1/5: 15 years on R.I.P. Ayrton Senna

Quite a clip, the body language is clear to see.

Initially, but then he shuts his eyes, and I'm fairly sure he's already in the race.

Initially, but then he shuts his eyes, and I'm fairly sure he's already in the race.

Or maybe thinking 'What am I doing here, and what shall happen in the race. I just hope everyone's safe....'

17 years today. R.I.P. Roland. 17 years tomorrow. R.I.P. Ayrton.

There were 4 horrible crashes that weekend, 2 of them fatal. Modern F1's darkest moments in what was a very dark year from every perspective.

Thankfully Ayrton's death heralded a new era in terms of safety and, even though I don't agree with all of the changes, some good did come from the tragedy.

RIP Roland, 17 years have flown by

17 years since Roland Ratzenberger died.

Ill be posting tomorrow naturally.

RIP to both

RIP Roland,
nice to see some people don't forget him. lots do, sadly.

RIP Roland

Shame the thread title doesn't mention Roland...

Shame the thread title doesn't mention Roland...

Doesnt matter we'll be posting the same about ayrton tomorrow

RIP Roland today

RIP Senna tomorrow

Second time (the first being 2005) as the weekdays are the same as they were in 1994. April 30th on Saturday and May 1st on Sunday.

RIP Roland, 17 years have flown by

Unbelievable it is 17 years now...

Still the shock and impact is felt - R.I.P. Roland, R.I.P. Ayrton!

Second time (the first being 2005) as the weekdays are the same as they were in 1994. April 30th on Saturday and May 1st on Sunday.

This is scary, I am even spending this weekend 2011 here in Sylt with the same Dutch/Danish couple I spend the weekend back 17 years ago with in Maastricht and Den Haag...

Edited by aditya-now, 30 April 2011 - 21:15.

RIP Roland. 17 years has gone past quick.

R.I.P Roland. 17 years, tonight At a show we are playing, as a tribute My band and i are debuting a 30 Minute long piece we Called -For Roland- Sad Day Indeed!

Thought this was nice from Wurz on twitter;

17 years ago. F1 lost a great driver, Austria lost a real fighter. Friends and family lost Roland Ratzenberger, a great man!

Can't believe it's been so long since Ayrton passed away.
And, it's already May 1st in Imola even though it's April 30th where I live.

Yup I was 21 when it happened. Still can't believe it after all this time. Thankfully Rubens's crash wasn't fatal that weekend as well...

R.I.P. Roland and Ayrton

I don't believe we're due another death in F1, since the tracks and cars are now so safe. The only way I see it could happen is that if someone gets T-boned (like Zanardi) and if a car flies and land atop another driver's helmet. I think it's quite safe, and to see guys walking away from wrecks like they've done in the last decade has brought me even more confidence in the safety measures being taken! Let's not forget that not since 2001 has a driver being ruled out for a substancial time due to injury (Burti), so we've come really far! In other sports, like MotoGP and IndyCar it's much more difficult, but the safety measures taken there has made the amount of serious injuries decreasing (no MotoGP death since 2003, and one IndyCar death since 2004).

It could happen any day, any time. Just a wrong bouncing wheel, a loose part flying of another car... the thing that hit Massa in the helmet was as big as my thumb (okay, I've got big thumbs...). Aerton has had several accidents or near-misses which could have had the same result... Kubica was extremely lucky (and Trulli an idiot by pushing him on the grass)... Safety has improved a lot since the death of Senna (the sidewalls in the cockpit, the HANS system saved Kubica, in my view).

So here's hoping for years without deaths... RIP Senna, you did not die in vain.

R.I.P Ayrton

I can't believe it's 17 years since that awful weekend. Where has the time gone?

RIP Ayrton and Roland.

Rest in Peace Champion!
Forever grateful for the joy you brought to my life.

Hvala ti

Brilliance in and out of the car. An intense, incredible man.

17 years. Where has it gone.

RIP

R.I.P.

Rest in peace, Ayrton and Roland. :'(

You did not die in vain.

RIP Ayrton and Roland.

R.I.P. champ.

Is the car still locked away ?

It was destroyed, as is standard procedure whenever a chassis is written off. The engine was returned to Renault. The family also had the helmet destroyed.

