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Ayrton Senna’s Kart Heading to Auction

Kart racing is one of the most wonderful forms of motorsport in the world, mainly because it’s three things: cheap to venture into, highly competitive, unmolested by electronic driving aids like high-tier race cars (DRS, KERS, all that mumbo-jumbo). All things considered, its simplicity makes it so damn fun.
Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33) 11 photos
Photo: Bonhams
Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)Ayrton Senna's Kart (1981 DAP BH #33)
Us mortals have them go-karts, but up and coming Formula 1 stars normally start their career’s A-B-C with professional kart racing. Ayrton Senna is one of the many racecar drivers to cut his teeth before he went to win 3 world titles and become the driver’s driver. And good golly, one of his racing karts will go under the hammer at Bonhams’ next auction event.

Dubbed Led Grandes Marques du Monde Au Grand Palais, the February 5th auction’s lot 302 is a 1981 DAP Kart that was used by Senna and estimated at between €24,000 to €28,000, translating to a reasonable £18,285/$27,730 to £21,335/$32,350 at current rates. This DAP is different when compared to his first-ever 1 HP buzzer and the racing kart he won the 1977 South American Kart Championship.

DAP BH chassis No. 33 was driven by Ayrton in his last ever kart race in Parma, Italy in 1981

It was the last ever because that same year, Senna entered the Formula Ford 1600 series, moving to the UK and dedicating his all into making it big with the Van Diemen team. Though 1981 wasn’t a fruitful year, Senna went to win the 1982 British and European Formula Ford 2000 championships, switching to the Toleman TG183B F1 single-seater in 1984.

You could say that this DAP kart is the end of an era for the legendary Brazilian or the start of a new one. Compared to race-ready karts of today, this contraption is made up of simple metal bars, a not-that-comfy seat, a gasoline tank right in front of your gentleman vegetables and a two-stroke putter, though not the original 100 cc unit.

As the seller of this unique piece of racing epicness says, the winning bidder will also receive a copy of the “50 Years of Karting” book, which features both Ayrton Senna and this particular 1981 DAP BH kart.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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