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Remembering Senna - 1.5.94 - 1.5.08


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#51 manchild

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Posted 03 May 2008 - 09:35

Originally posted by MONTOYASPEED
Good post. Good thing it wasn't meant to be long tho. :lol:

Thanks. I don't know why but it always happens to me that an announced short post or email turns into a novel. :blush:

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#52 NineOneSeven

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Posted 03 May 2008 - 12:44

Senna is an inspiration to me still after all these years.

Rest in peace.

#53 dianno

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Posted 03 May 2008 - 19:06

Excellent post and great pics from the Senna era. My God, that old McLaren-Honda V12 was awesome. :up:

I shall be driving by Imola next week and plan to stop by the circuit to pay my personal respects to both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna da Silva after all this time.

Has anybody here been to the track on quiet weekdays to visit the memorials?

#54 Rexx Havoc

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 04:54

the day before his Duel with Alesi's Tyrell

[IMG]http://img363.images...o0009jd8.th.jpg[/IMG]

#55 OfficeLinebacker

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 05:48

I downloaded and watched the Japanese Grand Prix where he was literally robbed of the win. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Ayrton Senna won that race and that championship fair and square. There is no room for exceptions or explanations. I would like to post some quotes of Senna. He can show why he was the greatest better than I can.

Originally said by Ayrton Senna


I think what happened in 1989 was unforgivable, and I will never forget it. I still struggle to cope with it even now. You know what took place here: Prost and I crashed at the chicane, when he turned into me. Afterwards, I rejoined the race, and I won it, but they decided against me, and that was not justice. What happened afterwards was... a theatre, but I could not say what I thought. If you do that, you get penalties, you get fined, you lose your license maybe. Is that a fair way of working?

If you get ****ed every time you try to do your job cleanly, within the system, what do you do? Stand back, and say thank you? No way. You should fight for what you think is right.


Originally said by Ayrton Senna

...the last qualifying session. I was already on pole, then by half a second and then one second and I just kept going. Suddenly I was nearly two seconds faster than anybody else, including my team mate with the same car. And suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension. It was like I was in a tunnel. Not only the tunnel under the hotel but the whole circuit was a tunnel. I was just going and going, more and more and more and more. I was way over the limit but still able to find even more.

Then suddenly something just kicked me. I kind of woke up and realised that I was in a different atmosphere than you normally are. My immediate reaction was to back off, slow down. I drove slowly back to the pits and I didn't want to go out any more that day. It frightened me because I was well beyond my conscious understanding. It happens rarely but I keep these experiences very much alive inside me because it is something that is important for self-preservation.


Originally said by Ayrton Senna

Of course there are moments that you wonder how long you should be doing it because there are other aspects which are not nice, of this lifestyle. But I just love winning.


Originally said by Ayrton Senna

One particular thing that Formula-1 can provide you, is that you know you're always exposed to danger. Danger of getting hurt, danger of dying. This is part of your life, and you either face it in a professional, in a cool manner, or you just drop it, just leave it and don't do it anymore really. And I happen to like too much what I do to just drop it, I can't drop it.


..and here is a quote from Berger:

Originally said by Gerhard Berger


I remember one weekend in Imola where I went out, I set the time. He went out, he was a bit quicker. I went out, I was quicker than him. He went out, he was quicker than me, and then it goes forwards, backwards -- ping pong -- until close to the end of the qualifying and it was the last set of tyres, and he was sitting in the racing car, me in my one, and he got out of the racing car, walked over to my one and said, 'Listen, it's gonna get very dangerous now,' and I say 'So what? Let's go!'


In closing, I state that Jean-Marie Balestre is one of the most odious creatures to ever wield control over a sporting event.

#56 Muz Bee

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 10:27

Originally posted by OfficeLinebacker
I downloaded and watched the Japanese Grand Prix where he was literally robbed of the win. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Ayrton Senna won that race and that championship fair and square. There is no room for exceptions or explanations. I would like to post some quotes of Senna. He can show why he was the greatest better than I can.

In closing, I state that Jean-Marie Balestre is one of the most odious creatures to ever wield control over a sporting event.


Balestre was only warming the seat for the grandaddy of them all..... ):

When the greatest of his era is killed a huge hole is permanently burned in the page of history. Senna was a giant, an artist and very controversial for word and deed.

The greatest will never be beyond doubt and I would just remember Jim Clark's death also, it was 40 years ago. He was also the acknowledged master of his era, every driver suddenly felt very mortal. RIP Jim, RIP Ayrton, RIP all the other GP winners who were taken in their prime.

#57 SeanValen

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 11:07

He was the last driver of a era that will never come back, the sport changed, things changed..

He knew the risks though, and spoke openly about death at times, and I think the Imola weekend was one big poetic tale of life and death.

He could of not raced that day if he wanted too, in essense all those drivers that day were in control of their destiny to some point, the show must go on. The safety of the sport was underpar with the risks Senna was trying to take that day, Schumacher was going to be strong in the race, Senna's will to win was too much, he got pole, but race day was different, Schumi the rising star, but Senna was expected to win with Williams, but Williams were not on the ball as previous years, it wasn't meant to be, had Williams delivered a strong car to meet the strong engine, Senna would be alive, and no need to take gigantic risks on race day. He should of took it more easy, but he didn't, he knew the risks, he kept on the pace,
He died what he loved doing, it's not tragic to die what you love doing. It's tragic for everyone he touched though to lose him.