I remember when Berger crashed at Tamburello in 1989. he said to Senna "We need to get rid of the damn wall", but behind it is a river, we can't do nothing."

Taken from Gerhard's foreword to "The Life of Senna" by Tom Rubython (excellent read, highly recommended):

"Afterwards I said to Ayrton - and I remember my exact words - 'we have to change that terrible wall, it's too dangerous.' I wish we had. We certainly had the opportunity. The following year after a test session at Imola, Ayrton and I walked to Tamburello. He looked behind the wall and saw there was a river, and he said to me, 'Gerhard, we cannot change it as there is a river behind it.' We looked at each other and said okay, we cannot change it; and I said to Ayrton, "I know we can't do anything but someone is going to die at this corner.' Sure enough, he died exactly at the place where we were standing and talking. River or no river, we should have done something."


In fact, I think I may continue quoting Gerhard, as it's a very nice foreword.

"In this life, you are a little prepared for death. In fact, during my career a lot of my teammates and friends have died - Michele Alboreto, Elio de Angelis, Roland Ratzenberger, Manfred Winkelhock, Jo Gartner and so on. But of all of them, Ayrton was my closest friend and although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it really hurt.

....

My last real memory of Ayrton is of him turning around to smile at me on the grid, as the drivers' names were called out on the loudspeakers and the San Marino crowd cheered. It was the smile of a friend who was pleased to see the people's support and love for me. That is the last thing I remember of him."

It was destroyed, as is standard procedure whenever a chassis is written off. The engine was returned to Renault. The family also had the helmet destroyed.



Taken from Gerhard's foreword to "The Life of Senna" by Tom Rubython (excellent read, highly recommended):

"Afterwards I said to Ayrton - and I remember my exact words - 'we have to change that terrible wall, it's too dangerous.' I wish we had. We certainly had the opportunity. The following year after a test session at Imola, Ayrton and I walked to Tamburello. He looked behind the wall and saw there was a river, and he said to me, 'Gerhard, we cannot change it as there is a river behind it.' We looked at each other and said okay, we cannot change it; and I said to Ayrton, "I know we can't do anything but someone is going to die at this corner.' Sure enough, he died exactly at the place where we were standing and talking. River or no river, we should have done something."


In fact, I think I may continue quoting Gerhard, as it's a very nice foreword.

"In this life, you are a little prepared for death. In fact, during my career a lot of my teammates and friends have died - Michele Alboreto, Elio de Angelis, Roland Ratzenberger, Manfred Winkelhock, Jo Gartner and so on. But of all of them, Ayrton was my closest friend and although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it really hurt.

....

My last real memory of Ayrton is of him turning around to smile at me on the grid, as the drivers' names were called out on the loudspeakers and the San Marino crowd cheered. It was the smile of a friend who was pleased to see the people's support and love for me. That is the last thing I remember of him."

Thank you for posting this. I still miss him dearly 17 years later.

Taken from Gerhard's foreword to "The Life of Senna" by Tom Rubython (excellent read, highly recommended):


My last real memory of Ayrton is of him turning around to smile at me on the grid, as the drivers' names were called out on the loudspeakers and the San Marino crowd cheered. It was the smile of a friend who was pleased to see the people's support and love for me. That is the last thing I remember of him."

Thanks for the quote, I remember it, and it still makes me cry. How the human side of Ayrton has been misread and misunderstood by some people. What a giant he was also in that field.

He was around before my time and i was never really aware of him until well after his death but from the stories i've read and interviews i've watched he certainly seemed like an incredible driver and person.


R.I.P

Edited by olliek88, 01 May 2011 - 21:16.

I am even spending this weekend 2011 here in Sylt with the same Dutch/Danish couple I spend the weekend back 17 years ago with in Maastricht and Den Haag...

Sylt, the nudist area?

Pro drivers still worship Senna and comes to visit his grave.

Lewis went there last year.
Ryan Briscoe a few days ago.

RIP Aytron & Roland.

Well, I normally ignore such threads, but yeah. Roland, Ayrton. Both good racers. Bad weekend. God bless.

18 years ago today, Roland Ratzenberger lost his life.
18 years ago tomorrow, Ayrton Senna lost his life.

RIP to both.

Gone but never forgotten
RIP Roland
RIP Ayrton

R.I.P Senna.

R.I.P Roland.