The Himalaya Exchange’s newly launched Payment Application, Himalaya Pay, has facilitated the historic purchase of Ayrton Senna’s McLaren 1989 MP4/5 F1 car for over $5m USD. The iconic vehicle was privately purchased by means of a Himalaya Pay member-to-member transfer of Himalaya Dollar (HDO), a stable coin listed on the Himalaya Exchange.
Ayrton Senna remains a legend to drivers and fans past and present. For three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, Senna was simply “the best driver who ever lived.” Lewis Hamilton, who credits Senna as his childhood idol, unveiled a special tribute helmet to Senna at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
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Senna remains arguably unsurpassed in driving ability, but was known as much for his character as he was for his driving. He famously saved the life of French driver Erik Comas at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. With Comas’ engine screaming and close to explosion, Senna stopped and sprinted over to the Frenchman’s car, shut off the engine so it wouldn’t catch fire, then held his head to stabilise his neck until the paramedics could arrive. Comas, who sits on the Senna Foundation, stated: “I have no doubt that Ayrton Senna saved my life. He was an extraordinary person as well as a brilliant driver. Ayrton’s legacy and reputation remains completely unique.”
This reputation has understandably made the cars in which Senna drove some of the most valuable and highly sought-after sporting and engineering artefacts in the world. The deal underscores users’ continued confidence in Himalaya Exchange and reflects how cryptocurrency is making its way into the mainstream of society and motorsports.
Zak Brown, McLaren Racing’s CEO, stated: “There are few vehicles in motorsports more iconic than Ayrton Senna’s McLaren 1989 MP4/5 F1 car. Not only is it a beautiful piece of engineering, but represents a special chapter in the history of motorsports. To witness a transaction like this take place through the Himalaya Exchange reflects the constant pace of innovation that is a hallmark of the motorsport industry, both in the past and into the future.”
Many businesses and individuals are now capitalising on the opportunities that well-managed cryptocurrency exchanges such as the Himalaya Group – which is registered as the Digital Currency Exchange Provider in Australia and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States – offer for transferring digital assets efficiently and securely