Not to miss out on: Ayrton Senna Forever, the exhibition at MAUTO in Turin where the great champion and sensible man is celebrated like never before.

  • 04 May 2024
  • 2 min read
  • 4 images
Not to miss out on: Ayrton Senna Forever, the exhibition at MAUTO in Turin where the great champion and sensible man is celebrated like never before. image

Photo credit: Mauto

Benedetto Camerana, the President of MAUTO, the Italian National Automobile Museum, strongly advocated for the exhibition in memory of Ayrton Senna on the anniversary of the driver's tragic death on May 1, 1994. And he had good reason to be pleased with the result, not only because of the large number of people attending the opening but, above all, because of how masterfully the exhibition interpreted the late Senna as a human being and not just as a driver.

Not to be missed: Ayrton Senna Forever - 1 To mark the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death, the National Automobile Museum is dedicating a major exhibition to the Brazilian driver,which is open until October 13, 2024.

Certainly the public will enjoy admiring all the cars driven in races by the great Brazilian driver until October 13, including all those from his early days, when he fought in the minor formulas, showing the unmistakable message of his great talent. Then the Formula One cars, first of all the Toleman of his debut with which he amazed for being able to put a champion of the caliber of Alain Prost in trouble in Monte Carlo in the downpour ( it must be remembered that Jacky Ickx hastily raised the checkered flag for safety reasons to stop the race, just as Senna had caught up with the French champion and was ready to pass him and win). Then the Lotus JPS of the 1986 and '87 seasons, the McLaren of the three World Titles and the Williams FW16 that turned out to be fatal for him at Imola in 1994.

Not to be missed: Ayrton Senna Forever - 2 Ayrton Senna Forever showcases all the cars driven in races by the great Brazilian driver.

If the exhibition had been limited to this, it would have already been extraordinary. But what strikes visitors most is “ the presence of Ayrton” in those halls. The impact with the display of all his precious helmets, used from 1964 to 1994, arrived from all over the world and lent by collectors who keep them. The helmets in Brazilian colors with the dominant yellow that became models for other drivers, with the first being Lewis Hamilton. No less exciting are some of his handwritten letters and the display of all the books dedicated to him worldwide. Unbelievable.

On this occasion, Franco Nugnes, Director of Motorsport.com, presented the booked “Senna. The Truths” which analyzes with never-before known documentation the dynamics, causes and responsibilities of the accident in which he lost his life on the ill-fated weekend at Imola. The weekend of May 1, 1994 was studded with accidents. With the first victim being the Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger who fatally crashed already on Saturday.

Not to be missed: Ayrton Senna Forever - 3 In addition to the cars, also helmets with the Brazilian colors used by Ayrton Senna are on display.

As a testimony to the cruelty of the causes of Senna's death, the curator of the exhibition, Carlo Cavicchi, was able to find and display the column of the W16 Williams that gave way causing its driver to go off the track and die tragically. A column that had been hastily modified on the eve of the race and gave way in the very fast Tamburello corner. A must-see exhibition where Senna's “presence” comes in a brilliant display of images of his life, one of the main points of attraction for visitors.

Not to be missed: Ayrton Senna Forever - 4a During the opening of the Ayrton Senna Forever exhibition, visitors were able to try out the Roarington simulators made by Pininfarina and Zagato for a unique driving experience.

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