APRIL 17, 2002

Senna's helmet is destroyed

After eight years, the authorities in Bologna have released the helmet which Ayrton Senna was using when he was killed at Imola in May 1994.

AFTER eight years, the authorities in Bologna have released the helmet which Ayrton Senna was using when he was killed at Imola in May 1994. The helmet was handed over to representatives from Bell Racing Europe and the Senna Family at the Bologna police headquarters after a court hearing agreed that the authorities had no further use for the helmet. Bell and the Senna Family had agreed that as soon as the helmet was released it would be destroyed and it was incinerated later that day in Bologna.

The helmet was destroyed to avoid the unpleasant trading which was seen over other items of equipment used that day by Senna. His overalls and his gloves are both believed to have raised considerable sums of money as ghoulish collectors' items.

The helmet, which was badly damaged in the crash, would almost certainly have had enormous value in such a market.

The destruction of the helmet has no legal implications as after nine years of investigation and analysis all aspects of it were well-known. There is unlikely to be any further legal action relating to the crash. The Williams chassis in which Senna was killed has also been released by the Italian authorities and we believe that this has also been destroyed by the team to avoid any unseemly trading at any point in the future.