Senna

[Baj]

Had the chance to go and watch Senna last weekend.

 

What an incredible documentary, it's really well put together, has some amazing footage and really insightful audio interviews with family. One of the things that really came across well were just how close ayrton and ron dennis were.

 

Make sure you go and see it, even if you're not a motorsport fan

[MongoNeil]

Saw it last night, absolutely amazing film. Pretty much documents the era when I was infatuated with F1 as a young lad. Remember that fateful weekend at Imola like it was yesterday, very, very sad.

[angelman]

I remember getting to a hotel in Budapest and seeing the news and being quite, I suppose, shocked. I am looking forward to seeing it. The only thing I feel "sorry" for is Ratzenberger's death the day before is largely forgotten. I realise that that is because Senna was the much bigger star, but...

[Baj]

I don't think Ratzenbergers crash is largely forgotten, I think it heavily influenced the safety changes that followed, aqua minerali was a vicious chicane after a quick downhill straight. I think they also did it perfect justice in the movie.

[Redbul]

I met Ayrton Senna once at BAT in Shirley when he was racing for the JPS Lotus team (I think). Very personable and likeable bloke and I too remember the tragedy at Imola. Sunday dinner left to go cold as we watched dumbstruck as the events unfolded. Very sad day.

[Block 5]

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?803-What-films-are-you-watching

[Saint137]

Saw it tonight, people were sat transfixed, was at the back of the cinema and I've never seen a bunch of people so engrossed. And then the crying started. Powerful stuff, to see Ratzenberger in the pits before his fateful lap, and Senna's reaction, and also the sheer violence of Rubens crash. More than anything though it was the footage of Martin Donnely that got to me, truly horrific and amazing he survived.

 

Transcends F1 in my opinion, a very spiritual film, probably interesting in a different way to non-F1 fans, for those of us that remember his career knowing what's coming at the end overshadows the film a bit. Have no desire to see the Imola sequence again...

[Saint137]

If you liked Senna, go and see TT3D at the Harbour Lights, it's on for another three days. Story of last years Isle of Man TT featuring the incomparable Guy Martin. Triumph, tragedy, humour, speed, the usual stuff...

[Barry the Badger]

Saw it on Thursday. I was born in 82 so a lot of the Senna/Prost stuff was when I was just getting into F1. I found the first half of the film really interesting, the background politics between Senna/Prost was something I wasn't aware of at the time. I was pleased it wasn't made as a piece of Senna propaganda, and highlighted his flaws as well as his strengths.

 

I will agree with Saint137 that the Martin Donnely footage is absolutely unbelievable. To see a guy lying in the middle of the track in just his race seat, crazy.

 

Then the Imola stuff was just incredibly powerful. Watching Senna's reaction as he sees the doctors trying to save Ratzenbergers life, knowing that we would be seeing him in the same position shortly was pretty tough viewing.

 

Very well put together.

[Sour Mash]

Is it worth seeing if you've got no interest in Motor Racing?

[skintsaint]

Think I might go and watch this as it was when I watched the sport for the great crashes etc.

[martel]

Out of interest, did it go back to his karting days? I only ask as a British driver called Terry Fullerton beat him in the Kart world championships, Senna was reported to have said that he would have given up a F1 championship for that title, lovely story told by Terry as well, when the day after he won the title all the drivers were swimming in a nearby pool; Senna was sat up in the seats just watching, at one point Terry was sat on the side of the pool when he felt a huge push in the back, when he surfaced Senna was looking down smiling, he then winked and walked away; Terry Fullerton, possibly the best F1 driver we never had.

[Baj]

Out of interest, did it go back to his karting days? I only ask as a British driver called Terry Fullerton beat him in the Kart world championships, Senna was reported to have said that he would have given up a F1 championship for that title, lovely story told by Terry as well, when the day after he won the title all the drivers were swimming in a nearby pool; Senna was sat up in the seats just watching, at one point Terry was sat on the side of the pool when he felt a huge push in the back, when he surfaced Senna was looking down smiling, he then winked and walked away; Terry Fullerton, possibly the best F1 driver we never had.

 

Yes, Senna is asked near the end who was the best and most fun driver he ever raced again, who he would love to go back and race again, and he said out of his entire career, it was fullerton

[Saint_Jonny]

Bit late coming to this film, ganna see it on Tuesday with a few other F1 nerds. Looking forward to it.

[martel]

Yes, Senna is asked near the end who was the best and most fun driver he ever raced again, who he would love to go back and race again, and he said out of his entire career, it was fullerton

 

Wow, I knew he had a lot of respect for Terry, however, I never realized that he held him up that high. Terry went on and built his own Kart company, known of course as Fullerton, one of the first drivers he gave help too was one Anthony Davison.

[St Marco]

As a nipper i got a chance to sit in his Lotus f1 car (the camel one) at the British GP i think in 87. Obviously was just a replica but for a little kid it was totally awesome. Became a huge fan of his after that. Even to the point where i wanted him to win over people like Mansell! So i can't wait to see this film. A true legend.

[JackFrost]

Saw it on Thursday. I was born in 82 so a lot of the Senna/Prost stuff was when I was just getting into F1. I found the first half of the film really interesting, the background politics between Senna/Prost was something I wasn't aware of at the time. I was pleased it wasn't made as a piece of Senna propaganda, and highlighted his flaws as well as his strengths.

 

I will agree with Saint137 that the Martin Donnely footage is absolutely unbelievable. To see a guy lying in the middle of the track in just his race seat, crazy.

 

Then the Imola stuff was just incredibly powerful. Watching Senna's reaction as he sees the doctors trying to save Ratzenbergers life, knowing that we would be seeing him in the same position shortly was pretty tough viewing.

 

Very well put together.

 

Hard to believe it only in the mid-late 90s when the cars stopped completely disintegrating on big impacts. In the 60s/70s plenty of drivers died in an horrendous way, where the cars would turn into a fireball and they'd be trapped inside and die after being burnt alive.

 

Most terrifying crash I saw live on TV was in Indycars in '82, when Gordon Smiley lost control and went straight into the concrete wall at 200mph. One of the medics who was there later wrote in his autobiography that when he came across the wreckage he noticed a strange grey substance on the track.

 

Turns out it was the liquified remains of Smiley's brain that had melted in the fireball and splattered all over the track. Before anyone asks the inevitable unfunny question, no he didn't survive.