The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) east of Bologna and 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello.
The circuit is named after Ferrari’s late founder Enzo and his son Dino who had died in the 1950s. Before Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1988 it was called ‘Autodromo Dino Ferrari’.
As a tribute to both Enzo and Dino Ferrari you can find a monument near the entrancegates to the circuit.
It was the venue for the Formula One San Marino Grand Prix (for many years two Grands Prix were held in Italy every year, so the race held at Imola was named after the nearby state) and it also hosted the 1980 edition of the Italian Grand Prix, which usually takes place in Monza. When Formula One visits Imola, it is seen as the ‘home circuit’ of Ferrari and masses of tifosi (Ferrari supporters) come out to support the local team.
But since the 1994 Grand Prix of San Marino, the circuit is also known for the tragical deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and 3-time World Champion Ayrton Senna.
During Saturday qualifying Roland Ratzenberger crashed head-on into a wall at the Villeneuve corner after a front wing failure and The nightmare continued the next day when Ayrton Senna went straight on at the Tamburello corner on Lap 7 and crashed hard into the wall.
His memento as a driver and as a man is still very vivid in the minds of everyone and the monument dedicated to him clearly show how much he is still in the memory of his fans. The bronze statue (by Stefano Pierotti) shows Senna sitting facing the track, deep in his thoughts as in a monitory warning.
This monument can be found in the Acque Minerali public park.