In his country, his aura is still comparable today to that of “King” Pelé. Thirty years to the day after the death of Ayrton Senna, Brazil pays tribute this Wednesday to one of its greatest idols.
Fans of the three-time Formula 1 world champion (1988, 1989, 1991) are expected throughout May 1 in front of his grave in a cemetery in Sao Paulo, his hometown, where he was buried in 1994, after his tragic accident on the Italian circuit of Imola.
Many streets in his name
Like every year since his death, a foot race is organized on the Interlagos circuit, also in Sao Paulo, where he won twice at the end of his career (1991, 1993). Programs paying tribute to the man who gives his name to many streets in Brazil have also multiplied in recent days on local televisions.
A traveling exhibition entitled Me, Ayrton Senna da Silva – 30 years old opens its doors this Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, after passing through several other Brazilian metropolises. In this exhibition, visitors can hear the pilot’s voice recounting the defining moments of his life and career using artificial intelligence.
On the splendid Copacabana beach, an emblematic site of Rio, many walkers take their photo as usual in front of the bronze statue of the pilot, who stands there with arms raised and brandishing a Brazilian flag. Among them, Joao Paulo Bertoloni, 30, who was a baby when Senna died. “I didn’t get to see him live, but my family was always a fan of his. My father, my grandparents… Everyone talked to me about Senna. At the time, Brazil stopped on Sundays to attend its races,” says this business leader.
Senna “restored self-esteem to Brazilians”
Beyond sporting exploits, the legacy of Alain Prost’s great rival remains alive in Brazil through the Ayrton Senna Institute, which was recognized in 2004 by UNESCO for its educational projects intended for children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. “Ayrton always said that if you wanted to change things, you had to start with education,” says Viviane Senna, his sister and president of the institute, in a video recently published on social networks. Founded six months after the death of the pilot, the institute says it has benefited some 36 million students in 3,000 Brazilian cities.
For the Brazilian writer Ernesto Rodrigues, author of the biography Ayrton, the hero revealed, Senna left his mark because he “restored self-esteem to Brazilians” at a time marked by political and economic crises. When he won his world titles, Brazil was just emerging from a military dictatorship and experiencing a period of hyperinflation. “His legacy has been largely preserved. He gave his name to important avenues throughout the country. Every time his name is mentioned, it gives Brazilians a lot of pride,” concludes the biographer.