#NeverForgetRoland - A tribute to "the other guy who died at Imola"

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DISCLAIMER: Given how sensitive the topic is, I don't intend to aggravate anyone regardless of his/her favourite racing drivers. I have massive respect for Senna, his results, his persona, his carisma and his uncanny skill when it came to drive fast anything that had four wheels, but I wanted to write a personal tribute about a driver that inspires me much more than Ayrton, with all due respect for him and his fanbase.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Roland-Ratzenberger_larger_image.jpg


Yes, he's smiling like a doofus. He doesn't care.

Some of you may know him as "the other guy who died in Imola '94", or "that ageing poor fellow who crashed driving for a crappy team". Some may know him as a guy who apparently never achieved anything in F1 besides appearing in every press photo with a goofy smile. But some of you, the minority of you, know the reason of that smile and know that Roland Ratzenberger, born on July 4th 1960, was a guy that fought hard to take every damn step on the ladder leading to F1. Most people don't know his name at all, some of you may only recognize his name and the Simtek he drove, but those of you that know about him would agree: Roland was absolutely inspiring.

Roland was born in Salzburg, to a not-particularly wealthy family. Like most of us, when he was a kid he told his parents he wanted to be a race car driver and heard the traditional answer: "It's too expensive son, sorry". That didn't stop him. Roland did everything he could in his teenage years to be able to afford a seat at the local karting club, including delivering bread in a van. His parents wanted him to go to school, to be someone, but he knew damn well what he wanted: ra-ci-ng. By the time he was 19, Roland was racing in the regional Formula Ford championships, paying for his seat by serving as a mechanic for the series, and won the Austrian and Central European championships. Later on, he got to a point where he didn't have to pay for a seat anymore but was only driving for teams that gave him poor machinery. He bounced between most single-seater series of the time, and ended up in Japan, driving for Toyota in the Sports Prototype Championship. Eventually, he went on to race at Le Mans, hallowed ground, with Toyota, a team with which he came 5th overall and 1st in class in 1993.

toyota_93cv.jpg


The guy went from delivering bread to driving that to the top of the podium at Le Mans. Yes. For real.
A sports agent based in Monaco saw promise in the not-so-young Roland who used to lie about his age to his employers, fearing that being 34 would cost him the chance of a seat in F1. She gathered enough sponsoring money to buy him a seat in the new Simtek team where he would race for 6 races. Roland, as always, hoped that showing dedication and results would make the team consider hiring him fulltime. The results on the first race of 1994 were disastrous, the lardy and dull Simtek wasn't able to qualify for the race. The second race, on Japanese ground was a bit better: Roland was the last driver to finish the race, something impressive for a guy on his second race with a terrible car. The third race, was Imola.

Ratzenberger went off track in one of the closing laps of the qualifying session. He felt himself in a "Make it or break it" situation, should he not qualify that could spell the end for his golden opportunity in F1. He felt the brakes, tyres and suspension were fine so he carried on for a last lap. Unfortunately, the front wing of his car had been damaged and broke completely on a high-speed corner, sending his car barreling towards the wall at more than 300 Km/H. Few hours later, he was pronounced dead. A day later, his funeral took place...and was deserted because everyone went to Senna's.

iKuRGgyWsPSwY.jpg

A hard earned seat in F1. You made it, Roland.
Honestly, today I wasn't aware of all of that I just wrote out of memory. I also remembered him as "the other guy", but having read today some stories and tributes to him, he will always be in front of Senna in my heart. Oh, yes, I said that. Why? Beacause Roland inspires me like only one other driver has: the God of F1; Juan Manuel Fangio.

