TV programs, exhibitions, sporting events and various commemorations will fill this May 1st in Brazil for the tribute to Ayrton Senna, 30 years after his death on the Imola circuit. Fans of the three-time Formula 1 world champion, an idol in the country at the level of Pelé, will go to his grave all day in a cemetery in Sao Paulo, his hometown, where he has rested since 1994, while on the circuit a foot race is organized in Interlagos.
In recent days, programs paying homage to the man who gives his name to many streets in Brazil have multiplied on local television, while a traveling exhibition entitled “I, Ayrton Senna da Silva – 30 years” opens its doors in Rio de Janeiro , after visiting several other Brazilian metropolises. Visitors can listen to the pilot's voice recounting the defining moments of his life and career using artificial intelligence. In Copacabana, there will be far more people than usual who will take a selfie in front of the bronze statue of the pilot, portrayed with arms raised while waving a Brazilian flag.
Beyond his sporting exploits, the champion's legacy remains through the Ayrton Senna Institute, recognized in 2004 by UNESCO for its educational projects aimed at children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. “Ayrton always said that if you wanted to change things, you had to start with education,” Viviane Senna, Ayrton's sister and president of the institute, said in a video recently posted on social media. Founded six months after the pilot's death, the institute claims to have benefited around 36 million students in three thousand Brazilian cities.
