The go-kart, which was tested by legendary driver Ayrton Senna, will be auctioned on September 5 in London, England. The event will be conducted by RM Sothebys, an auction house that specializes in classic cars, and it will take place at Battersea Evolution, an event venue in the British capital.
Part of the revenue will be reverted to the Ayrton Senna Institute, which for more than 20 years has annually contributed to expand life opportunities for children and teenagers through education, suporting 1.5 million students and 45 thousand teachers in more than 600 cities in 16 Brazilian states.
A three-time F1 world champion, Senna drove the go-kart on March 19, 1994. On that day, Ayrton invited a few friends to his ranch in the Sao Paulo countryside. Among them was his friend, the mechanic José Dias Dirani, who had bought the #14 go-kart from Mini for his son, Danilo. Dirani has been very careful with the relic, keeping it very well maintained.
Dirani has kept the go-kart in his garage, in the neighborhood of Vila Maria, in the North side of São Paulo. The vehicle has always had the yellow fairing with an Auto-Center sticker – the Mechanical Workshop belonging to “Zezinho”, or just “Zé”, as Senna used to call his friend.
Karting was always Senna’s favorite sport, due to his love for the category. “It was pure driving, pure racing. There was no politics involved”, said Senna in Australia, in 1993, when discussing Terry Fullerton, his greatest rival in karting.
The machine was completely restored by the chassis’ manufacturer, Mini, and by the engine’s builder, Lucio Pascual Gascon, the famous “Tchê”, always remembered as Senna’s mentor during his time racing go-karts. The idea of auctioning the relic came from Silviano Domingues dos Santos Filho, a physical trainer who specializes in racing drivers since 1990 and who has been friends with José Dirani for more than 25 years.
People will be able to bid in person, by phone, by proxy or through the auction’s website (as long as the user is already registered). The event starts on Tuesday (09/04), when the go-kart, lot 107, will be displayed to the public. On the same day, there will be a guests-only reception from 6 PM to 9 PM (local time). On Wednesday (09/05), the go-kart will be on display from 10 AM to 6 PM, and the auction will begin at 5:30 PM.
Information about the auction:
Address: Battersea Evolution / Queenstown Road – London SW8 4NW – United Kingdom
On-line auction: https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/LF18/London/lots/n0008-ayrton-senna-kart/708107
Go-kart technical aspects:
Manufacturer: Kart Mini (chassis).
Year of production: between 1991 and 1993.
Engine: Komet (two-stroke); manufactured in 1990.
Fuel: gasoline.
Carburetor: single
Engine capacity: 125cc
