Senna Van Walstijn has achieved this year the goals he just missed out on in previous years, confirming himself as one of the strongest KZ drivers in recent years. In a long end-of-year chat under the Bahrain sun, he also told us a ton of other things... (fm)
When your name is "Senna", you don't have much choice: either you become a racer, or people will spend their whole lives asking why you didn't race with a name like that.
Tell me about your name: any anecdotes related to your parents’ choice of this name and whether the name has influenced your path?
"My name came up initially from my mom I believe, and my dad always used to be a fan of Senna of course so the decision wasn’t that hard I think in the end. I don’t think it really had and influence on whether I would become a racing driver myself, but it definitely did give me more interest in the sport. When I was very young I used to go on YouTube and watched whatever I could find about 'Senna' .."
Now that you’ve had some time to think about it calmly: what changes when you become World Champion?
"It’s a difficult question I have been thinking about this a lot, and in the end I don’t think that there are any big changes gonna be in the end. I think the biggest change is more to my self personally, I have always putted a lot of pressure on my self and I think now after winning the biggest title that I can reach at this point in my career I can be a bit more satisfied with my own performance. I think that a can be a bit of a different driver from now on because I have already proven my self to my self."
In what way, compared to other times when important titles slipped away, was Franciacorta different?
"After Portimao I had quite a difficult time with my self and it was difficult for me to accept it. So I started focusing a lot on Franciacorta, I wanted this World Championship so badly that I moved to Italy to live there, and whenever I could, I'd head to Franciacorta to train: there was a week leading up to the World Championship where I drove non-stop from Sunday to Sunday—I did over a thousand laps, it was exhausting but incredible. I just wanted to do whatever I can to be ready so in case I won’t have won. I wouldn’t have been disappointed with myself as the year before."
Tell me about your name: any anecdotes related to your parents’ choice of this name and whether the name has influenced your path?
"My name came up initially from my mom I believe, and my dad always used to be a fan of Senna of course so the decision wasn’t that hard I think in the end. I don’t think it really had and influence on whether I would become a racing driver myself, but it definitely did give me more interest in the sport. When I was very young I used to go on YouTube and watched whatever I could find about 'Senna' .."
Now that you’ve had some time to think about it calmly: what changes when you become World Champion?
"It’s a difficult question I have been thinking about this a lot, and in the end I don’t think that there are any big changes gonna be in the end. I think the biggest change is more to my self personally, I have always putted a lot of pressure on my self and I think now after winning the biggest title that I can reach at this point in my career I can be a bit more satisfied with my own performance. I think that a can be a bit of a different driver from now on because I have already proven my self to my self."
In what way, compared to other times when important titles slipped away, was Franciacorta different?
"After Portimao I had quite a difficult time with my self and it was difficult for me to accept it. So I started focusing a lot on Franciacorta, I wanted this World Championship so badly that I moved to Italy to live there, and whenever I could, I'd head to Franciacorta to train: there was a week leading up to the World Championship where I drove non-stop from Sunday to Sunday—I did over a thousand laps, it was exhausting but incredible. I just wanted to do whatever I can to be ready so in case I won’t have won. I wouldn’t have been disappointed with myself as the year before."
Winning the KZ World Championship was the crowning achievement of a KZ career always at the top, where Senna had always achieved less than his true potential
Before today, which race frustrated you the most by missing it by a narrow margin?
"Well, definitely Portimao. I was a week where we where really strong as putting it on pole to winning all the heat. Dry or wet it didn’t really matter. And then to have a good start and lead most part of the race it was really frustrating to just miss out on the title."
In KZ, the evening before a high-level competition, it’s always very difficult to make predictions because anything can happen: which qualities, beyond driving skills, do you think are necessary to stand out from the world’s best drivers?
"I think that on this level you have to be strong mentally I think in any case that mentally is as big aspect of racing. In many situations I have lost my self in that part as well. But just with this race I knew that all I needed to do is not let myself get crazy."
Your progression, like many others, began with Rotax series in a European area that has produced many karting Champions: why are you so good in BNL?
"I started in cadet when I was very young, then you moved up to the junior series in Rotax, where thankfully I had a lot of people supporting me and helping me progress. One of them is the Pex family, they showed me their way of working not only on track but also in the workshop and that kind of stuff and Stan Pex at that time learned me extremely a lot that was also the moment when I really started to be a better driver and be completely focused on racing."
