Ayrton Senna told by Diego Mombelli.

Born in Varese (Italy) in 1936, Diego Mombelli has made karting history as one of the most appreciated mechanics of all times.
He has worked for Alex Zanardi, Max Papis and the legend Ayrton Senna.

My kart story bloomed in 1958, when karting was a brand new thing in Italy.

It was love at first sight, I raced for 20 years with all the major brands, from Italkart to Birel, and I quit in 1978, when I was already prepping engines for other drivers who would come to me after seeing how strong mu stuff was.

One day Achille Parrilla from DAP called me up:

“I’m coming back from America with a kid that you’re simply gonna love. I’d like you to be the one who takes care of him”.

The kid’s name was Ayrton Senna and Parrilla was right! We won and lost so mancy races together.

I’ll never forget the 1979 World Championship in Estoril.

Ayrton...