Senna's final resting place is simple and discreet; a small bronze plaque embedded in the ground. When I visited, the grave was taped off to prevent people walking on the newly relaid grass. A gravedigger told me "between 50 and 100" people still visit each day. As I stood, peering over the black and yellow barrier, the blue sky that had followed me from the centre of São Paulo down to the south part of the city disappeared and a rain shower fell from the heavens. Ten minutes later, as I walked away from the grave site towards the reception, the rain stopped and the brilliant blue firmament returned. Vinicius, my Brazilian friend who had accompanied me on the pilgrimage, turned to me with a reflective smile and vocalised my thoughts: "Looks like he was saying hello." ISWAS |
It should come as no surprise that a city with the sobriquet Terra da Garoa (Land of Drizzle) should produce a racing driver so proficient in the rain. This is what I found myself thinking as I left the Cemitério do Morumbi last week. Ayrton Senna, born in São Paulo, was killed 20 years ago this week at the San Marino Grand Prix and as research for an article to mark the anniversary, I visited the three-time Formula One world champion's grave.
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Gary MeenaghanSports scribbler. Pedant with prose. Alliteration addict. Omnivore. Archives
July 2016
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