Ayrton Senna(1960-1994)
Ayrton Senna da Silva was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil to
a wealthy family. When he was four years old his father Milton bought
him a go-kart, and by age eight Ayrton was regularly competing in
karting events. His career progressed quickly, and in 1982 he moved to
England to pursue his racing. In 1984 he came to the attention of the
whole world by racing in Formula One. Over the next ten years he won
the World Championship three times and engaged in some controversial
racing with France's Alain Prost and England's Nigel Mansell. Ayrton
Senna was killed on 1 May 1994 in a race at the San Marino Grand Prix
when his car, which had been beset with problems the entire season,
inexplicably left the track and crashed into the concrete barrier. His
was the last death in Formula One due to the major safety reforms that
the tragic weekend at Imola had brought about. He was voted by over two
hundred of his fellow Formula One drivers as the best driver of all
time in a 2010 poll. Senna was also a humanitarian who discreetly
donated millions to help those less fortunate in his native country.
