth) Benetton-Ford 1:12.554; 10 H-H Frentzen (Ger) Sauber-Mercedes 1:12.686; 11 G Morbidelli (It) Footwork-Ford 1:12.866; 12 M Blundell (GB) Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:13.013; 13 U Katayama (Japan) Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:13.013; 14 E Comas (Fr) Larrousse-Ford 1:13.111; 15 C Fittipaldi (Bra) Footwork-Ford 1:13.169; 16 M Alboreto (It) Minardi-Ford 1:13.342; 17 P Martini (It) Minardi-Ford 1:13.529; 18 E Bernard (Fr) Ligier-Renault 1:13.613; 19 K Wendlinger (Aut) Sauber-Mercedes 1:13.855; 20 A Suzuki (Japan) Jordan-Hart 1:14.036; 21 O Beretta (Fr) Larrousse-Ford 1:14.101; 22 O Panis (Fr) Ligier-Renault 1:14.106; 23 J Herbert (GB) Lotus-Mugen Honda 1:14.538; 24 P Lamy (Por) Lotus-Mugen Honda 1:14.538; 25 D Brabham (Aus) Simtek-Ford 1:14.946; 26 B Gachot (Bel) Pacific-Ilmor 1:16.927; 27 P Belmondo (Fr) Pacific-Ilmor 1:18.671. Did not practice: R Ratzenberger (Aut) Simtek-Ford.

(Map omitted)