Roland Ratzenberger 1960 - 1994

[CoopsII]

[AustralianStig]

What I posted on FB about it this morning:

20 years on since the death of Roland Ratzenberger - the second-most recent driver to die during an F1 race. Sadly most people would have never heard of him as his death was overshadowed by Ayrton Senna's fatal crash the following day, but by no means was his death any less tragic or important for the changes made for safety in F1.

[Ferrim]

I might have already made this point in these forums, but I believe it's precisely Senna's death what makes Ratzenberger to be remembered, and not the other way around like we use to say.

I mean, does anyone see people remembering Ricardo Paletti on June 13th? Or Elio de Angelis, who even won races, on May 15th? No, you see tributes for Villeneuve, or maybe for Clark, but not for many others. The fact that Ratzenberger died the day before Senna, at almost exactly the same place, in the same competition and doing the same thing is what leads us to think: "oh, it's unfair to treat these two human beings differently. If we are remembering Senna all the time, we should also pay our respects to the fellow who also perished that weekend", a line of thought that never arises with other drivers. It's natural that Senna is vastly more remembered, but somehow we feel it isn't right in this particular case, because their deaths were so similar and so close.

This is particularly seen in motorsport circles, but I would say that "the guy who was killed the day before Senna" is also more well known among the general public than other drivers with similar achievements. Had May 1st never happened, Roland Ratzenberger would probably be that guy in the history books who is only remembered to say he was the last driver killed during a GP, just like Paletti was 20 years ago; ie., not very frequently, and certainly not in the anniversary of his death.

In a way, preserving Roland's memory as a racing driver is also part of Senna's legacy.

[Londoner]

Perhaps the way we would like to remember Roland - a fantastic defensive display at Brands Hatch in 1988. I didn't know until now that he'd entered the BTCC in 1988, and even though he did 5 less races than most others, he still finished 4th in his class.

RIP Roland. As I said on Twitter, at least he got to achieve his dream of driving in F1.

[CoopsII]

Im not so sure Ferrim. By the 90s coverage of F1 was broader than in the 60s and 70s and I remember clearly Ratzenbergers death being a big feature of the evening news that Saturday night, it wouldnt be easily forgotten about. Obviously, due to Senna being Senna the memory of Ratzenberger has been eclipsed somewhat but had Senna finished the race safely I do think the events of Saturday would be marked today at least. No, there wouldnt be big events, there's races at Imola in memory tomorow I believe, but those things are celebrating the weight of Senna's legacy. Part of the Senna thing was the weight his success and his appeal had and, had he lived, people would still be dragging him into everyday F1 conversations like 'is Alonso better' for example. The reverence for him since he died is, I think, another extension of that.

I dont think Ratzenberger would be the forgotten man, spring 1994 was still a dangerous time to be an F1 driver, and we'd look back and recall the man who paid the biggest price.

[GerhardTalger]

I might have already made this point in these forums, but I believe it's precisely Senna's death what makes Ratzenberger to be remembered, and not the other way around like we use to say.

I mean, does anyone see people remembering Ricardo Paletti on June 13th? Or Elio de Angelis, who even won races, on May 15th? No, you see tributes for Villeneuve, or maybe for Clark, but not for many others. The fact that Ratzenberger died the day before Senna, at almost exactly the same place, in the same competition and doing the same thing is what leads us to think: "oh, it's unfair to treat these two human beings differently. If we are remembering Senna all the time, we should also pay our respects to the fellow who also perished that weekend", a line of thought that never arises with other drivers. It's natural that Senna is vastly more remembered, but somehow we feel it isn't right in this particular case, because their deaths were so similar and so close.

This is particularly seen in motorsport circles, but I would say that "the guy who was killed the day before Senna" is also more well known among the general public than other drivers with similar achievements. Had May 1st never happened, Roland Ratzenberger would probably be that guy in the history books who is only remembered to say he was the last driver killed during a GP, just like Paletti was 20 years ago; ie., not very frequently, and certainly not in the anniversary of his death.

In a way, preserving Roland's memory as a racing driver is also part of Senna's legacy.

Well, I think I beg to differ on this point. Roland was nothing more than just another driver in a low-tier team at first. But his death was the first fatal accident in F1 for eight years. It made such an big impact on everyone. Suddenly everyone was aware what the real dangers were again (Sid Watkins about Senna and fishing, for instance)

And although Senna's death made it more memorable, it was a period in which F1 (or the governing body at least) sought to adjust safety standards. Instead, there were already huge accidents for Jyrki Jarvilehto, Jean Alesi and Rubens Barrichello. But still, everyone was shocked to see such a driver crashing fatally. Senna made it a pure legacy, and makes us remember the date (as opposed to, indeed, even Elio, of which I'm a huge fan) as being 'the date before Senna died'. But I think Ratzenberger would have been rememberend, not only for the statistics but also on the impact for F1 since that weekend anyways.

