Happy Birthday Ayrton Senna

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Ayrton Senna would have been 53 today. To celebrate the life of an extraordinary man, here’s a video of the world’s best racing driver piloting my all-time favorite car around Suzuka.


Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Beerboy12 Beerboy12 on Mar 21, 2013

    That's a great video. Like all "hero's" Sienna had faults and did a few dodgy things but he did MUCH more good than bad and at least he did not lie about taking steroids or shoot his girlfriend...

    • TKewley TKewley on Mar 21, 2013

      To slightly misquote Jeremy Clarkson: he is NOT a hero...he is a racing driver.

  • Carfriend313 Carfriend313 on Mar 22, 2013

    I remember a Jeremy Clarkson video from about 1996 or 1997 in which the NSX was featured. A very successful British Touring Car Championship driver drove it and said that the power steering was a bit strange, but "if it's good enough for Ayrton Senna then it's good enough for me" For some reason that comment has stayed with me.

  • Agroal Agroal on Mar 22, 2013

    I can forgive the in-car camera for no sound. Early '90's tech. Unforgivable is the gay soundtrack. Sounds like a man who most definitely has his nuts caught in a bear trap.

  • Tjh8402 Tjh8402 on Mar 22, 2013

    Amen Derek. That is a car I will own someday. I wish I had been old enough to see and watch him in action on track. I think part of the magic/mystery surrounding him is not just that he died young, but the question of how the F1 record books would look today had he kept winning races and championships (increasing his own tally while lowering Michael's). In footage, he's always seemed more passionate about just racing. Some drivers seem to race for the satisfaction of winning, and while Senna clearly and obviously raced to win, I think half the fun for him was doing that. I'm sure he was having the time of his life in the wet at Donnington at 1994 on lap 1, not just because he was winning, but because he had to work so hard to do it. What strikes me about this video was his calmness and composure. He's sideways in a mid engined exotic on a racetrack with no helmet and doesn't appear to be working hard at all. it's all so natural, fluid and second nature. As Clarkson and Brundle said on the Top Gear special about him, his car control abilities made it look like he had the car dancing on the limit the whole time.

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