Intro:

The Imola Circuit will be the focal point for the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death.

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May 1st 1994 is a day that will be remembered by F1 fans as one of the darkest days for the sport.

It was the day that Ayrton Senna died during the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.

Senna's death followed the fatal accident involving Roland Ratzenberger in qualifying.

It will be 20 year's since that tragic weekend on Thursday and the world of sport will remember one of the greatest champions ever to race in Formula One.

The three time world champion had joined Williams from McLaren in 1994 at the age of 34 but he had made his worst start to a season, retiring in the opening two races of the season before the San Marino Grand Prix.

Senna crashed at the Tamburello turn on lap seven of that Grand Prix.

Tributes to Senna are still present at the turn today.

The Imola track will be a focal point during the 20th anniversary of Senna and Ratzenberger's deaths.

Imola will be open to the public for four days from Thursday.

There will be a commemorative ceremony, exhibition and a presentation on safety in Formula One.

Senna remains third on the all-time list of F1 wins with 41.

Only Michael Schumacher on 91 and Alain Prost with 51 have won more races than Senna.

Senna's death brought about safety improvements throughout F1.

The San Marino GP was last run in 2006 but the memory of Senna live on an area of Italy that is known as the cradle of motorsport.