A Brazilian prodigy

Ayrton Senna da Silva, a young Brazilian prodigy, carries his kart with the help of his mechanic, before the 1982 World Karting Championship, held in Kalmar, Sweden (photo above).

Ayrton Senna recalled his karting years: “I started racing with karting. And it’s a discipline that I love. It’s the most breathtaking sport in the world. Even more than F1, in fact, I loved it even more.”

The 1982 Kalmar round was Ayrton’s final attempt at becoming world champion, a title that had always eluded him. But once again, with a small team around him, the future three-time F1 world champion could only manage 14th… much to his dismay.

Two years later, after dominating the FF2000 (picture below taken in 1982) and then the British F3, the young prodigy will nevertheless make his debut in F1 with Toleman, a team with which he will achieve feats, notably in the rain at Monaco.