Senna

Anyone that knows me knows I love auto sports and things that go fast. My grandmother introduced me to the sport when I was really young by taking me to the dirt track races down south. It was exciting to watch and I was hooked. I watched every Indy 500 and Nascar race I could and even had favorite drivers. It wasn't until I discovered Formula one racing though that I can say I was truly fascinated by the sport. Whereas most Indy car races and Nascar races were done on ovals with the rare "road course" thrown into the season just to give the drivers a reason to turn right, Formula One was all twist and turns. You really had to be a superb driver to handle the tracks and the speed of F1 racing and the man at the top of the heap was the Brazilian champion Ayrton Senna.

Senna is a movie about the fascinating life and tragic early death of one of the greatest drivers of all time and it's a masterful film. I thought I was a fan of Senna's because I knew the teams he drove for and loved how he drove but this movie opened my eyes to the man himself, not just the driver and I am even a bigger fan of his today. There are certain people that were born to do certain things. Like him or not, Picasso was born to paint like Jordan was born to play basketball. Marvin Gaye was born to sing, Ali was born to fight, and Senna was born to race. This movie documents that vividly.

It tells of how Senna got started racing. As most racers he started in go karts and was so good at karting his parents knew it was just a matter of time before their son moved into formula one and they were right. After winning the British Formula 3 championship he made his formula one debut with Toleman, a team that was middle of the pack at best. Toleman couldn't really compete with the better equipped, better financed teams and with a lesser driver Toleman would have never garnered any real notice. Senna changed all that. With an inferior car and on the toughest yet most glamorous road course of Monaco, Senna placed second. That made the big teams take notice and Senna was soon driving for Lotus.

Alain Prost, 3 time world champion at that time would not only become a teammate of Senna's but also his biggest and most heated rival. Where Senna was all chance and what some saw as reckless on the track, Prost was the complete opposite. Cold and calculating Prost bristled at the passion driven Senna and at first what was an uneasy alliance under team Mclaren soon became an impossible environment for both men. This movie takes you behind the scenes and shows you the vitriol the drivers had for each other.

Ayrton stated on more than one occasion that driving brought him closer to God. Driving also allowed him to help the youth of Brazil, something Ayrton was just as passionate about as his driving. Senna shows how Ayrton found himself and his true calling and how his dream manifested itself. It also shows a man who had such a sense of dread before the race that would eventually take his life that it seemed like he knew it was going to all end that day at San Marino. For me it was chilling to watch.

If you are/were a fan of Ayrton Senna or of Formula One then you must see this movie. If you've never heard of Ayrton Senna and hate auto sports you should see this movie. Why? Because you see it's not just about cars and speed, it's about the people behind the wheels, the people behind the teams, and the fans who love the drivers. I am happy this film was made and even happier that I got a chance to see Ayrton Senna in action again. I didn't realize just how much I missed him.