Senna: where it all began…

Every year for the past quarter of a century, Formula 1 fans around the world have been uniting in thoughts on March 21 to pay tribute to the legendary Ayrton Senna, born on that date in 1960 in Sao Paulo. The Brazilian would, therefore, have blown out his 60th candle in 2020 if fate had not cruelly interfered around the Tamburello curve, on a dark Sunday on May 1, 1994, at Imola.

For over 25 years, everything has been said, written or claimed about “Magic Senna”. So, I chose to bring my modest contribution to the many tributes made worldwide to the triple world champion by sharing some pictures from my personal collection.

These are not about F1, let alone F3 or Formula Ford, but karting. Because before dominating his peers behind the wheel of single-seater, the man, who still went by the name of “Da Silva” (his father Milton’s name) already gave his rivals headaches on go-kart tracks in the late 1970s.

Winner of the Sao Paulo championship multiple times, then champion of Brazil and South America, Senna first came competing in Europe in 1978 against the best drivers from the Old Continent. His first world championship, that same year on the Alain Prost Circuit at Le Mans, ended with a good sixth place.

The following year, the Brazilian with the yellow crash helmet raised his game at the World Championship of Estoril, in Portugal, but was defeated by his DAP teammate Peter Koene. In 1980, the season’s peak-event took place at Nivelles, in Belgium, where he had to admit defeat again, and again facing a Dutch driver in Peter De Bruijn, still unknown at the time.

History will remember that Senna was never crowned karting world champion. A disappointment that he quickly erased from his first days in British Formula Ford 1600 of which he won the title in 1981 on his way to Formula 1 and the astonishing career that we all know he would achieve.

Happy Birthday “Magic” ! …

Pictures by : Raymond Biesmans