Fangio was a huge champion both on and off the track. Times change. After the era of Fangio, money and politics took an even more fundamental spot in the sport, making it harder for a Cinderella story like his to happen again. With Roland, we were damn close. Like Roland, I wasn't born in a wealthy family. But unlike me, Roland didn't give up. In his story I see a fighter, a Quixote, a man who wasn't gonna let factors like money stop him on his way to happiness. An idealist. Think of this little text I found in a book made by Skip Barber HPD School: "Anybody can drive a racecar; it just takes practice, like playing a violin. The only problem in this business is that [...] you have to practice like anything else and the unfortunate thing about racecar driving is that it costs a phenomenal amount to go practice". Absolute genius is not something you're born with, it's an understanding of a particular field that comes through extensive practice. Senna had that practice, ever since he was a little kid because his parents gave him everything he could've wanted. Fangio didn't. Fangio worked his way to the top, and at his fourty-something years old he retired F1 with a win ratio slightly under 50%. Roland, unknowingly, followed in Fangio's spirit. When Roland was 17, he bought a VW Käffer with a mate and raced through Salzburg like there was no tomorrow. He didn't change one bit when he was seated in an F1 car.

Roland is, to me, one of the guys that reminds me of the best thing of our sport. It's not about a meaningless trophy, it's not about admiration: It's a matter of passion. Senna made something huge out of something, impressive indeed. But Roland? He made something out of nothing. He's the epitome of "It's not what you drive, it's what drives you". Roland Ratzenberger is today the reason why I'm not giving up on being able to race someday, at whatever level I can.

Here's to you GTP, an inspirational man. A man who shouldn't be forgotten and who diserves a far more dignified memory than just being "the other guy who crashed".

43_0ZRG_5.jpg


Godspeed Roland. Thanks for the inspiration.​
 
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That was a very, very well-written piece. A manly tear may or may not have been shed. :P

A day later, his funeral took place...and was deserted because everyone went to Senna's.

One thing I found interesting was that Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, did actually attend Roland's funeral. Quoting Wikipedia, "Mosley said in a press conference ten years later, 'I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his.' "
 
Back in '94, I was kind of inspired by Roland's ability to finally make it F1 at the age of 34. I figured...he's finally made it!

...when I'd learned that fateful evening what had happened, life just didn't seem very fair at all. :(
 
One thing I found interesting was that Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, did actually attend Roland's funeral. Quoting Wikipedia, "Mosley said in a press conference ten years later, 'I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his.' "

I found it surprising as well. I always thought Mosley was a 🤬, but that was certainly a nice gesture. It must be said he was involved at Simtek, but still, a very humane gesture.

Back in '94, I was kind of inspired by Roland's ability to finally make it F1 at the age of 34. I figured...he's finally made it!

...when I'd learned that fateful evening what had happened, life just didn't seem very fair at all. :(

I feel you. Manly tears have been shed indeed...
 
Indeed, a very inspirational story. Just goes to show how far hard work and determination can take you. Rest in peace, Roland.
 
Roland's story tells you that if you work hard enough, and if you keep believing, your dreams can come true. And that they can crumble in a second, that life constantly hangs by a thread.

A hero lives, and inherently dies, in the shadow of another. The general public and the media might not remember Roland, but the fans, the real ones, always will.
 
This was my first memory of Roland.



Formula Ford Festival. He was unbeaten in a era when every up and coming driver of any consequence competed in this event.
 
http://blog.quotidiano.net/turrini/2014/04/28/quel-che-mi-manca-di-ratzenberger/
by Leo Turrini

Translation:

What I miss from Ratzenberger

Formula1 April 28, 2014
We can't escape the high tide of commemorations for the twentieth anniversary of Imola's tragedy.

If only for a matter of personal memory , I'm also involved , including newspapers, the book (and still thank you for the success you propitiated by ' Traveling with Ayrton ' ) , Sky , Zoff , the fine efforts of F1Passion the circuit, and so on.

Obviously, there's a strong risk to fall into rhetoric , a result of a routine dictated by the needs of post-modern era : what matters I think, is that the sentiment is true .

'll Talk about it again, these days.

And I can think of Roland .

You know, the Bible says that he who saves one life saves a world .

I always thought , symmetrically , that a lost life is the loss of a world.

In this case , the world of Ratzenberger .

Sometimes , feeling the passing of the years, blaming the shots of an existence which is not always as we would like, here , sometimes I wondered what I would have written and told , if Roland was able to realize his dreams. If he had become a champion.

What a waste of happiness lurks between the curves of Destiny !

