| Roland Ratzenberger | |
|---|---|
Nationality  Austrian |
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Active years | 1994 |
| Teams | Simtek |
| Races | 3 (1 start) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1994 San Marino Grand Prix |
Roland Ratzenberger (July 4, 1960 – April 30, 1994) was an Austrian racing driver who died during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the same event that saw the death of three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the Licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th FIA Formula One World Championship season Simtek (Simulation Technology was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA) to the most successful Formula One The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 27 1994 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA) to the most successful Formula One Ayrton Senna da Silva ( pronounced, March 21, 1960 &ndash May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver and triple
Contents |
Biography
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger often claimed 1962 (rather than 1960) as his birth year, wanting to appear younger to extend his racing career. is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the Orbit of the Earth around the Sun He began racing in German Formula Ford in 1983, and in 1985 won both the Austrian and Central European Formula Ford championships. Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world [1]
Racing in Britain
In 1985 he also entered the prestigious Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival, finishing second. Brands Hatch is a Motor racing circuit in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland it hosted 12 runnings of the He returned in 1986 and won it before graduating to British Formula Three the following season. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. [1] While in the UK he briefly gained fame for the similarity of his name to that of TV puppet Roland Rat, whom he appeared alongside in an edition of TV-am. Roland Rat (also Roland Rat Superstar) is a British television Puppet character TV-am was a Breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992.
Two years in British F3 yielded two twelfth places in the championship with West Surrey Racing and Madgwick Motorsport respectively. Founded in 1981 West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts He also raced in other formulae than single seaters, once finishing second in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship driving a Team Schnitzer BMW M3. The 1987 World Touring Car Championship season was the 1st World Touring Car Championship season Schnitzer Motorsport is a successful Motorsport Team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 The BMW M3 is a high performance BMW M GmbH version of the popular BMW 3-Series compact Automobile. [1]
In 1989 he entered the British Formula 3000 series, finishing third overall. [1]
Le Mans
The same year he raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time. The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, The Brun Motorsport Porsche 962 he shared with Maurizio Sandro Sala and Walter Lechner retired in the third hour. Brun Motorsport GmbH was a Swiss Auto racing team founded by driver Walter Brun in 1983.
He raced in the next four Le Mans, with Brun again in 1991 and with the SARD team in 1990, 1992 and 1993. is a Japanese tuning company and racing team from Toyota Aichi, mainly competing in the Super GT series and specialising in Toyota tuning parts His highest finish came in 1993, when he, Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka finished fifth in a Toyota 93 C-V. (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. [1]
Racing in Japan
In the nineties Ratzenberger switched to Japanese racing. He won one race each in 1990 and 1991 in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship with the same SARD team he drove for at Le Mans. The, abbreviated as JSPC formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP He also returned to touring car racing in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, finishing seventh in 1990 and 1991 in a BMW M3. JTCC redirects here JTCC can also refer to John Tyler Community College. [1]
This paved the way for a return to Formula 3000 in the Japanese championship with the Stellar team in the 1992 season. Formula Nippon is a type of Formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan. Calendar Final point standings Driver For every race points were awarded 9 points to the winner 6 for runner up 4 for third place 3 for The year began poorly but, when the team upgraded their two year-old Lola for a new model, Ratzenberger won twice to finish seventh overall. Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a Racing car Engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon He remained in the series in the 1993 season, finishing eleventh. Calendar Final point standings Driver For every race points were awarded 9 points to the winner 6 for runner up 4 for third place 3 for [1]
Formula One
In 1994 he finally achieved his ambition of becoming a Formula One driver, signing a five-race deal with the new Simtek team[1] run by Nick Wirth. The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th FIA Formula One World Championship season Simtek (Simulation Technology was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team Nick Wirth (born 26 March 1966) is the former owner of the Simtek
His campaign got off to a poor start at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos where he failed to qualify. The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 27 1994 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. Autódromo José Carlos Pace or Interlagos is the venue of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix, located in a suburb of the city of São Paulo But he got onto the grid for the next round at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan, as his experience of the track from his touring car days meant he was the only driver in the race who had driven at the venue before. The Okayama International Circuit (formerly known as TI Circuit Aida) is a private Motorsport race track near Aida (Present Mimasaka) was a town located in Aida District, Okayama, Japan. On March 31, 2005, it merged with other municipalities to form the city of He finished eleventh. [1]
Tragedy at Imola
Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit on Saturday 30 April, 1994. The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory Suffering front wing-damage on the previous lap, the high speed on the backstraight, and therefore high wind pressure, finally broke the wing off, sending it under Ratzenberger's car. His car failed to turn into the Villeneuve Corner and struck the outside wall at 314. 9 km/h. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. [2] After the car carried on down the track, spinning around and stopping at the next corner, Ratzenberger's lolling head was revealed; he had clearly broken his neck.
