I agree, Senna is almost like part II of the Killer Years documentary, at
least from the standpoint of safety in F1 (F1 fans also can't help but
notice the many lingering shots of Niki Lauda's burned face), they made huge
strides in the 70s and 80s. The tragic May day at Imola in 1994 led to
further safety efforts initially led by former formula 1 trackside doctor
and Senna's friend Dr. Sid Watkins, they were apparently successful based
upon the figures, but given the general parameters of F1 and other top
league racing efforts will always make racing safer, but never completely
safe.
A huge step was also the SAFER barrier widely in US racing and also used at
some F1 venues, it was initially developed at my alma mater, the University
of Nebraska Lincoln, I had absolutely no role in its development, but did
tour the engineering college when it was in initial testing stages and got
an early presentation on it, great stuff.
Greg Lemon
"...and Ayrton Senna in 1994.
I was actually thinking of the movie "Senna"
when seeing this excellent documentary.
You can see Ayrton's frustration and
nervousness building when the Williamscar was not performing after the
electronic stability systems and so on were banned.
Even if you're not into
racing the documentary Senna is a fantastic movie (available on netflix
streaming). A perfect companion for Grand Prix - The Killer Years.
Bert"
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