Roland Ratzenberger

Roland Walter Ratzenberger (; 4 July 1960 – 30 April 1994) was an Austrian racing driver, who competed in Formula One at three Grands Prix in .

Born and raised in Salzburg, Ratzenberger began his racing career as a protégé of Walter Lechner, joining the Lechner Racing School at the Salzburgring upon graduating from technical school, aged 18. Ratzenberger progressed to Formula Ford in 1983, winning multiple national and continental titles, as well as the Festival in 1986. Ratzenberger balanced his next two seasons between touring car racing and Formula Three; he contested the World Touring Car Championship in 1987 with Schnitzer, achieving four podium finishes in ten races whilst driving the BMW E30 M3. After finishing third in the 1989 British Formula 3000 Championship and retiring from his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, Ratzenberger moved into Japanese motorsport with Toyota. Amongst competing in World Sportscar, All-Japan Sports Prototype, Japanese Touring Car and Japanese Formula 3000, Ratzenberger also entered four further editions of Le Mans from to , winning the C2 class at the latter in the Toyota 93C-V with SARD.

Ratzenberger signed for Simtek in , making his Formula One debut at the , where he did not qualify. He made his only Grand Prix start at the subsequent , finishing 11th after starting 26th. During qualifying for the at Imola, Ratzenberger died as the result of a basilar skull fracture sustained in an accident at the Villeneuve Curva, colliding with a concrete barrier at in his Simtek S941. He was the first fatality in the Formula One World Championship since Riccardo Paletti in 1982. The weekend became notorious for the fatal accident of Ayrton Senna the following day, with both deaths leading to widespread safety reforms and the re-establishment of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Early and personal life Roland Walter Ratzenberger was born in Salzburg, Austria, on 4 July 1960. When he was seven, his grandmother took him to a local hillclimb race at Gaisberg. Ιn 1969, the Salzburgring opened near his home. As a teenager, he discovered that racer and Formula Ford team owner Walter Lechner was based nearby and, while studying at a technical school, began to hang around the workshop. On finishing his education at eighteen, he joined Lechner, who was at this time opening a racing school at the Salzburgring. In 1985, he entered the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in England, finishing second. He returned in 1986 to win the event, before graduating to British Formula 3 the following season.

Two years in British F3 yielded two 12th places in the championship with West Surrey Racing and Madgwick Motorsport. Ratzenberger also raced in other cars besides single seaters, once finishing second in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship driving a Team Schnitzer BMW M3.

In 1994, Ratzenberger achieved his ambition of becoming one of the few Austrian Formula One drivers. After gaining a sponsor in a wealthy German, Barbara Behlau, who negotiated a deal over the 1993–1994 winter, Ratzenberger signed a five-race deal with the new Simtek team, partnering David Brabham. With a very uncompetitive car, Ratzenberger failed to qualify for the first race at Interlagos. However, the next round at the TI Circuit in Aida went much better, as he not only managed to qualify, but finish in a very commendable eleventh place, even considering that he was the only driver who had raced at the venue before.

Death

Crash The San Marino Grand Prix at Imola would have been Ratzenberger's third race in Formula One. During the first qualifying session on Friday 29 April, he asked the more experienced Brabham to test his car out; the Australian vindicated Ratzenberger's assessment of the brakes, which had been troubling him at the previous races. Having received injuries to his nose and arm, Barrichello was transferred to a nearby hospital, and took no further part in the weekend.

The next day, the second qualifying session proceeded as normal until the moment of his accident. Early in the session, Ratzenberger went off the track at the Acque Minerali chicane. With his sponsor in attendance for the first time, and at the halfway point of his contract, he decided to carry on, after checking the car to the best of his abilities.

Ratzenberger was transferred by ambulance to Imola Circuit's medical centre, then by air ambulance to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. He had suffered three individually fatal injuries: a basilar skull fracture, which was named as the official cause of death; blunt trauma from the front-left tyre penetrating the survival cell; and a ruptured aorta. Ratzenberger was the first racing driver to lose his life at a Grand Prix weekend since the season, when Riccardo Paletti was killed at the . Ratzenberger was also the first driver to die as a result of a crash in a Formula One car since Elio de Angelis during testing for the season. He was also the first Austrian driver to die as a result of a crash during qualifying in a Formula One car since Jochen Rindt in the season.

Villeneuve Curva, the location of Ratzenberger's fatal crash. Ayrton Senna was killed the next day at the previous bend.

Bernie Ecclestone personally delivered the confirmation of Ratzenberger's death to the stunned Simtek team. Grieving, Brabham made the decision to compete on Sunday:

Ayrton Senna commandeered an official car to hurry to the medical center; he learnt of Ratzenberger's death from friend and neurosurgeon Sid Watkins. Watkins suggested to the inconsolable Senna that he withdraw from the following day's race and go fishing instead, and asked him if he wanted to stop racing. Senna famously responded "I cannot quit, I have to go on," and, having returned to his garage, decided to withdraw for the remainder of qualifying.

Race and aftermath During the seventh lap of the race the following day, Senna's car ran wide at the Tamburello left-hander and struck an unprotected concrete barrier at , resulting in multiple fatal injuries. When track officials examined the wreckage of Senna's racing car, they found a furled Austrian flag. Senna had planned to raise it after the race, in honour of Ratzenberger. The race was won by Michael Schumacher, with Nicola Larini and Mika Häkkinen in second and third positions respectively, while Brabham retired after 27 laps. Out of respect for Ratzenberger and Senna, no champagne was sprayed at the podium ceremony. FIA president Max Mosley was also in attendance, noting in an interview ten years later:

As a tribute, Ratzenberger's name was left on the Toyota 94C-V which he intended to drive at Le Mans. Ratzenberger was buried in Maxglan, in Salzburg.

At the next race in the F1 calendar, Monaco, the first two grid positions were left empty and painted with Austrian and Brazilian flags, to honor Ratzenberger and Senna, respectively. Due to drive later that year in the Le Mans 24 Hours for Toyota, Ratzenberger's name was left on the car as a tribute, with his friend Eddie Irvine taking his place at the wheel.

Legacy During the customary Sunday morning pre-race drivers' briefing, the remaining drivers agreed to the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), with Senna, Berger and Schumacher intended to be its first directors. The reformed GPDA subsequently pressed for thorough improvements to safety after the Imola crashes and others during 1994; for , the FIA mandated the use of the HANS device, designed to prevent the type of injury suffered by Ratzenberger.

Racing record Career summary

Complete World Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 DC Points 1987 Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3 MNZDSQ JAR2 DIJRet NUR3 SPA6 BNO4 SILRet BATRet CLD3 WEL4 FJI 10th 146

Complete British Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1982–1990 in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded ?–1989 in class)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 DC Pts Class 1988 Demon Tweeks BMW M3 SIL OUL THR DON THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SIL 13th 26 4th

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete British Formula 3000 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Pts 1989 Spirit Motorsport BRH THR OUL DON BRH SNE SIL OUL BRH 3rd 37 † — Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points 1990 Team Noji International SUZ FUJ MIN SUZ SUG FUJ FUJ SUZ FUJ SUZ NC 0 1992 Stellar International SUZ FUJ MIN SUZ AUT SUG FUJ FUJ SUZ FUJ25† SUZ 7th 19 1993 Stellar International SUZ FUJ MIN SUZ AUT SUG FUJ FUJ SUZ FUJ SUZ 12th 6 Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

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 MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S941 Ford V8 BRA PAC SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR JPN AUS NC 0