Honda MotoGP rookie unveils Ayrton Senna tribute helmet for Brazilian GP
Diogo Moreira will race in front of his home crowd in Brazil wearing a Senna tribute helmet
LCR Honda MotoGP rookie Diogo Moreira has unveiled the special Ayrton Senna tribute helmet he will race with this weekend at his home Brazilian Grand Prix.
MotoGP returns to Brazil on the weekend of 20-22 March for the first time in 22 years to the Ayrton Senna circuit in Goiania.
The track in Goiania was renamed after three-time Formula 1 world champion Senna’s death in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
Diogo Moreira says Senna is “like a hero” to him and hopes “to follow” in his footsteps as he begins his MotoGP career.
“For me, Senna is like a hero for me,” he said on Thursday ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
“And I made a special helmet for my home GP, and it’s a classic helmet.
“Here, on the top, we have his face. For me, it’s an honour to wear this helmet.
“I mean, I would say for me, and also for Brazil, he is a hero, because he made his way the same as me: he went to Europe and started his career there.
“So, for me, he’s like a hero and I want to follow this way. I mean, in the end, he has a lot of championships in F1.
“Now, I am in the MotoGP class, so we need to try to understand the bike more and see if we can follow his way.”
Fan expectation “no pressure” for Moreira
Moreira will become the first Brazilian rider to race on home soil in MotoGP since Alex Barros at the 2004 Rio Grand Prix.
Facing heightened media and fan attention this weekend compared to his debut in Thailand earlier this month, Moriera doesn’t see this as a problem.
“It’s not pressure,” he said.
“I like to see my face in the airport, also around the city.
“It’s nice to have this in Brazil.
“I will try to be super calm in the weekend and try to enjoy the weekend and work with the team.
“For me, it’s not pressure. We need to be focused on the weekend and try to forget other things. Let’s see.”
Moreira scored points on his MotoGP debut in Thailand, after finishing 13th and just over five seconds from leading Honda rider Luca Marini in 10th.
In this article
