Racing driver. Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger was successful in European Formula 3, touring car and Japanese Formula 3000 races. In 1994 he joined the Simtek F1 team and in practise for the San Marino GP at Imola, his car suffered a front wing failure at the Villeneuve Corner and struck a wall at 300kph with fatal consequences. The following day, his good friend Ayrton Senna was also killed.∼Roland Ratzenberger (July 4, 1960 – April 30, 1994) was an Austrian Formula One driver who died tragically during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the very race which also took the life of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna. Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger often claimed 1962 (rather than 1960) as his birth year, wanting to appear younger to extend his racing career.A racing car driver, Ratzenberger first came to prominence in 1986, winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. This led to campaigns in the European Formula 3 and touring car championships, after which he forged a successful career in the Japanese Formula 3000 series.He was plucked from Japan as a surprise choice by Nick Wirth's new Simtek team to drive in the 1994 Formula One season. After failing to qualify for the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, Ratzenberger made his only F1 Grand Prix start two weeks later at the 1994 Pacific Grand Prix at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan.He was killed in qualifying for the third race of the season at the ill-fated Imola circuit, ploughing into a wall at the Villeneuve corner at over 300 km/h after a front wing failure, apparently caused by an off-track excursion on the previous lap. A time he had achieved earlier in the session would have been sufficient to give him a place on the grid.Ratzenberger was the first driver to perish at a Grand Prix in the twelve years after the 1982 deaths of Riccardo Paletti and Gilles Villeneuve, only a single day before Senna's fatal accident.Formula One Grands Prix * 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix * 1994 Pacific Grand Prix * 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Racing driver. Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger was successful in European Formula 3, touring car and Japanese Formula 3000 races. In 1994 he joined the Simtek F1 team and in practise for the San Marino GP at Imola, his car suffered a front wing failure at the Villeneuve Corner and struck a wall at 300kph with fatal consequences. The following day, his good friend Ayrton Senna was also killed.∼Roland Ratzenberger (July 4, 1960 – April 30, 1994) was an Austrian Formula One driver who died tragically during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the very race which also took the life of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna. Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger often claimed 1962 (rather than 1960) as his birth year, wanting to appear younger to extend his racing career.A racing car driver, Ratzenberger first came to prominence in 1986, winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. This led to campaigns in the European Formula 3 and touring car championships, after which he forged a successful career in the Japanese Formula 3000 series.He was plucked from Japan as a surprise choice by Nick Wirth's new Simtek team to drive in the 1994 Formula One season. After failing to qualify for the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, Ratzenberger made his only F1 Grand Prix start two weeks later at the 1994 Pacific Grand Prix at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan.He was killed in qualifying for the third race of the season at the ill-fated Imola circuit, ploughing into a wall at the Villeneuve corner at over 300 km/h after a front wing failure, apparently caused by an off-track excursion on the previous lap. A time he had achieved earlier in the session would have been sufficient to give him a place on the grid.Ratzenberger was the first driver to perish at a Grand Prix in the twelve years after the 1982 deaths of Riccardo Paletti and Gilles Villeneuve, only a single day before Senna's fatal accident.Formula One Grands Prix * 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix * 1994 Pacific Grand Prix * 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Gravesite Details
Burial date 5-30-1994
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