The most definitive and compelling book about the legendary racing driver, now a BAFTA award-winning documentary. 'For the casual racing fan it's a mighty good read, for the Senna fan it's indispensable' Time Out Millions of people around the world watched in horror on that fateful day in Imola at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when Ayrton Senna's car careered off the track at 190mph. The greatest driver in Formula One history was dead. In this classic sports book, Richard Williams explores the complex Brazilian who was a hero in his own country and an icon to everyone who loved not just motor-racing but sport itself. In his drive to win and his desire always to test himself to the limit, Senna embodied all that is best and most thrilling in sport.
This is an illustrated account of Formula One driver Ayrton Senna's life. It examines every detail - from his early days, to his first race and on to his world championships to his pole positions and finally his death and its aftermath.
It's pretty rare to come across a motor racing book that tempts you to read the thing in one sitting but "Prof" Watkins has produced a gem ... [he] is a superb raconteur, not afraid to speak him mind yet peppering the gravity with occasionally side-splitting humour. No true motorsport fan should be without this book.' Autosport Grand Prix racing has undergone sweeping changes in the last thirty years. Many of these involve safety and medical rescue. The man behind them - a champion in the racing world although he has never won a race - is the eminent neurosurgeon Sid Watkins. Life at the Limit is his remarkable story. It spans the most exciting years in Grand Prix racing and includes intimate portraits of motorsport's greatest names, from Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda to Alain Prost and Damon Hill. Sid Watkins has also witnessed, at first hand, some of the most severe and spectacular racing accidents. His account of these is made all the more poignant by the fact that some of the men he has rescued, sometimes at the point of death, have been personal friends. From Monza, in 1978, where Ronnie Petersen suffered a fatal accident, to Imola in May 1994 where Ayrton Senna met his untimely death, the high, and low, points of Grand Prix racing are vividly described. For all fans of Formula One, this is the inside story of the world's most dangerous sport.
In the late eighties and early nineties, Formula One was at its most explosive, with thrilling races, charismatic drivers, nail-biting climaxes - and the most deadly rivalry ever witnessed in sport. Two of Formula One's most honoured champions and iconic figures drove together for McLaren for two seasons, and their acrimonious and hostile relationship extended even after one of them had left the team. ALAIN PROST, France's only F1 world champion, the intelligent, smooth driver with the epithet 'Le Professeur'. AYRTON SENNA, the mercurial kid from a privileged background in Sao Paolo who would become the most intense and ruthless racing driver the world has ever seen. It was a story that would have a tragic ending. As the great rivals raced to victory, their relationship deteriorated badly, beginning with the breaking of a gentleman's agreement, and public spats followed, culminating in Prost accusing Senna of deliberately trying to ride him off the circuit, and fearful that the Brazilian would get someone killed with his daring overtaking feats. And the final, sad act of this drama happened at the San Marino Grand prix at Imola in May 1994, when Senna was killed. Featuring a rare interview with Prost, and insight from Martin Brundle, Damon Hill, Sir Frank Williams, Bernie Ecclestone, Derek Warrick, Johnny Herbert, Gerhard Berger, plus McLaren insiders and other F1 figures, Malcolm Folley provides us with a breath-taking account of one of the all-time classic sporting rivalries.
Telling the story of Ayrton Senna is not easy. It means retracing an intense competitive career, looking into the vulnerable soul of a complex man, and reliving his tragic death, which came during the bloodiest weekend in the history of modern motor racing. It also means paying homage to a truly heroic figure, whose grace and appeal remain intact. In other words, we are talking about a journey into the collective memory, within which each racing fan cherishes particular moments, personal memories, emotions and grief related to a figure who in some way continues to appear and to race in a highly colourful firmament. This brings us to Ercole Colombo. His photos. His passion for Formula 1, and his innate ability as a reporter, combined with the aesthetic touch of a great photographer.