I've never been able to separate the images of the victims of Imola94 . I know (useless being hypocritical ) that at the popular level Imola94 means Senna. I know ( and it is inevitable , mind you) that the thoughts of the masses resist persists and the figure of Ayrton . Many , even legitimately , not even remember Saturday, the crash of Roland , et cetera. "Ratzenberger who?" , I was once asked by a young english lady on a conference .

It's a bit like when we speak of a mafia massacre : Falcone, I have him in my heart and my head, but honestly the first and last names of the agents died with him slipped away .

It's the irrepressible cruelty of history , they say.

Still, I would have liked to belong to a different parallel dimension. Cross Ratzenberger one evening in a bar, maybe at Suzuka , and then stand there, ask him how he felt on the day of the first Grand Prix win, how he felt overtaking Berger at the end of Eau Rouge or attacking Alesi at the chicane out of the Monet Carlo tunnel .

There are moments when I imagine he answer me.

' Life is not made of breaths. Life is made of moments that take your breath away ' ( Angelo Dundee )
 
I really don't buy the whole Senna's death over shadowed Ratzenberger.

If it wasn't for Senna's death, it is unlikely Ratzenberger's name would have been carried further forward, and sadly like many just have been a name in the record books.

Senna's name along side Ratzenberger means both men are equally recognised amongst the motor racing community for the past 20 years and I'm sure will continue to do so.

RIP to both of them.
 
It was the memory of Ratzenberger who had persuaded Senna to race on that fateful weekend, when he been had so rocked by both Roland's accident and Barrichello's he almost pulled out. He was determined to win for Roland, and had earlier sent a handwritten letter to the Ratzenberger family. After Senna's accident, it was discovered that he had stuffed an Austrian flag into the sleeve of his race suit, to parade in honor of Ratzenberger at the end of the race. It clearly a mark of respect, and signified the esteem Senna held Roland in.

I believe we are equal in death and my thoughts were with both of them today, as well as the loved ones they left behind.
 
What a fantastic read. Very well written and informative. It may have taken Roland 10 years, but he passed away driving his dream and that is very special.
 
DISCLAIMER: Given how sensitive the topic is, I don't intend to aggravate anyone regardless of his/her favourite racing drivers. I have massive respect for Senna, his results, his persona, his carisma and his uncanny skill when it came to drive fast anything that had four wheels, but I wanted to write a personal tribute about a driver that inspires me much more than Ayrton, with all due respect for him and his fanbase.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Roland-Ratzenberger_larger_image.jpg


Yes, he's smiling like a doofus. He doesn't care.

Some of you may know him as "the other guy who died in Imola '94", or "that ageing poor fellow who crashed driving for a crappy team". Some may know him as a guy who apparently never achieved anything in F1 besides appearing in every press photo with a goofy smile. But some of you, the minority of you, know the reason of that smile and know that Roland Ratzenberger, born on July 4th 1960, was a guy that fought hard to take every damn step on the ladder leading to F1. Most people don't know his name at all, some of you may only recognize his name and the Simtek he drove, but those of you that know about him would agree: Roland was absolutely inspiring.

Roland was born in Salzburg, to a not-particularly wealthy family. Like most of us, when he was a kid he told his parents he wanted to be a race car driver and heard the traditional answer: "It's too expensive son, sorry". That didn't stop him. Roland did everything he could in his teenage years to be able to afford a seat at the local karting club, including delivering bread in a van. His parents wanted him to go to school, to be someone, but he knew damn well what he wanted: ra-ci-ng. By the time he was 19, Roland was racing in the regional Formula Ford championships, paying for his seat by serving as a mechanic for the series, and won the Austrian and Central European championships. Later on, he got to a point where he didn't have to pay for a seat anymore but was only driving for teams that gave him poor machinery. He bounced between most single-seater series of the time, and ended up in Japan, driving for Toyota in the Sports Prototype Championship. Eventually, he went on to race at Le Mans, hallowed ground, with Toyota, a team with which he came 5th overall and 1st in class in 1993.

