The Jerez circuit was born in 1985 when Pedro Pacheco, the Mayor of Jerez de la Frontera, decided to back a project to build a racing circuit, to promote the town and its famous sherries worldwide. The track hosted its first F1 race in 1986, Senna beating Mansell in a thrilling duel, in one of the closest ever finishes in F1. Mansell would savour his revenge with victories in 1987 and 1988. F1 events at this venue suffered from poor attendances, although the circuit was packed whenever there was a motorcycle race. The 1990 race witnessed the horrific accident of Martin Donnelly, hurled from his Lotus after hitting a barrier in a high speed corner. It was the beginning of the end for Jerez, in F1 terms. In 1991 the Spanish GP was relocated to the new Barcelona circuit. The last F1 race at Jerez was in 1997, when the circuit hosted the 'European GP'. This race witnessed the World Championship showdown between Villeneuve and Schumacher, the latter eventually excluded from the 1997 World Championship, having driven Villeneuve off the track. The race marked the first victory for Mika Hakkinen in a McLaren-Mercedes. The track remains a popular venue for F1 tests.