Ayrton Senna Memorial

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Yesterday I made what can be considered a pilgrimage to see the bronze statue in memory of arguably the world's greatest ever racing driver Ayrton Senna. 



Senna was killed at the Tamburello Curve on the 1st May 1994 in what can only be described as the worst weekend in the modern era of motorsport.  The San Marino Grand Prix saw a series of accidents that started with a big crash for Rubens Barrichello, which hospitilised the Brazilian and then Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a high speed impact.  The following day the race start was interrupted after a major collision on the grid saw debris strewn across the track, however the race continued behind the safety car.  At the restart Senna's car went straight on at Tamburello and impacted with the wall. I remember watching the race at home and, like the rest of the motorsport world, was stunned when we heard the news that Ayrton Senna had lost his life.

Tamburello Curve was reprofiled from a high speed corner into a chicane in the interests of safety but the memories of that day are still evident in Imola 19 year on.
The outside of the Curva Tamburello which is now a low speed chicane
At the point of impact on the outside of Tamburello, tributes have been left pinned to the fence, including a Brazilian flag and in the public park on the inside of the corner a bronze statue by Stefano Pierotti shows Senna sitting on a wall facing the track, deep in his thoughts as was his way before each race.  Situated under trees with benches around the statue, it is a place of reflection and peace. 
The Senna Memorial is situated in a small secluded area in the public park on the inside of Tamburello
More tributes have been left on the fence and around the statue and while I was taking images there was a steady stream of visitors.


I never got to meet the man himself but I have had the pleasure of working with his nephew Bruno, in British Formula 3 and currently in the FIA World Endurance Championship, but I can only describe Ayrton Senna as a personal hero and, in my humble opinion, the greatest racing driver ever. 


Tributes pinned to the fence near to the Senna Memorial and on the inside of Tamburello

Steady stream of visitors to the Senna Memorial

 All images taken on a Nikon D800 with 17-35mm f2.8 / 50mm f1.4 or 80-200mm f2.8 or a Fujifilm Finepix X100


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Location: 40026 Imola Province of Bologna, Italy

Comments

  1. Julia Foster31 March 2014 at 20:00

    Hello! I'm big big fan of Ayrton (as you can see from my nickname). Great article and great photos, they look great in black and white.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport1 April 2014 at 05:40

      Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, it is appreciated. I will be returning to Imola this May (15-19 May), just two weeks after the 20th anniversary of the accident. I will be taking the time to visit the memorial again.

      Delete
    2. Chad17 May 2014 at 03:46

      These are so beautiful and awe inspiring that they have brought me to tears. Thank you.

      Delete
  2. Lephotographeur24 April 2014 at 13:50

    Amazing photos Jeff, really inspiring work! I will go there myself in in the beginning of June and I already feel that it will be hard for me to visit his memorial. And I also wanted to take BW-photos of this place, so it was nice to see your photos and get inspired!

    Much appreciated!

    //Maximilian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport25 April 2014 at 10:42

      Thanks Maximilian, it is well worth visiting the memorial

      Delete
  3. Unknown27 April 2014 at 18:57

    Wonderful article and breath-taking pics. I am quite sure there are a lot of Senna fans who'd personally want to pay their tributes at this memorial but aren't able to, for whatsoever reasons. But your pictures help us get closer.

    I was just wondering if that message (probably in Portuguese) carved out on the stone (6th image from top of article) can be translated or typed out to help understand the statue at a deeper level. Possibly in your next trip if you could take a closer picture, it would really help.

    Thank you once again.

    ReplyDelete

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