toyota_93cv.jpg


The guy went from delivering bread to driving that to the top of the podium at Le Mans. Yes. For real.
A sports agent based in Monaco saw promise in the not-so-young Roland who used to lie about his age to his employers, fearing that being 34 would cost him the chance of a seat in F1. She gathered enough sponsoring money to buy him a seat in the new Simtek team where he would race for 6 races. Roland, as always, hoped that showing dedication and results would make the team consider hiring him fulltime. The results on the first race of 1994 were disastrous, the lardy and dull Simtek wasn't able to qualify for the race. The second race, on Japanese ground was a bit better: Roland was the last driver to finish the race, something impressive for a guy on his second race with a terrible car. The third race, was Imola.

Ratzenberger went off track in one of the closing laps of the qualifying session. He felt himself in a "Make it or break it" situation, should he not qualify that could spell the end for his golden opportunity in F1. He felt the brakes, tyres and suspension were fine so he carried on for a last lap. Unfortunately, the front wing of his car had been damaged and broke completely on a high-speed corner, sending his car barreling towards the wall at more than 300 Km/H. Few hours later, he was pronounced dead. A day later, his funeral took place...and was deserted because everyone went to Senna's.

iKuRGgyWsPSwY.jpg

A hard earned seat in F1. You made it, Roland.
Honestly, today I wasn't aware of all of that I just wrote out of memory. I also remembered him as "the other guy", but having read today some stories and tributes to him, he will always be in front of Senna in my heart. Oh, yes, I said that. Why? Beacause Roland inspires me like only one other driver has: the God of F1; Juan Manuel Fangio.

Fangio was a huge champion both on and off the track. Times change. After the era of Fangio, money and politics took an even more fundamental spot in the sport, making it harder for a Cinderella story like his to happen again. With Roland, we were damn close. Like Roland, I wasn't born in a wealthy family. But unlike me, Roland didn't give up. In his story I see a fighter, a Quixote, a man who wasn't gonna let factors like money stop him on his way to happiness. An idealist. Think of this little text I found in a book made by Skip Barber HPD School: "Anybody can drive a racecar; it just takes practice, like playing a violin. The only problem in this business is that [...] you have to practice like anything else and the unfortunate thing about racecar driving is that it costs a phenomenal amount to go practice". Absolute genius is not something you're born with, it's an understanding of a particular field that comes through extensive practice. Senna had that practice, ever since he was a little kid because his parents gave him everything he could've wanted. Fangio didn't. Fangio worked his way to the top, and at his fourty-something years old he retired F1 with a win ratio slightly under 50%. Roland, unknowingly, followed in Fangio's spirit. When Roland was 17, he bought a VW Käffer with a mate and raced through Salzburg like there was no tomorrow. He didn't change one bit when he was seated in an F1 car.

Roland is, to me, one of the guys that reminds me of the best thing of our sport. It's not about a meaningless trophy, it's not about admiration: It's a matter of passion. Senna made something huge out of something, impressive indeed. But Roland? He made something out of nothing. He's the epitome of "It's not what you drive, it's what drives you". Roland Ratzenberger is today the reason why I'm not giving up on being able to race someday, at whatever level I can.

Here's to you GTP, an inspirational man. A man who shouldn't be forgotten and who diserves a far more dignified memory than just being "the other guy who crashed".

43_0ZRG_5.jpg


Godspeed Roland. Thanks for the inspiration.​
You, sir, deserve some of the few golden likes of the internet. Honestly!
I have to admit that in many occasions, I was also one of the people who mentioned Ratzenberger as "the other guy who crashed in Imola '94". And I still feel a bit jerk about that..

Roland Ratzenberger is today the reason why I'm not giving up on being able to race someday, at whatever level I can.
You have been so lucky to have a great passion for something, especially motorsport, which is almost impossible to get in, if someone doesn't give you tons of money packs every now and then. And despite the conditions, you are still hopeful that you can do it.
You need very big balls to do that and that's why you get my respect. I wish you best of luck mate! 👍
 
👍 for the well written piece.

As many others I knew about "the other guy" that died that weekend, but I just never took a time to get to know who really it was. Thank you for this article.
 
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