Photography, Racing & Random Thoughts…
Posts tagged F1
In Memoriam, Ayrton Senna.
May 1st
Ayrton Senna da Silva, March 21, 1960 – May 1, 1994
“These things bring you to reality as to how fragile you are; at the same moment you are doing something that nobody else is able to do. The same moment that you are seen as the best, the fastest and somebody that cannot be touched, you are enormously fragile.”
- Ayrton Senna
Home Theme – PLAY:
Remastered version of the tribute originally released in 2010.
[images source: internet © their respective owner]
[music: "Home theme" from the movie, "Senna" iTunes]
[video source: YouTube]
Track to the Future
Sep 18th
Remembering, Ayrton.
May 1st
On May 01, 1994, the racing world lost one of the most enigmatic and naturally gifted drivers that ever sat behind the wheel of a Formula One race car. A national hero in his native Brazil, He is considered one of the best drivers that ever sat behind the wheel of a Formula One car.
Ayrton passed away, 18 years ago today, as his car lost control due to a mechanical failure on the Williams FW16 he was piloting. On the seventh lap of the San Marino Grand Prix, Senna’s car left the racing line at the fast Tamburello corner, running in a straight line off the track and striking an unprotected concrete barrier. Telemetry shows he left the track at 190 mph and was able to slow the car down by braking to 135 mph in slightly under 2 seconds before hitting the wall at a shallow angle.
Ayrton died at the race track from an injury to his head resulting in a massive brain trauma.
Formula One is still to this day, the lesser without him.
Vic
[images via internet and are copyright by their respective owners]
If you want to get a good sense of who the driver and who the man Ayrton was, then I recommend you watch “Senna”. It is the award winning documentary on Ayrton’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on and off the track and spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver. Far more than a film for F1 fans, SENNA unfolds his story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favor of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and previously unseen footage.
2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Jul 21st
Ferrari Racing Days.
May 27th
I spent last weekend in beautiful Monterey, California, to enjoy the Ferrari Racing Days event that was held at the historic Laguna Seca Raceway.
The weather was perfect as Ferraris made their way around the twisty course that is home to the world famous “Corkscrew”. The cars ranged from the stunning Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (as pictured above) to the screaming frenzy of the Ferrari F2003-GA Formula One car that was once driven by F1 driver, Rubens Barrichello. Although the number of vintage Ferraris was disappointingly low, the number of F458 and F430 Challenge, the stunning FXXs and F599XXs and F1 cars from Ferrari’s F1 Cliente program that raced around the track, made up for this deficit.
Below is a sample of the hundreds of images I captured during the weekend.
Enjoy!
Vic
Images Copyright © 2011 Victor Varela
THE TEAM: A Season With McLaren – Good-bye To All That.
May 24th
(1993) Parts 13 & 14 of 14
The Team: A Season With McLaren is a TV series produced by John Gau Productions for the BBC during the 1993 Formula One season. The series followed the team and regular drivers Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti, as well as test driver Mika Häkkinen, giving a behind the scenes insight to the McLaren team.
Part 13- Good-bye To All That
Part 14 – Good-bye To All That
[source: YouTube - Muis60]
THE TEAM: A Season With McLaren – The Rules Of The Game.
May 10th
(1993) Parts 11 & 12 of 14
The Team: A Season With McLaren is a TV series produced by John Gau Productions for the BBC during the 1993 Formula One season. The series followed the team and regular drivers Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti, as well as test driver Mika Häkkinen, giving a behind the scenes insight to the McLaren team.
Part 11- The Rules Of The Game
Part 12 – The Rules Of The Game
[source: YouTube - Muis60]
Grand Prix – The Killer Years.
May 9th
From the BBC4:
“In the 60s and early 70s it was common for Grand Prix drivers to be killed while racing, often televised for millions to see. Mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence snuffed out dozens of young drivers. They had become almost expendable as eager young wannabes queued up at the top teams’ gates waiting to take their place.
This is the story of when Grand Prix was out of control.
Featuring many famous drivers including three times world champion Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, twice world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and John Surtees OBE, this exciting but shocking film explores how Grand Prix drivers grew sick of their closest friends being killed and finally took control of their destiny.
After much waste of life, the prestigious Belgian and German Grands Prix would be boycotted, with drivers insisting that safety be put first. But it would be a long and painful time before anything would change, and a lot of talented young men would be cut down in their prime.
This is their story.
