Ayrton Senna

A sad day indeed.

 

Hope this link works for everyone, Autosport magazine posted a photo gallery of Senna:

autosport.com - The Photo Gallery

 

His death was a wake up call for F1 and triggered huge safety improvements.

Many drivers of today are still alive because of those changes.

IMHO that's Ayrton's and Roland's biggest legacy. RIP

 

I remember the day - watching the race live on ESPN. when I saw the accident I though immediatly that he was dead. then remember seeing his helmet move and thought great he's still alive but I was sure his career was over - then when the helicopter came I knew it was over.

He was a phenominal driver and did a lot of good for Brazil.

 

Ayrton RIP (Race in Peace). I am sure you, Gilles, Jimmy and Ronnie are sharing some great stories and maybe even racing. I am certain Jean Marie Balestre will not be there to spoil it for you guys, I am guessing he probably is in another place. Thanks for all of the great memories and inspiration you provided us in your all too short time here on earth.

 

will never forget that sad day.

 

+1

RIP.

 

Sorry, but that is c*** to say that it's his biggest legacy. Yes, his death did wake up the F1 world but his legacy is the joy he brought to millions of fans everywhere and especially in Brazil where he made everyone smile by driving so passionately. Go on youtube and look for Senna's video. Everybody is saying how they miss these days and how fortunate they were to witness it.

It certainly makes today's F1 feel very clinical.

 

I remember it took me several days for reality to sink in. I was 15 and every morning i would wake up and look for a piece of news that would say that he did wake up in the hospital and would recover. He was and still is my hero.

 

+1

Still brings tears to my eyes.

Prefer to remember him driving in the junior formulas where he was just *so* good it was scary. Then in F1 he changed the game.

Maybe BigTex can post Prof Sids quote from the intro in his book; Something like, 'he wouldn't just have changed racing, he'd have changed the entire world.'

Enjoy your fishing trips with the Prof.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Just went a looked at his pole from Suzuka again. Seems someone somewhere has linked to it today; it's been viewed over 200 times today already.... Generally gets a handful at most.

Many are thinking of him.

Cheers,
Ian
https://vimeo.com/10427952

 

Was anyone here at Imola that weekend? Would love to hear a first hand account
Kevin

 

No. You wouldn't.

The very best account I've ever read is in Prof Sids book. To say everyone was shocked, particularly after poor Roland's death, would be an understatement. Ayrton was just too good.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I was a bit older than you, I watched it live, it was surreal. I still can't believe after 19 years this could happen to him.

 

My father was living in Sao Paulo at the time. He said the whole city (And it's a massive city) was crying.

 

I watched it live also, i was at a friend's house. We both were shocked and couldnt believe it. We were certain he would be fine, with maybe a broken leg until the evening news. I went home and cried like never before.

 

Sorry Andrew, I didn't mean to offend any Senna fans. Yes of course he made millions of fans happy by his driving etc. Not disputing that.

My point is that if he had lived and collected maybe another 2 titles, people would remember him today the way they think about Fangio or Prost.

Because he died while battling for the WDC and because he already had 3 titles, the world remembers him now as much more and he has become a myth.

So while it would have been great to see him collect more wins and titles, ultimately his legacy would have been just that. But because he died (and Ratzenberger the previous day), his death wasn't "just" another WDC or F1 hero dying (we lost Ascari, Clark and Rindt to name a few), but it ultimately changed the way F1 was run.

Without Senna's death, a bunch more people would have been killed or seriously injured over the past two decades. And that's a legacy IMHO worth more than "just" more wins.

Had he not died, chances were very good that he would have ended up at Ferrari. He was already in talks with the Scuderia. There is a nice reference in the movie "La Passione".

 

A total tragical weekend he was not the only one to die, the most touching of which was that Senna had a Austrian flag in his car that he had intended to raise in honour of Ratzenberger after the race.

 

Um, actually I would like to hear from Someone who was there. I'm very familiar with the crash details, and watched the race live. But I always enjoy first hand accounts.

Kevin

 

Perhaps 'enjoy' is the wrong word to use in this context.

Better to say you would 'appreciate' a first hand account.

Not picking, I know, but the connotation is very, very different.

 

Matchett's book "Life in the pit lane" is all about the 94 season and has a riveting account of that dreadful weekend.

 

Yup - read that. Yes - enjoy is not the correct word...
Just wonder what it was like from the fans point of view.