And still, I think more people know Ricardo Paletti died in an F1 accident, opposed to, let's say Onofre Marimon... Ricardo didn't even finish a race while Onofre took a podium..

RIP Roland

[CoopsII]

Instead, there were already huge accidents for Jyrki Jarvilehto,

Just call him JJ Lehto, there's no need to be clever.

[GerhardTalger]

Instead, there were already huge accidents for Jyrki Jarvilehto,

Just call him JJ Lehto, there's no need to be clever.

I don't like calling him JJ Lehto, it feels so... American.

It's the same with 'Mimmo', 'Max', 'Alex'. Just doesn't give a good feel to it. Makes it incomplete.

[CoopsII]

Instead, there were already huge accidents for Jyrki Jarvilehto,

Just call him JJ Lehto, there's no need to be clever.

I don't like calling him JJ Lehto, it feels so... American.

It's the same with 'Mimmo', 'Max', 'Alex'. Just doesn't give a good feel to it. Makes it incomplete.

Its up to you but proper-naming people looks a bit pretentious to me and suggests we should be using the likes of Karl Rindt, Keijo Rosberg or Andreas Lauda or something.

[Ferrim]

Im not so sure Ferrim. By the 90s coverage of F1 was broader than in the 60s and 70s and I remember clearly Ratzenbergers death being a big feature of the evening news that Saturday night, it wouldnt be easily forgotten about.

Yeah, that's a point I thought about as well. But I still think he would be less remembered than he is today.

[shinji]

Two nice pieces by David Brabham about the weekend and his experience.

Clip from Sky F1's 'The Last Teammate'

Blogpost

[TomWazzleshaw]

Continuing on Londoner's theme, here's more of Ratzenberger at work in the BTCC

[dr-baker]

There is an Autosport+ article today, remembering Roland Ratzenberger, and I believe Sky Sports F1 are showing a programme about him tonight at 8 pm BST.

Rest in peace, Roland.

[SeedStriker]

I believe Roland Ratzenberger is most remembered as a common man that was living his dream to the fullest. We were robbed of the chance to see if he was F1 winning material or (in our particular case) reject, but at the end, we saw the smile on his face wearing his Simtek racing suit and thought "there's a happy man", and that's enough to remember a driver who pay the ultimate price for what he loved.

We still miss you, Roland.

[CoopsII]

I believe Roland Ratzenberger is most remembered as a common man that was living his dream to the fullest. We were robbed of the chance to see if he was F1 winning material or (in our particular case) reject, but at the end, we saw the smile on his face wearing his Simtek racing suit and thought "there's a happy man", and that's enough to remember a driver who pay the ultimate price for what he loved.

We still miss you, Roland.

I think that sums it up pretty well. Perhaps 'enjoyed' isnt the right word for how Ive felt about today but its felt good to remember him. I have mixed feelings about tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day when every frigger joins in and tries to outdo the other in the grieving-F1-fan-stakes and people who are genuinely sorry about Senna get lost in the noise. Ho hum. Such is modern life.

Sleep well Roland, the race is done for now.

[roblo97]

I think Martin Brundle summed Roland up really well in his book, Working the Wheel

I was sitting in a restaurant in the Transamerica Hotel in Sao Paulo when this bright-eyed, smiling face appeared in front of me. "Hi! I'm Roland," he said. "Nice to meet you." This was the first race of the year and here was a driver, new to F1, introducing himself to other drivers. That sort of thing is unheard of and it was such a refreshing change. Even from such a brief acquaintance, it was easy to see that Roland was a genuinely nice guy.

Rest in peace Roland, we still miss you.

[AdrianSutil]

Yeah, Roland seemed to come across as a genuinely nice guy who was just delighted to be in F1, never mind he was struggling to qualify. Again, to echo statements above, he seems to only be remembered as 'the guy who died a day before Senna'. But we all remember him in our own unique f1rejects way. RIP Roland.

[Nessafox]

Couldn't it just be that many people remember Roland Ratzenberger easier than the Paletti's of this world because, he's got an increadibly cool sounding name?

[shinji]

Couldn't it just be that many people remember Roland Ratzenberger easier than the Paletti's of this world because, he's got an increadibly cool sounding name?

Down to the proximity to Senna's, and that it came in the 'modern' hyper-commercialised, Bernified era of F1. His car was sponsored by MTV like. Necessarily brings about increased attention and awareness.

Edit: Just saw this class video of the Formula Ford Festival won by Roland in '86 linked by WTF1. Note the 'unknown' Jyrki Jarvilehto!

[pasta_maldonado]

I think that all Formula One deaths should be remembered in the way Senna's is, as they are all tragic events that did not deserve to happen.

R.I.P. Roland.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I have often thought that if Roland hadn't have died, it would be him and not HWNSNBM who was the resident demigod here due to his awesome name.

