Overview

 

This definitive record of Ayrton Senna’s racing life provides detailed coverage of every single race in which he competed, including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 1, in addition to one-off appearances and tests in other categories, such as the World Sports Car Championship and Indy Car. The engaging text features insightful new material drawn from interviews with many of Senna’s rivals and colleagues and is accompanied by a rich array of high-quality period photographs. This lavish book provides a fitting tribute to a Formula 1 legend whose legacy today extends far beyond the world of motor racing.

• The fabulous photographs in this bookwere captured through the lenses of Sutton Images, where brothers Keith and Mark Sutton between them followed Senna’s meteoric career from the very beginning. Their contribution starts with his very first race win and ends with poignant images from Imola ’94.    
• The karting years: racing in Brazil and South America between 1973 and 1977, and Senna’s efforts to win the elusive karting World Championship between 1978 and 1981.
• Formula Ford 1600 and 2000: racing with the Van Diemen works team in 1981, before progressing to FF2000 in 1982, dominating the British and European championships.
• Formula 3: the battle with Martin Brundle for the 1983 British F3 Championship.
• Formula 1 baptism with Toleman: nearly winning the rain-shortened Monaco Grand Prix, and qualifying third at Estoril, behind Piquet’s Brabham and Prost’s McLaren.
• The Lotus years, 1985–87: Senna’s first wins, at Estoril and Spa in 1985, two more wins in 1986, and his final Lotus year, with wins in Monaco and Detroit, before signing for McLaren for the 1988 season.
• The McLaren years, 1988–93: first world title in 1988 followed by an acrimonious year with team-mate Alain Prost in 1989.
• Two further world titles in 1990 and 1991, as Williams emerges to dominate with Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, Senna winning five races in his final year for McLaren.
• The final season: driving for a no-longer-dominant Williams, struggling to take the fight to Benetton and Michael Schumacher, before tragically losing his life at Imola.

 

Specification

• ISBN: 978-0992820909
• Format: 295x240mm
• Jacketed hardback
• Page extent: 304pp, colour throughout
• Illustration: 275 photographs, mainly colour
• Word count: 110,000

The Author

Tony Dodgins is one of the world’s leading F1 journalists and attends every grand prix, reporting for a wide range of media worldwide.

A passionate fan of Senna, he has fulfilled a long-time ambition by writing this book to mark the 20th anniversary of Ayrton’s death. Before retreating behind a typewriter, Tony had ambitions to race himself and actually took his first shaky steps in Formula Ford 1600 in 1981, the same year that Senna arrived from Brazil to race in this category in the UK. Although his own money and talent ran out, Tony knew that he was witnessing someone very special. A geordie, Tony undertook a 500-mile round trip to Thruxton to watch the climax of Senna’s sensational Formula 3 season in 1983 and, two years later, joined the staff of the UK’s weekly motorsport bible, Autosport.

Having turned freelance, Tony has covered almost every grand prix since 1992 and was at Imola on that black May afternoon that claimed perhaps the greatest driver who ever lived.

Tony has been Grand Prix reporter for Autosport, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, for which he still writes today. He has also contributed to several national newspapers and written for leading motorsport titles in the USA and Japan. He also writes for and edits the prestigious Autocourse Formula 1 annual.

He is part of BBC TV’s coverage, assisting Ben Edwards and David Coulthard in the Formula 1 commentary box.

A popular and respected figure in the F1 paddock, Tony knows many of the participants in Senna’s story and has conducted many illuminating interviews to provide this book with numerous fresh insights and perspectives. He lives in Southport, Lancashire, with his wife and two young daughters.

 

Reviews

• “It’s the features around the reports that really set this book apart… an impressively complete collage, making this a significant addition to the ever-growing Senna library. Pleasingly, the price is as ‘accessible’ as the format.”
  Motor Sport magazine

   “For any fan of Senna or Formula One, it is a must-read.”
  Daily Express

  “The real enjoyment comes from the wide array of new interviews with figures such as karting star Terry Fullerton, team figures Ralph Firman, Dick Bennetts and Ron Dennis, plus many of Senna’s Formula 1 rivals. Their insight and anecdotes make this high-quality, 304-page hardback worth every penny.”
  Classic & Sports Car magazine

  “The book is far greater than its title suggests, bringing together glorious photographs, thumbnail sketches of every race of Senna's career, and a collection of vignettes that present a well-rounded picture of the Brazilian superstar using the memories of those who knew him best… the real magic is to be found between the races, in the memories of those who were with Senna as he was getting strapped into the car, or as he slammed his way back to the motorhome after a bad result. By not shying away from including some of the less flattering stories, Dodgins represents Senna as less of a racing god, and more of an incredibly talented – and incredibly complex – human being, both frail and strong.”
  crash.net

  “A beautifully produced and photographed portrait of a life or rivalries, friendship and animosity: and most surprisingly given his achievements, unfulfilled ambitions. Fascinating.”
  Classic Cars magazine