"He was a fantastic personality and great competitor." MS-Imola 2004,

Schumacher visited Senna's grave in private in 94-nobody knew until MS admitted it after his retirement, , he would again visit in 2006, his last race in Brazil. MS was 24 years old, and he saw Senna die in front of him. MS never had to deal with driver deaths until Imola weekend, note MS's contribution to THE GPDA along with DC-DC who took over from Senna at Williams, both of these guys did more for safety then other drivers up until now, the 1994 season had a lasting effect.


I think because the sport has gone so safety oriented now, we look back to a different f1 as more of a gladitorial battle.


However Ron Dennis a while ago said, "I don't think Ayrton would change anything." Meaning, perhaps Senna would be grateful of being revered like he is now, it's no common thing that death makes some people more powerful then they were if living, legacy and legends, you can relate to 2pac, the rapper who also did a huge amount of things at such a young age, but killed at 25, but left a body of work and personality, which continue to do well, 2pac like Senna openly talked about the risks of their lives, one a race driver, one a rapper with strong messages, when you openly express life and death messages in your career people know you for, you've leave a lasting effect, you foretold your future and people watched it.


Senna still remains the last driver fatality of the sport, I think being born when he was and in a more tv related era of f1, his life is more documented then say Jim Clark and the some older times with past drivers. This gives Senna easy access to future fans looking back, plenty of conferences, plenty of drama, the Senna/Prost feud, and a blaze of glory death-with no solid agreement of how it happened, a mysterious accident out in front, leading a gp, big tv numbers, fantastic personality-all the things there to keep you entranced with a man's life up until his last lap.

Plus his first drive in a f1 was with Williams, and his last was with Williams. Schumacher's career also was born out of Senna's era's ending, so Schumacher fans will make connections, you can't reference Schumacher without Senna now, they both comitted on track fouls, both rain masters, these things help create the legend and legacy of Senna perhaps more so then other f1 drivers.

And yeah I'll always miss him and remember where I was when I died, but that's life, more people will die as we get older, I hope we can be as lucky as Senna and die what we love doing. :up:


When I visited Imola in 2006, it was great being in Italy-god's country, watched MS win the last Imola, and watched MS take pole on a track where Senna got his last, there was even a safety car period in 2006, irrie-like Imola 94. MS racing on the day his mother died in Imola 2003, MS bursting in tears in Monza 2000, after equaling Senna's GP record, and track marshall dies, Berger's accident in Imola 89-some corner as Senna's crash in 94-tamberello, Berger said "LETS GET RID OF THAT DAMMED WALL AYRTON."

"We can't Ayrton, there's a river behind the wall."

Yence the river is the reason the wall exits where Senna crashed. Amazing really, the track was built and pre-desined to be a place of life and death. I saw the river in 2006, on a warm spring day, it looked ******* beautiful, but I still wish it wasn't there, then Senna would be here, blame the river, blame the rules, who cares, that's life.

IT ALL HAPPENS IN ITALY, DRAMA, LIFE AND DEATH AND THE WORLD'S BEST TEAM FERRARI

Italy is probabley heaven. :smoking:

R.I.P Senna and Roland


Roland is a tragic figure, the man isn't remembered as much because he wasn't Senna and been in f1 long enough, also his death should of been enough to call off the GP, it's Italian law to investigate it, had it been Senna who died on Saturday, would bernie and co still go on with the race, I don't know, but I just think it's sad, the day after they set up the GDPA-senna, ms, and the others, in the morning of the race, but they didn't do anything to make themselfs more safe that day, then Senna died, that's the pain of Imola 94, and life at times.


If you want to create tracks near rivers, make sure high speed corners have plenty of run off. Tamburello corner isn't really a corner to the naked eye, it's pretty much flat out in a f1 car, but if something in the car goes as your turning , and there's a wall there, then your one unlucky man. It's lack of effort over the years before Imola 94, because there were no driver deaths, for a long time, drivers had been pretty lucky really, then the luck ran out, it's just another world compared to today where everyone's walking off after a crash.

MS had a crash at Imola 95, wasn't explained, but already the cars were much stronger for crashes.


#58 OfficeLinebacker

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 15:21

I think it's worth of note that Senna had with him in the cockpit at the time of his death an Austrian flag which he had planned to unfurl at the finish as a tribute to his friend Roland.

#59 molive

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 23:06

In January, 1994, a Brazilian newspaper (O Estado de São Paulo) published an interview with Senna, about his impressions after testing the new Williams:

ESTADO: Are you already comfortable in the car?

SENNA: Its not good yet, I still dont feel comfortable inside the car, but it has improved a lot. The adjustments that were in the car were made for Damon Hill.

ESTADO: Describe how is to drive the car without active suspension?

SENNA: The withdraw of the active suspension affected the car a great deal. It's slower and less stable. The front tends to go upwards, it dives under breaking, in the curves it takes a wheel off the ground. Its totally different.

ESTADO: Does the mechanical suspension make the car more fun to drive?

SENNA: No, because it goes slower, and the pleasure comes from speed. On top of that, it's tougher to drive, and more dangerous because it got more unstable.


"The pleasure comes from speed", that was Senna!

Senna 4Ever! :up::up:

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#60 molive

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Posted 04 May 2008 - 23:08

Posted Image
Ayrton's first Go-Kart. :D

#61 Arion

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Posted 05 May 2008 - 09:44

Originally posted by molive
Posted Image
Ayrton's first Go-Kart. :D


007 :D
That's sooo cool!