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New Senna book has lots of appeal
By Dan Proudfoot
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Before Michael Schumacher began eclipsing records as the greatest driver ever, Ayrton Senna was recognized as the modern standard.
A new book, Ayrton Senna Above and Beyond, by Pierre Menard and Jacques Vassal, salutes the man and is just the gift for that hard-to-please car buff on your Christmas list.
Senna fans might wonder why this concise history appears almost 10 years after the Brazilian racer died at Imola, Italy. Others, especially newer F1 devotees, will relish the details and photographs. This book offers details from all stages of his racing career. For instance, anyone who ever saw Senna's mastery at a rainy Canadian Grand Prix will be fascinated by the account of his pre-teen forays on the Interlagos go-kart track whenever rain fell in Sao Paulo as he sought to improve his skills on slick tarmac.
It's apparent that author Jacques Vassal was not part of Senna's world. My guess is they never met. Nonetheless, Vassal is a reporter who knows how to transform piles of research - the bibliography credits two earlier books along with racing magazines and annuals - into readable pages.
Accounts by the likes of Alain Prost, Senna's arch-rival even as a teammate, are high points. The 120 photographs are laudable. What's missing, however, is new insight or up-to-date information.
Published by Chronosports, Switzerland. $32.00 at MiniGrid stores: 608 Mt. Pleasant Road, Toronto and 4461 Hwy #7, Unionville. Or contact www.minigrid.com
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