Hard To Believe It's Been 20 Years..

Very hard to believe indeed.... Memories of that weekend are forever etched in my memory. First Barrichello with a heavy crash on Friday, followed by the death of Roland Ratzenberger on saturday, a massive start crash on sunday and only a few laps later Senna's crash. I started watching F1 back in 1992, so I only witnessed the last two years of Senna's career and although at the time I was more a fan of the Williams team, Ayrton certainly did make an impression. His rise from fifth to first on the first lap on a soaking wet Donington in '93 is legendary, as is the way he kept Mansell behind him in Monaco '92. He really earned my in '93 when he still managed to win five races in the McLaren-Ford, something believed impossible before the start of the season.

Today this DVD arrived in the mail: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/?ref_=nv_sr_1 as a gift for a magazine subscription, I'll watch it tomorrow.
 
I remember exactly where I was and even what I said when Senna went off at Imola.
Rather like the days when Jim Clark, John Kennedy and Gilles Villeneuve met their fate, certain things seem to remain in one's mind with an eerie 'Total Recall' feeling.
While I will always regard Senna as a great driver, I was never a fan, and to be frank, I always knew that what happened 20 years ago was always just around the corner.
Sadly there will never be another 'Senna', his ability would be wasted in these times.

Just a PS: I was watching the F1 Show Senna Tribute and I do get annoyed with the 'Now' generation.
Natalie Pinkham or the other female (Rachael Something?) made reference to 'Formula One's Blackest Weekend' or words to that effect, cue the Belgian GP at the original Spa circuit, in practice Moss crashed (severe leg and back injuries), Mike Taylor (collar bone and neck injuries), followed on Race Day Sunday with Chris Bristow losing his Cooper and being killed instantly, five laps later Alan Stacey was hit in the face by a bird at Malmedy, crashed and like Bristow, was thrown out of the car and killed.
I'm not denigrating Senna and peoples memory of him, but I wish the 'Media' would get their facts correct.
For myself, Jimmy Clark and Gilles Villeneuve deaths remain my blackest days.
Just sayin.
 
I guess the rise of the same media the last few decades is also the reason Senna's death had more impact as it was broadcast live into millions of living rooms all around the world.
 
Ferry_vO said:
I guess the rise of the same media the last few decades is also the reason Senna's death had more impact as it was broadcast live into millions of living rooms all around the world.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more Ferry.
But Senna was no gentleman on track, I remember his move on Prost in Portugal (1988) very well, he squeezed him so far over toward the pit wall that all the signal boards were hauled in with great haste!
As for Suzuka in 1989, IIRC Prost made it known that he was finished with being 'polite' and this time round he was not going to yield.
My enthusiasm for Senna to a great battering at Suzuka again when Senna simply drove straight into the back of Prost's Ferrari on the run into turn one, lap one.
At least he finally admitted to it being payback a couple of years later, and he and Prost appeared to have resolved their differences when 'The Professor' retired.
I do think punching Eddie Irvine in the face (at Suzuka again!) after the 1993 race was unwise, Eddie was racing for position when all is said and done.
My point (I think) about the present Media event is almost hypocritical, Ayrton Senna was one of the Great Drivers, one of the top few in my book, but he was certainly not 'Saint Ayrton'.
And that irks me, I can remember him as he was, brilliant but obsessive, flawed yet outstanding, and a great loss, but really, he was like Gilles, I always felt in my bones that he would never grow old.
 
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