On track during the BNL Rotax series days, when he was still racing with a 100% Ayrton Senna replica helmet
You are also one of the two, along with Jorrit Pex, to have won both an RMCGF (2018, Rotax Max Senior in Brazil) and a KZ World Championship: in what ways do these two victories resemble each other and in what ways are they different?
"I think that the Rotax is a really good class to grow in and an event like the grand final is incredible, where every have the exact same material so it really just come down on talent. I won the Finals back in 2018, in Senior Max. That was what I'd been aiming for since I started in Minimax, when it was just me and my dad. After that milestone, at the end of my Rotax experience where I learned the basics of motorsport, I jumped straight into KZ in 2019 and started going fast right away. I won the German championship, and if I'd been a bit better at starts, I could have won the European right off the bat, but I recovered and today I'm proud to be a top-tier KZ karting driver with the privilege of racing these karts backed by an official manufacturer."
Speaking of gearbox: you learned to drive karts with single-gear and clutch karts: how did you adapt to KZ, what were the biggest difficulties, and what did you like immediately about KZ?
"I loved KZ directly from the beginning I always had already before I was old enough to drive it. But it is a big difference in the way of driving and especially the way of racing with it. For me the hardest part was definitely the starts at the beginning it took me many fails before I started to get used to it. Speed wasn’t really the problem from the beginning. But there are just so many more factors that come in to play with kz then with direct drive."
In 2019, Senna was close to winning the German Kart Championship (DKM) on his first attempt
Have you ever had a kart driver you looked up to as a role model, and which Champion from the past would you like to compare yourself with today?
"I do remember that when I was a lot younger and started to watch the WSK European and worlds I always saw Ardigo or de conto winning. Even when I did the academy seeing them drive I did admire them at that time. I would have loved to driver with them at the time where they where at there best."
This year was also special for the win in Vegas: how did it feel like to be the fastest in such a peculiar race and what did you find different from the FIA races?
"I've only raced twice in Las Vegas, last year and this year: to be honest, I found last year's layout a bit more technical, but unfortunately I got unlucky. Even after taking pole, I had a close encounter with the barriers and that was the end of it. This year I nailed it—the track was super fast, it's insane racing like that in what is basically a parking lot, it's fantastic, and the vibe is really laid-back, so you can just enjoy it and have fun. The main difference with the FIA World Championship is that at the Worlds, the manufacturers bring everything to max potential because it's the pinnacle of the season and everything's super frantic, the tension is palpable. In Vegas, the level is always really high, but the cool part is that the teams give us a bit more freedom. At the end of the day, we can have fun there—it's like a free pass, so everything's a little more relaxed. Also, I have to say, I noticed great responsiveness and professionalism from the marshals—they were awesome. On a track that's so twisty with so many yellow flags, off-tracks, and incidents, it's not easy, but they were exceptional. The organization overall is good, but clearly compared to an FIA event, I saw a bit less rigor, you know, but that's fine."
Winning the World Championship and SuperNationals in the same year is definitely a special double
What’s the Senna plan for this end of the season and 2026?
"These days, my life and work are tied to this sport—I've moved to Italy's karting district, and now I'll definitely keep racing karts even if probably with a less packed calendar. Like anyone at this level, I'd have loved to make the natural step up to car racing. Obviously, I don't have the right budget and I'm over it: a few years ago I started doing coaching and I'm getting huge satisfaction from it. One driver I coach went from being the slowest on track at the start to winning European rounds—you can't imagine how great it is to see that kind of evolution and know you played a part in it."
"These days, my life and work are tied to this sport—I've moved to Italy's karting district, and now I'll definitely keep racing karts even if probably with a less packed calendar. Like anyone at this level, I'd have loved to make the natural step up to car racing. Obviously, I don't have the right budget and I'm over it: a few years ago I started doing coaching and I'm getting huge satisfaction from it. One driver I coach went from being the slowest on track at the start to winning European rounds—you can't imagine how great it is to see that kind of evolution and know you played a part in it."
Senna, in his role as coach, guided his driver all the way to the RMCGF in Bahrain
Photocredit: Mara Silva (MSvideomaking) / Senna Van Walstjin personal archive
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