1979 World Karting Championship: The Story of Senna's despair and Koene's glory!

The 1979 World Karting Championship at Estoril is remembered less for Peter Koene’s hard-fought triumph and more for the heartbreak of Ayrton Senna, who came agonisingly close to securing a world title. A quirk in the regulations led to a dramatic misunderstanding: Senna mistakenly celebrated as he crossed the line in the third final, believing he had clinched the championship. In reality, the honor went to his teammate Peter Koene, who in that moment became the first Dutch FIA World Champion, while DAP - the karting manufacturer founded in 1970 by Angelo and Achille Parilla - claimed its first world title for both chassis and engine, besting long-time rivals at IAME.