Ayrton Senna was more than a great racing driver: he was a giant of a man who, 17 years after his death, is still mourned as no sportsman has ever been. Much has been written about him, but this book approaches the subject with a powerfully different focus. More than 120 people who knew him, worked with him and competed against him were asked a single question: what is your strongest memory of Senna? The result, told entirely in direct quotes, stands as an intimate, heartfelt portrait of the man, from his early days as a karter to his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Previously published as Aryton Senna: The Legend Grows, this book has been reformatted in conjunction of the highly documentary movie, Senna.
'A tragic age and a tragic character, both seemingly compelled to destroy themselves...a chilling reminder of how little control we have over our fates' Damon Hill 'One of the greatest motor racing stories' Nick Mason 'Timely, vivid and enthralling … it’s unputdownable’ Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen Dick Seaman was the archetypal dashing motorsport hero of the 1930s, the first Englishman to win a race for Mercedes-Benz and the last Grand Prix driver to die at the wheel before the outbreak of the Second World War. Award-winning author Richard Williams reveals the remarkable but now forgotten story of a driver whose battles against the leading figures of motor racing's golden age inspired the post-war generation of British champions. The son of wealthy parents, educated at Rugby and Cambridge, Seaman grew up in a privileged world of house parties, jazz and fast cars. But motor racing was no mere hobby: it became such an obsession that he dropped out of university to pursue his ambitions, squeezing money out of his parents to buy better cars. When he was offered a contract with the world-beating, state-sponsored Mercedes team in 1937, he signed up despite the growing political tensions between Britain and Germany. A year later, he celebrated victory in the German Grand Prix with the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of the founder of BMW. Their wedding that summer would force a split with his family, a costly rift that had not been closed six months later when he crashed in the rain while leading at Spa, dying with his divided loyalties seemingly unresolved. He was just 26 years old. A Race with Love and Death is a gripping tale of speed, romance and tragedy. Set in an era of rising tensions, where the urge to live each moment to the full never seemed more important, it is a richly evocative story that grips from first to last.
This definitive record of Ayrton Senna's racing life provides detailed coverage of every single race in which he competed, including Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 1, in addition to one-off appearances and tests in other categories, such as the World Sports Car Championship and Indy Car. The compelling text features insightful new material drawn from interviews with many of Senna's rivals and colleagues - from early opponent Calvin Fish to Williams team-mate Damon Hill - and is accompanied by a rich array of high-quality period photographs captured through the lenses of Sutton Images, where brothers Keith and Mark Sutton between them followed Senna's meteoric career from the very beginning. Graced with a foreword by Martin Brundle, Senna's great rival in Formula 3 during 1983, this top-quality book provides a fitting tribute to a Formula 1 legend whose legacy today extends far beyond the world of motor racing. - The karting years: racing in Brazil and South America between 1973 and 1977, and Senna's efforts to win the elusive karting World Championship between 1978 and 1981. - Formula Ford 1600 and 2000: racing with the Van Diemen works team in 1981, before progressing to FF2000 in 1982, dominating the British and European championships. - Formula 3: the battle with Martin Brundle for the 1983 British F3 Championship. - Formula 1 baptism with Toleman: nearly winning the rain-shortened Monaco Grand Prix, and qualifying third at Estoril, behind Piquet's Brabham and Prost's McLaren. - The Lotus years, 1985–87: Senna's first wins, at Estoril and Spa in 1985, two more wins in 1986, and his final Lotus year, with wins in Monaco and Detroit, before signing for McLaren for the 1988 season. - The McLaren years, 1988–93: first world title in 1988 followed by an acrimonious year with team-mate Alain Prost in 1989. - Two further world titles in 1990 and 1991, but then Williams emerges to dominate with Nigel Mansell (1992) and Alain Prost (1993), Senna winning five races in his final year for McLaren. - The final season (1994): driving for a no-longer-dominant Williams, struggling to take the fight to Benetton and Michael Schumacher, before tragically losing his life at Imola. Royal Automobile Club shortlist of contenders for Motoring Book of the Year!
This biography of Ayrton Senna offers an insight into an intensely private man - his life, beliefs and career. It charts his growing up, the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix and his death, as well as charting his full racing career.
