Roland Ratzenberger facts for kids
Ratzenberger in 1994
|
|||||||||||
| Born | 4 July 1960 Salzburg, Austria |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died | 30 April 1994 (aged 33) Bologna, Italy |
||||||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  Austrian |
||||||||||
| Active years | 1994 | ||||||||||
| Teams | Simtek | ||||||||||
| Entries | 3 (1 start) | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 0 | ||||||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||||||
| First entry | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last entry | 1994 San Marino Grand Prix | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Roland Ratzenberger (German: [ˈroːlant ˈratsn̩bɛrɡɐ]; 4 July 1960 – 30 April 1994) was an Austrian race car driver. He competed in many types of motorsport. These included British Formula 3000, Japanese Formula 3000, and Formula One.
Even though he had some success in smaller racing series, Ratzenberger got a spot in Formula One in 1994. He joined the new Simtek team when he was 33 years old, which was a bit older than most new drivers. Sadly, he died in a crash during a practice session for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. This happened only three races into his Formula One career. That same weekend, Ayrton Senna, a three-time world champion, also died during the race the next day.
Because of Ratzenberger's death, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association was started again. The events of that weekend led to much stronger focus on safety in racing.
Contents
Early Life
Roland Ratzenberger was born in Salzburg, Austria, on July 4, 1960. When he was seven, his grandmother took him to a local hillclimb race. In 1969, the Salzburgring race track opened near his home.
As a teenager, he found out that racer Walter Lechner had a racing school nearby. While studying at a technical school, Roland started spending time at Lechner's workshop. After finishing school at 18, he joined Lechner's racing school at the Salzburgring.
Racing Career
Ratzenberger started racing in German Formula Ford in 1983. In 1985, he won both the Austrian and Central European Formula Ford championships. He also came in second at the Formula Ford Festival in England. In 1986, he won that event.
The next year, he moved up to British Formula 3. While in the UK, he became a bit famous because his name sounded like a TV puppet named Roland Rat. He even appeared on a TV show with the puppet.
After two years in British F3, he raced in other types of cars. He finished second in a World Touring Car Championship race in 1987. In 1989, he raced in British Formula 3000 and finished third overall. He also raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time that year. He would race at Le Mans four more times.
In the 1990s, Ratzenberger raced mostly in Japan. He won races in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship. He also returned to touring car racing in the Japanese Touring Car Championship.
This led him back to Japanese Formula 3000 in 1992. His year started slowly, but after his team got a new car, Ratzenberger won a race. He stayed in the series in 1993. That year, he had his best finish at Le Mans, coming in fifth place.
Formula One Dream
Roland Ratzenberger really wanted to race in Formula One. Other drivers he had competed against, like Eddie Irvine, had already made it to the top level. He almost got a spot with the Jordan team in 1991. But he lost the financial support from a sponsor.
In 1994, his dream came true. A wealthy German woman sponsored him, and he signed a five-race deal with the new Simtek team. His teammate was David Brabham.
His car was not very fast. He failed to qualify for the first race in Brazil. However, the next race in Japan went much better. He not only qualified but finished in a good eleventh place. He was the only driver who had raced at that track before.
His Death
The Crash
The San Marino Grand Prix at Imola was supposed to be Ratzenberger's third Formula One race. During the first practice session on Friday, April 29, his teammate David Brabham tested his car. Brabham confirmed that the brakes, which had been a problem, were now fixed.
That session had a big accident when driver Rubens Barrichello crashed. He was taken to a hospital and could not race for the rest of the weekend.
The next day, the second practice session began. Early in the session, Ratzenberger went off the track briefly. His sponsor was there for the first time, and he was halfway through his contract. He decided to keep driving after checking the car as best he could.
He didn't know that the small incident had damaged his front wing. After a spin on the previous lap, as he tried to turn into a fast corner, the wing broke. It got stuck under his car, and he crashed into a wall at about 315 kilometers per hour (196 mph).
Ratzenberger was taken by ambulance to the track's medical center. Then, he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Bologna. He was pronounced dead when he arrived. He had suffered several serious injuries, including a head injury. Roland Ratzenberger was the first racing driver to die during a Grand Prix weekend since 1982.
.svg)
The head of Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone, personally told the Simtek team about Ratzenberger's death.
Ayrton Senna rushed to the medical center. He learned about Ratzenberger's death from his friend, a brain surgeon named Sid Watkins. Senna was very upset. He decided not to race for the rest of that day's practice.
Ratzenberger's spot on the starting grid for the race was left empty. Another driver, Paul Belmondo, was offered the spot but said no. He did this out of respect for Ratzenberger.
Race and Aftermath
The next day, during the race, Ayrton Senna's car crashed. He also suffered fatal injuries. When officials looked at Senna's car, they found an Austrian flag. Senna had planned to wave it after the race to honor Ratzenberger.
The race was won by Michael Schumacher. Out of respect for both Ratzenberger and Senna, no champagne was sprayed on the podium.
Senna's death, as a three-time world champion, received more attention than Ratzenberger's. All active Formula One drivers went to Senna's funeral. However, only five drivers attended Ratzenberger's funeral. These included David Brabham, Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and Roland's fellow Austrians Karl Wendlinger and Gerhard Berger.
Roland Ratzenberger was buried in Salzburg, Austria. He was supposed to drive for Toyota at the Le Mans 24 Hours later that year. As a tribute, his name was left on the car. His friend Eddie Irvine took his place as a driver.
Legacy
After the crashes at Imola in 1994, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association was reformed. Its goal was to push for better safety in racing. For the 2003 season, the FIA made a device called the HANS device mandatory. This device helps prevent the type of head and neck injury that Ratzenberger suffered.
Images for kids
-
Toyota 90C-V.jpg
Toyota 90C-V, a car similar to what Ratzenberger drove at Le Mans.
See also
In Spanish: Roland Ratzenberger para niños
