A moment to remember...

sometimes, i can;t help but wonder...what if senna's still here today with us? still racing? a manager? getting at JPM

 

Very well done. I have watched in person Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher race F1 and there is no doubt that Ayrton and Clark were in a class by themselves. I wish only that I had seen Fangio race, I imagine that it was the same.

 

Wow unbelieveable he would have been 46, six years older than me. I remember when he first started and watching Monaco. I used to think Prost had it over everybody until I saw the Brasilian GP of 1988 and how Senna tore through the field. Jon great post earlier.

 

Don't make me feel so old around here...

I remember sitting in the rain opposite the swimming pool at Monaco as this new guy, Senna was his name, got closer and closer in a what, ah yes a Toleman to my and everybody else's darling, Alain Prost. As spectators we knew what was happening, despite the lack of video walls, we could see it with our own eyes how the gap got shorter and shorter. We also watched that other young gun, Stefan Bellof in some go kart tearing up the track. Then Jacky Ickx assured a French victory on "French" soil by waving off the race. We were all disappointed, yet relieved our hero won. Little did we know, that the half points awarded that day would later on cost the title to our Alain.

After that race everybody knew who Senna was. And most knew who Bellof was.

 

RIP

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/83758/last_lap_aerton_serner/

 

Aerton Serner?

For cryin' out loud he was Brazilian, not German!

"Der Toni Serner steht im Tor und singt bumsfallera."

 

RIP

 

My wife and I attended the 2003 San Marino Grand prix and I shot these 2 pictures of the Senna memorials that are located at the track. I apologize about the quality of the photos as I did not have a digital camera at the time. The memorials are quite moving to a true Senna fan such as myself. After the race which Michael won the day after his mother passed away, we went back to our hotel after fantastic dinner in Balogna and turned on the television to find a 2 hour tribute to Senna on this the 9th anniversary of his passing. Senna was and always will be one of the greatest drivers ever. We can debate and compare statistics and what if scenarios, but the fact remains I feel very fortunate to have been able to see one of the greatest drivers of all time in 1992 win pole position at the Canadian GP and was able to visit the site where this greatest was extinguished. As an aside I have seen statements elsewhere on this board staing that Monza and Imola are subpar facilites and should be replaced by newer more modern venues, and I could not disagree more. We went to Monza last year for the GP and it was truly special, you could just feel the history. I have been to over 20 Formula 1 races in my life, but my 2 favorites are Monza and San Marino. If you are true fan of Formula 1 please make sure you get to watch a GP in Italy before it is too late, you will not regret it.
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Great Post and thank you for those photos.

 

I have been to an equal number of GPs around the world, so I feel like answering: The facilities in both places are subpar for the teams and for the fans. Monza is borderline ok, Imola is more like a carnival in a park and I believe they are about to build new pits and grand stands soon.

I fully agree that both places are filled with history and at both races I had a great time and for the life of me I wouldn't want to see them disappear from the calendar as they represent some of the great history of F1. Having said that, I think it is unfair to have two GPs in the same country (If Imola only really were on San Marino soil!) and they both could use an infrastructure upgrade. F1 is a global sport and should race all over the world. It shouldn't be a European series and sometimes that means one has to make a sacrifice. Of course I could think of a few places I'd axe before Monza or Imola.

PS: My two favourite GPs as a spectator are Monaco and Barcelona. And Brands Hatch while it existed (subpar by today's standards as well).

Sorry for hijacking this thread. To make up for it here a few more pictures; they're all from Morumbi cemetery in Sao Paulo. I took them years after his death, yet fans are still coming to mourn at his grave site.
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nice pics andreas, u go there often>?

 

My general rule for traveling is to first hit every place at least once before repeat visits. Doesn't always work that way with GPs.

Only have been to Morumbi once. Was very strange: It took me three different taxi drivers to finally find the place. Not that it is a secret or anything.