15 Years ago today...

[fizzwheel]

Aryton Senna passed away, time flies doesnt it.

I can still remember watching that race will scoffing my Sunday roast and watching him wallop the wall at Imola putting my fork down mid mouthful and thinking "that doenst look good" and then for the next few hours wandering if he was going to be OK and that sinking feeling that he probably wasnt.

IMHO the greatest F1 driver of all time, a dirty driver he may of been, but my good was he good to watch.

Theres an article on the BBC website and a link to a documentary made about him in 1995 thats probably worth a watch

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3605323.stm

[Lou M]

Heck, 15 years???????

[Woz]

And spare a thought for Ratzenberger who died in qualifying the day before.

Always overshadowed by Senna.

[plowsie]

15 years, I actually remember the news reports from it. I was only 5 :???:

[Spiderman]

15yrs? No way!

Thanks for making me feel old Fizz :(

Ok, that was unfair.....thanks for reminding me just how old i really am ;)

F1 in those days was racing that i loved to watch, not like the last 10yrs or so were proccesions of cars and races dominated by 1 team or another.

[keithd]

good lord!! thats a staggering length of time

i remember it so clearly too, never been the most massive of F1 fans, but really enjoyed that era. the battles with Prost, Schuey just coming thru, end of Mansell and Piquet Snr. When heard he'd crashed, was seriously ill, then couple of hours later was told he'd been given the last rites by a Priest it kind of hit me in an osmosis style, slowly, but constantly. The more i thought about it the more it upset and affected me, and it really surprised the hell out of me how it hit me, the total disbelief. i dont think if, God forbid, it happened to any other driver then or now it would hit me the same way.

Genius. and legend. Fact.

[anna]

Oh my goodness doesnt time fly, like you Fizz I remember that race, I too was scoffing my Sunday roast dinner.

I remember being completely stunned by what happened, my dad turned over the channel when he realised how bad it was getting as he didnt want me to see.

[Owenski]

And spare a thought for Ratzenberger who died in qualifying the day before.

Always overshadowed by Senna.

Very true, not many people know that Senna was the foreman for a union of drivers who were vocing their concerns about driver safety in the wet. After the Ratzenberger accident the day before all the drivers got together and agreed on a boycott Senna wasnt going to race that day in Imola but something changed his mind.

[simesb]

And without it happening, Damon Hill would never have been DWC, and safety wouldn't be what it is today. I don't think I ever liked him too much, must have been the arrogance, but he was a supremely talented driver.

[fizzwheel]

Didnt Barrichello have a massive prang that weekend during Friday warm up to ?

That weekend was definately a massive turning point for F1...

[Owenski]

After Ratzenberger's death the race shouldnt have happened anyway, the driver died on the curcuit. Its Itallian law that in that event the track is closed until the investigation is finished.

EDIT: I dont want to seem like a font of all knowlage lol, I only just read that about the itallian law.

[Grinch]

You know... I never saw it... never watch F1 then and still don't. Still have never seen the crash as I never watched the news either.

[keithd]

I never watched the news either.

that must be way cool! to not know we're all gonna die of pig flu...

ah, might have given that away

[Tara]

I can't believe its 15 years i was watching the race at the time thinking OMG that does not look good at all

[El Saxo]

I can remember that afternoon vividly too - was watching the race with my Dad and we both knew that something was very wrong as soon as he crashed. The man was a true legend of the sport, RIP :(

[Bluefish]

i saw it too was a bad day

[Mej]

even i remeber that, i was 6, i was watching the race with my dad. RIP

[leesh00]

yeh ditto, dad asleep after the 1st 3 laps of hypnotic engines following sunday lunch - great loss to the sport

[the_runt69]

watched the race and saw the aftemath, but saying Senna was the greatest driver nah, best driver of his generation maybe but the risks taken by drivers like Graham Hill, Fangio?? Jackie Stuart and others from the start of motor racing I dont Know. I'm sure some of the drivers from the 20' and 30's would have loved to race today in a safe and sterile invirovent. They loved the thrill of dicing with death to make life worth living after the 1st world war and some others after the 2nd.

[lukemillar]

Didnt Barrichello have a massive prang that weekend during Friday warm up to ?

That weekend was definately a massive turning point for F1...

Yep - There is a photograph of him about 4-5 foot in the air about to hit the debirs fence with his hands covering his helmet.

I still have the Autosport Magazine from the weekend. Can't believe is was 15 years. I didn't think the crash itself looked that bad and was expecting Senna to be up and out of the car.

[glsuk1970]

15 years - where did that go?

I remember it well, seeing his car heading straight into the barrier and seeing Senna siiting lifeless in the car from the helicopter camera. The director must've realised how serious his accident was and that was the last shot we seen of the car. I wasn't particuarly a Senna fan although nobody could deny his exceptional talent and commitment but I'll never forget the image of his distinctive yellow helmet lying slumped in the cockpit.

R.I.P.

[G]

Legend, I was only ten but I remember it.

[G]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3605323.stm


Just sat for the last hour watching that again......seen it before but it is a fantastic insight into the man himself.

Such a massive loss.

[fizzwheel]

I didn't think the crash itself looked that bad and was expecting Senna to be up and out of the car.

No it didnt and I was expecting him to hop out and go running back to the pits for the spare car once the race was restarted. When he didnt and the camera's moved away thats when I had an inkling that it wasnt good.

Piece of the front suspension pierced his visor when the wheel folded back on the car after it hit the wall, such a freak accident...

[G]

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1013639.htm

One of the bikes built in his memory to fund his chairty work.....

[Woz]

The documentary is being looped on the red button on BBC if anyone's interested.

[fizzwheel]

I watched it online earlier, I dont remeber seeing it before, but I thought it was bl**dy good, its definately worth a watch.

[gruntygiggles]

I watched it online earlier, I dont remeber seeing it before, but I thought it was bl**dy good, its definately worth a watch.

Yep, it absolutely is. I remember that day very well also. The F1 always used to be something that my dad and I enjoyed together when I was living at home. I remember that same shot from the helicopter camera and said to dad, oh sh!t, that doesn't look good. He didn't even notice that I had said the "s" word and just agreed with me. Less than 20 mins later, we were listening to it on the radio too and someone we heard someone in the background saying he died instantly, but that wasn't officially reported for quite a bit longer.

Such a sad day. Not taking anything away from Senna, but I still can't believe Colin Macrae is dead. Was in the car with Stretchie last week and said he was doing a Colin Mcrae cause he took a corner quickly and it suddenly occurred to me that I'd forgotten he'd died.

One thing Senna can always carry with his name is that he was one of the very very best in what I think was one of the most exciting periods of F1.

God Bless Senna x

[Tara]

I watched it online earlier, I dont remeber seeing it before, but I thought it was bl**dy good, its definately worth a watch.
i watched it last night after you posted it i can't remember seeing it before either - very good