The Yellow Helmet

The Life and Legacy of perhaps the Greatest and Fastest Driver of Them All

The Life and Legacy of perhaps the Greatest and Fastest Driver of Them All

“Grand Prix racing is primarily a mental contest… it’s a battle of strength
of wills by the combatants and a magnificent contest, the arena to display
and share unique gifts and talents. Perhaps in this ‘theatre of speed’, F1 is a metaphor for life itself.”
- craig

"The driver is expected to explore the inner places of his desire by taking everything to this limit...to translate it into a sublime peak only he can reach; but the trouble is they're all doing it.... on a narrow ribbon of track, together."
- fine writing by Christopher Hilton in his fascinating book ’Inside the Mind of a Grand Prix Driver’ (Haynes Publishing 2003)

This e-book, a “true labour of love” is a collection of ‘my’ and others motor racing blogs on THE LIFE and LEGEND OF AYRTON SENNA. I’m just sorting it all out and will tidy up...and am sharing in the spirit of sharing my passion with fellow F1 “petrol-heads”. Enjoy...

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14 May 1988 QUALIFYING FOR MONACO GRAND PRIX

The spine tingling spectacle of the late Ayrton Senna on a qualifying lap provided some of the most thrilling moments in the history of the sport. There has never been a faster driver over a single lap - his record of 65 pole positions is unlikely to ever be broken - nor has anyone thought so deeply about it. When he talked about his memorable lap, the one that left the most indelible impression on his exceptional mind, Senna's eyes shone with a faraway look and his voice quavered with intensity...

"Suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was kind of driving by instinct, only I was in a different dimension. I was way over the limit; but still I was able to find even more. It frightened me, because I realised I was well beyond my conscious understanding."
- the late , great Ayrton Senna

"Senna is a genius. I define genius as just the right side of imbalance. He is highly developed to the point where he is almost over the edge. It's a close call."
- the words of Senna's great rival for the British Formula 3 title in his early years, former GP driver and now television commentator, Martin Brundle

"Ayrton has a small problem. He thinks he can't kill himself, because he believes in God...and I think that's very dangerous for the other drivers." *
- his great rival and McLaren team-mate, Frenchman Alain Prost

* from ‘FORMULA 1: The Autobiography’
Edited by Gerald Donaldson (and first published in the UK in 2002 by Wedenfeld and Nicolson). Thanks for the great gift, dad. Bet you'd love to read and take a great deal of pleasure in this new book, "a true labour of love".
thanks for everything, "my pal"
craig

See Senna The Boy in The Yellow Helmet Trailer on YouTube

Ayrton, sadly we can no longer see your brilliance, your light tragically
distinguished far too soon …
but you have now reached and are standing on the highest podium there is.

DEDICATION

To S and G ...and yes, you too M. I know you can't and don't understand my passion for motor racing, my "crazy" love of Grand Prix racing. Still thanks for brightening each day more than you can (and will) ever know.
dad