As news of Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident at Imola filtered around the world, it was met with shock and sadness. This is what it meant
CHARLES BRADLEY, JAMES NEWBOLD, MARCUS SIMMONS & GARY WATKINS
THE INDYCAR PADDOCK
A Brazilian great was testing at Michigan
Twice a Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, Emerson Fittipaldi became one of Senna’s closest friends in racing. He first met him as a 14-year-old karter, who he invited into the Copersucar Fittipaldi garage during a test at Interlagos: “He was extremely shy, very polite but very quiet.” From there, Fittipaldi became his guide and, later, his confidant.
“When I first came to Britain to race in 1969, my F3 mechanic was Jim Russell’s brother-in-law, Ralph Firman [who went on to co-found Van Diemen, the most successful Formula Ford chassis builder in history]. So, when Ayrton wanted to race in England, like I had done, I called him: ‘Ralph, I have a guy who’s going to win the championship for you’, and he laughed and said, ‘Oh aye, Emerson!’
“When Formula Ford 2000 supported the Austrian Grand Prix, I took Ayrton for a trip along the F1 pitlane in Zeltweg to meet as many team bosses as possible. He didn’t want to, but I said he had to come with me. I wanted him to meet teams who’d have seats available. Using my best English expression, I told them all that he was ‘world championship material’.
“We enjoyed some great calls together. Even when he got to F1 he’d often come and stay with me in Miami Beach in December, and we’d go running together. When I won the Indy 500 in 1989, Ayrton called immediately to congratulate me. He had just won the Mexican Grand Prix for McLaren. Same day!
“On the day he died, I was testing my Penske-Mercedes Indycar at Michigan. I think it was lap 16 or 17 of a 27-lap run. I got a call – we had a security code if something happened to the car or something serious on track. I backed off immediately and went slowly into the pits. I asked why and they said, ‘Your wife is on the phone’ – can you imagine stopping a test with Penske for Indy like this? I feared one of our kids had a bad accident. My mind was racing.
“I couldn’t believe what she told me. For me, Ayrton was one of those drivers who’d never die driving a race car. It was impossible to hear what h
