Senna 50

I recently found a letter I wrote in reaction to Senna's death to my friend in New Zealand, who was a personal friend of the late Bruce McLaren and friend of the McLaren International F1 team.  In the letter I shared about what Senna meant to me.  Reading it now, after 16 years, brought me back there.  I wanted to share a portion of it with you.  Below the excerpt is a scanned image of a copy of a letter my friend received from McLaren International, which is dated only 4 days after the tragedy. 

Senna's impact on my life began one afternoon during the 1987 season when I happened to find a Grand Prix on TV.  I had not seen one since 1978, when Mario Andretti was in F1.  Jackie Stewart was covering the race; and he predicted that "this young Brazilian" would be World Champion within two years.  Strangely, I did not see very much of that first championship season of 1988, so I vowed not to miss another of Senna's races.  From that point on, I was an intense Senna fan.  

It was through his driving that I remembered how much I wanted to be a race driver.  (I was still newly married at the time and racing had been on the back burner for a couple of years.)  I tried to emulate the Senna method that I had read about in books and magazines.  I saw a lot of Senna in myself -- especially his natural talent.  I can remember before my "formal training," doing things in a car that were taught to me later in racing schools.  I was, and still am, inspired by him to make my driving the very best it can be.  This tragedy  has also helped me face my own fears about race driving.  I used to hide them by telling myself  to never be afraid, but I now know that my fears are normal.  

Before Senna's death, I never understood how people could feel so much grief for a person they never knew personally.  Now I know -- I feel as though I lost a friend.  Senna's life helped set my life in motion; his death is guiding my future.  


McLaren International letter signed by Ron Dennis.