<<< Back to Home << Back to Brazilian Culture < Back to Brazilian Celebrities Read also: Ayrton: the Hero Revealed Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva was born in Sao Paulo on March 21st 1960, and died in Imola, Italy, on May 1st 1994. His first kart was a present of his father, who also sponsored Ayrton's first participation in competitions, in 1973. In 1979 and 1980, Senna was runner up in the World Kart Championship. In 1981, Senna won 11 out of 19 races of Formula Ford, in England. In 1982, Senna won the English and European Formula Ford Categories, with 21 winnings out of 28 races. In 1983, he won the Formula 3 in England after winning 9 races in a row, record yet to be beaten. In 1984, Senna entered the Formula One, in the Toleman team. That same year, in a memorable performance, Senna was close to win his first F-1 race in Monaco; alleging dangerous conditions because of the rain, director Jack Ickx cancelled the race right before Senna would pass Alain Prost to take over the leadership (eventually, Alain Prost would loose the 1984 championship to Niki Lauda by half a point; should the Monaco Grand Prix have continued, Prost would have been the 1984 champion). Besides Alain Prost and Niki Lauda, Senna competitors included world champions Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell; German Michael Schumacher only gained projection after Senna's death. In 1985, Senna moved to Lotus, where he stayed for three years. In 1988, he moved to McLaren, to win the World championship for the first time. He won again in 1990 and 1991. In 1994, he changed pits again, going to Williams; during the Italy Grand Prix, a fail in the steering bar caused his car to crash against the wall at 300km/h, and Senna died almost instantly. In ten years of Formula One, Senna drove in 161 races, of which he won 41; his mark of 62 pole positions was not superated to date. Senna was buryied in Sao Paulo. His tomb is visited by fans and admirers, from Brazil and abroad. Visit Senna's official website (in Portuguese). Click the link to read information in English about the death of Ayrton Senna When alive, Senna (anonymously) helped several charity entities. After his death, the Institute Ayrton Senna was founded. Organized and administered by Ayrton's sister, Vivianne Senna, the institute has been gaining recognition as a major Non-government social organization in Brazil. Back to Top