The cause of death was a basal skull fracture, the same injury suffered by NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500. A basilar skull fracture (or Basal skull fracture) is a linear Skull fracture involving the basilar bone of the Skull. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr ( April 29, 1951 &ndash February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver best known for his career driving Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Florida.
Data from the car suggested he had had an off-track excursion on the previous lap and it was widely suggested that a front wing failure linked to this caused the crash.
He was the first racing driver to die at a Grand Prix weekend since the 1982 season, when Riccardo Paletti was killed at the Canadian Grand Prix, coincidentally at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The 1982 Formula One season was the 33rd FIA Formula One World Championship season Riccardo Paletti ( 15 June 1958, Milan - 13 June 1982, Montreal, Canada) was an Italian Motor Results from the 1982 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 13, 1982. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit which was the venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, and is the venue of NASCAR Canadian He was the first driver to die in an F1 car since Elio de Angelis during testing in 1986. Elio de Angelis ( 26 March 1958 – 15 May 1986) was a Racing driver who participated in Formula One between and, racing The 1986 Formula One season was the 37th FIA Formula One World Championship season
The day after Ratzenberger's death, three-time world champion Ayrton Senna was killed in another accident that brought the sport of Formula One under international scrutiny. Ayrton Senna da Silva ( pronounced, March 21, 1960 &ndash May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver and triple The double tragedy was marked before the start of the next race in Monaco, with the front row of the grid left empty and the two slots painted with a Brazilian and Austrian flag. The 1994 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 15 1994 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo.
While Ratzenberger's death was overshadowed to some extent by Senna's loss barely 24 hours later, his tragic accident nonetheless had one lasting legacy. On 1 May 1994, during the customary drivers' briefing, the remaining drivers agreed to the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, with Senna, Gerhard Berger and Michael Schumacher as its first directors. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (often shortened to just GPDA) is effectively the " union " of Formula One drivers Gerhard Berger, (born August 27, 1959 in Wörgl) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver who owns 50% of the Scuderia Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation;) (born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula The Association subsequently pressed for improvements to car and circuit safety in the wake of Imola and other serious crashes during the 1994 season; In 2001 the FIA mandated the use of the HANS device, designed to prevent the type of injury suffered by Ratzenberger.
When track officials examined the wreckage of Senna's racing car, they found a furled Austrian flag. Senna had planned to raise it after winning the race, in honour of Ratzenberger. [3]
FIA President Max Mosley attended the funeral of Ratzenberger, despite the overwhelming attention on Senna's funeral, both in the world of motorsport and worldwide. Max Rufus Mosley (born 13 April 1940 is president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA a non-profit association that represents the interests of In a press conference ten years later Mosley said, "'Roland had been forgotten. So I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his. "[4]
Complete Formula One results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | MTV Simtek Ford | Simtek S941 | Ford V8 | BRA DNQ |
PAC 11 |
SMR DNS |
MON |
ESP |
CAN |
FRA |
GBR |
GER |
HUN |
BEL |
ITA |
POR |
EUR |
JPN |
AUS |
33rd | 0 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Who's Who: Roland Ratzenberger. The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th FIA Formula One World Championship season MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Simtek (Simulation Technology was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Simtek (Simulation Technology was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team The Simtek S941 is a Formula One car, designed by Nick Wirth and Paul Crooks for the Simtek team and used during 1994 Formula One season Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 27 1994 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. The 1994 Pacific Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 17 1994 at the TI Circuit, Aida. The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. The 1994 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 15 1994 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. The 1994 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 12 1994 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. The 1994 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 3 1994 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours. The 1994 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 July 1994 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. The 1994 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 31, 1994 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. The 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 14 1994 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. The 1994 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 28 1994 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. The 1994 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 11 1994 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza. The 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 25 1994 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril. The 1994 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 16 1994 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Jerez Spain. The 1994 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 6, 1994 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. The 1994 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 13 1994 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. F1Fanatic. co. uk (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian
- ^ 10 most striking Formula One crashes ever. automotoportal. com (2006-06-07). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Retrieved on 2007-12-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
- ^ Longmore, Andrew. "Ayrton Senna: The Last Hours", The Times, 1994-10-31, p. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse 30. "Back at the track, in the shattered remains of Senna's car, they discovered a furled Austrian flag Senna had intended to dedicate his 42nd grand prix victory to Ratzenberger's memory. "
- ^ "Max went to Roland's funeral", www. f1racing. net, 2004-04-23. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Retrieved on 2008-03-02. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good
External links
- Roland Ratzenberger - Memorial website (German)
- F1 Rejects - a further tribute to Ratzenberger
- F1 Fanatic Who's Who: Roland Ratzenberger
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johnny Herbert |
Formula Ford Festival Winner 1986 |
Succeeded by Eddie Irvine |
| Preceded by Elio de Angelis |
Formula One fatal accidents April 30, 1994 |
Succeeded by Ayrton Senna |
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