Gone but not forgotten: Roland Ratzenberger

Roland Ratzenberger drives the Simtek S941 at during the 1994 Pacific GP at the Aida circuit in Japan

Apr. 30 (PVM) Roland Ratzenberger was an Austrian racing driver who died during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola circuit on Saturday 30 April 1994.

Roland Ratzenberger

In 1994 Ratzenberger finally achieved his ambition of becoming a Formula One driver, signing a five-race deal with the new Simtek team run by Nick Wirth.

His campaign got off to a poor start at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos where he failed to qualify. But he got onto the grid for the next round at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan, as his experience of the track from his touring car days meant he was the only driver in the race who had driven at the venue before. He finished eleventh.

Ratzenberger, at the age of 33, was killed during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit on Saturday 30 April 1994. He went off-track on the previous lap, damaging his front wing, but rather than come into the pits he continued since he was competing for the final grid spot.

Subsequently, the high speed on the backstraight, and therefore high wind pressure, finally broke the wing off, sending it under Ratzenberger’s car. His car failed to turn into the Villeneuve Corner and struck the outside wall at 195.68 mph (314.9 km/h).

Villeneuve Curva was the location of Ratzenberger’s fatal crash and the cause of death was a basal skull fracture.