Reginaldo Leme about Adriane Galisteu: She was really the first woman - woman, not girl - in his life

That night he rang Adriane, who had flown from Brazil to Portugal to await his return after the grand prix.

Adriane Galisteu, who was planning to spend the summer with Senna in Europe, had gone to the home of his long-time friend Antonio Braga near Lisbon to watch the race on television. She was due to fly to his house at Faro in the south - he ought to have been home by evening. Reportedly she had no money on her at all and Braga paid for her return flight to São Paulo.

"The next time he felt well was when he met the girl [Adriane]. I cannot judge the girl. He spent four or five months with her and it doesn't matter, it's normal, but she was really the first woman - woman, not girl - in his life. He was really involved and his family felt this: really involved. At that moment he was moving towards staying the whole year in Portugal. That would have been the first time, because every time he came to Brazil - every 15, 20 days - he stayed with his family.

"After the Brazilian Grand Prix of 1993, which he won, we went to a nightclub - separately, of course - and about one o'clock in the morning another friend, Jayme [Brito] said to Ayrton "look who's over there, it's Reginaldo." At the end he was dancing with Adriane, the same night that he had first met her, he left her and came to me. I told him: "That was the best win you have had in your life and we did - how can I say it? - a cheers, a glass of champagne, me and him.""

SOURCE: Ayrton Senna - As time goes by