Anyway it does sadden me how he is remembered by some as the other guy who died, and not as the person he was

[CoopsII]

Like Brabham, I believe there should at least be a plaque of some description for Ratzenberger, its a crime there's nothing.

However, this from James Allen who's attending Imola today.

Ratzenberger is not forgotten either. There was a mass for both drivers on Wednesday and Ratzenberger's parents took part in it.

Im pleased, if thats the right word, that his parents have attended. I hope its some comfort for them at this time of year to know their son isnt forgotten.

[dr-baker]

I hope that these magazine articles from May 1994 may be of interest to a few people:



Roland Ratzenberger remembered by Autosport, 5th May 1994



Roland Ratzenberger as remebered by F1 News magazine, 11th May 1994



Driver-by-driver race reviews for the Simtek team in Autosport and then in F1 News




Senna remembered by Autosport, 5th May 1994



Senna remembered by F1 News 11th May 1994






A couple of news articles on the incidents in the 5th May 1994 issue of Autosport




F1 News was a fornightly magazine (one issue between each Grand Prix), hence the later date of 11th May of the articles.

Couldn't it just be that many people remember Roland Ratzenberger easier than the Paletti's of this world because, he's got an increadibly cool sounding name?

Back in the 1980s on breakfast TV in Britain, there was a puppet with his own show called Roland Rat. I once heard/read that Roland Rat interviewed Roland Ratzenberger. I have tried searching for photos and/or footage of this but to no avail. Does anybody know anything about this, or did I just imagine it?

[Barbazza]

Back in the 1980s on breakfast TV in Britain, there was a puppet with his own show called Roland Rat. I once heard/read that Roland Rat interviewed Roland Ratzenberger. I have tried searching for photos and/or footage of this but to no avail. Does anybody know anything about this, or did I just imagine it?

That absolutely happened as I remember watching it!
Roland Rat 'drove' a souped up pink Ford Anglia called the Ratmobile and he raced in that against Roland in his Formula Ford (I think) - I'm not sure where this was, I suspect possibly Brands but I can't remember.
I think that this may have been part of the 'Rat On The Road' series that aired in the Summer holidays but I can't find any pics on the internet either I'm afraid.

[dr-baker]

Back in the 1980s on breakfast TV in Britain, there was a puppet with his own show called Roland Rat. I once heard/read that Roland Rat interviewed Roland Ratzenberger. I have tried searching for photos and/or footage of this but to no avail. Does anybody know anything about this, or did I just imagine it?

That absolutely happened as I remember watching it!
Roland Rat 'drove' a souped up pink Ford Anglia called the Ratmobile and he raced in that against Roland in his Formula Ford (I think) - I'm not sure where this was, I suspect possibly Brands but I can't remember.
I think that this may have been part of the 'Rat On The Road' series that aired in the Summer holidays but I can't find any pics on the internet either I'm afraid.

Is there any video footage by any chance? I am glad that that happened and would love to see anything of it...

[Barbazza]

Is there any video footage by any chance? I am glad that that happened and would love to see anything of it...

I certainly don't have any. There is some Roland Rat footage on Youtube (god help me for going to look!) but nothing of that race I'm afraid. Whether it exists in TVam's archive (if such a thing even exists) I wouldn't know!
The problem is that it was throwaway kids stuff that was never intended to be released on VHS - very little kids TV was in those days.

[dr-baker]

Is there any video footage by any chance? I am glad that that happened and would love to see anything of it...

I certainly don't have any. There is some Roland Rat footage on Youtube (god help me for going to look!) but nothing of that race I'm afraid. Whether it exists in TVam's archive (if such a thing even exists) I wouldn't know!
The problem is that it was throwaway kids stuff that was never intended to be released on VHS - very little kids TV was in those days.

I remember Timmy Mallet with his foam mallet helping to bring down the Berlin Wall by bashing the wall with his foam mallet in 1989. Again, I cannot find footage. But this hardly seems the place to discuss that.

[Kuwashima]

Is there any video footage by any chance? I am glad that that happened and would love to see anything of it...

I certainly don't have any. There is some Roland Rat footage on Youtube (god help me for going to look!) but nothing of that race I'm afraid. Whether it exists in TVam's archive (if such a thing even exists) I wouldn't know!
The problem is that it was throwaway kids stuff that was never intended to be released on VHS - very little kids TV was in those days.

Having lived in England for a year in 1984, I used to LOVE Roland Rat. He even sent me a message on my birthday. I wish there was some evidence of this meeting!!

[dr-baker]

As the 21st anniversary of the last two deaths at a Grand Prix weekend approaches, how many people know that Roland Ratzenberger was actually the cover star (well, the photo is of him at least!) and had a two-page article in a British magazine BEFORE his death? Here, it confirms that he did indeed feature on TV with Roland Rat (this is probably how I knew about it, as I was only a few years old in 1985...).

From the 22nd March 1994 issue of F1 News.