Roland Ratzenberger Remembered

Death in the sporting arena, however it comes, is tragic.  But when it arrives on the same weekend and in the very same place to one of the greatest of all time, the legacy can easily become lost or obscured:  Thirty two years after the horrors at Imola, Darren Banks’ new book brilliantly captures the life, heart and soul of a racing driver who deserves to be known.

Unlike Ayrton Senna’s rise to global stardom, Roland Ratzenberger’s journey to Formula 1 was long, late, and arduous. Though never short of pace and versatility, funding was sparse, requiring him to shift from one opportunity to the next as he raced determinedly from single-seaters to touring cars, GT machinery, sports cars and back to single-seaters. Along the way, he won the hearts and trust of many he raced with, for and against. This book doesn’t recall much in terms of lap times, grid positions or last corner lunges; rather, it tells the stories that paint the picture of a man who not only loved his sport, but genuinely loved life.

Much of what we already know about the young Austrian is echoed by those who spent just days, weeks or months with him. The transient nature of his career meant he was seldom in the same team, championship, or even country for very long, yet as he chased his dream – a race seat in Formula 1, those he met along the way never forgot the impact of his smile, passion and gritted determination.

Robert Lechner remembers Roland as the teenager who dropped out of the HTL (Higher Technical Institute) to work for his father (Walter Lechner Sr.) as a mechanic, then race instructor (even though he actually raced); even as a babysitter… anything to earn some time in a car. Graham Fuller, Chris Weller, Andy Barber, and Val Adaway all share their involvement in helping him to win the 1986 Formula Ford Festival, despite his team pulling the plug on its involvement just days prior to the Festival weekend.

Dick Bennetts, Marc Julyan, John Travis, Paul Haigh and Robert Synge give typically focused insights into his progression to Formula 3. Mika Salo, Mauro Martini and Thomas Danielsson smile and laugh through their memories of racing hard in Japan, then partying even harder afterwards, whilst Heinz-Harald Frentzen recalls the time Roland saved his life; not after an on-track incident but rather, by disarming an angry knife-wielding boyfriend at a nightclub.

Then there are some truly poignant memories from those in the media who knew him well, such as photographer Keith Sutton, Sky TV producer Neil Wooding, journalists Bruce Jones, David Tremayne, Gregor Messer, and Gerhard Kuntschik, and one who didn’t know him at all, filmmaker Peter Levay, who has devoted years of his life to producing an exceptional documentary telling Roland’s story.

There are, of course, many other contributions from stars of Formula 1, Formula 3000, touring cars and sports cars, together with equally important segments from drivers, crew and team bosses who might not be so well known. And fittingly, there are the painful words from people who were with Roland at Simtek: David Brabham (his friend and teammate), Konrad Schmidt (shareholder), Humphrey Corbett (race engineer), and Peter & Jane Gurr (Simtek’s caterers). In total, there are more than 80 contributors to this assembly, and each one adds to the story of a racer who lived and died for his dream.

Winning at Suzuka in Japanese Formula 3000

Roland in Alan Minshaw’s Demon Tweeks BMW M3, making seven starts in the 1988 British Touring Car Championship, securing one class win and two fastest laps.

Roland Rat’ vs Roland Rat. Minister built race-winning engines for Roland, and a ‘race-winning’ engine for the rodent. But if you sit down and talk to Graham Fuller about him, the conversation can stretch for hours. He writes: “I recall one race meeting at Salzburgring, where Roland, his girlfriend Elisabeth, and I were just a little way from the circuit, in his Mum’s VW Passat. When he realised he had only two entry passes, he pulled the car over and said to me, ‘You drive’ and promptly got into the boot! We smiled about it afterwards, but it was typically thoughtful of Roland. It was all these character traits he carried with him when he eventually started racing in the UK the following year. He had to call on his charm, hard work and dedication; he had bucket loads of all three.”

Mika Salo and Roland first knew each other from Formula 3, where Roland coached the Finn. In the early 1990s, they raced and lived together in Japan, the two becoming best friends. Salo remembers Roland’s determination to get the sponsorship he needed for the Simtek drive… “Roland had to bring some money for the drive and told me he knew where he could get some but had to… I’m not sure I should say what he had to do to get the money, but he got money from Barbara…When I saw him in the Simtek jacket, I was laughing like hell, I knew he had done the deed. The things you do. It’s 100% true.”

At the Nurburgring with Dick Bennetts and West Surrey Racing: “The first thing that comes to mind; a great guy and a quick driver … the highlight was his dominant win in the opening round of the EFDA Cup at the Nürburgring in July. It was a two race affair with results decided on aggregate times. It was very wet for both races and Roland won the first one from sixth on the grid by 13 seconds from Eric Cheli, who had qualified on pole. He was runner-up to Victor Rosso in the second but beat Cheli, who came home fourth, by 15 seconds to win by a huge 28 seconds on aggregate. He was fantastic…”

Formula 3: On the front row at Donington, next to JJ Lehto, and wearing Martin Donnelly’s spare helmet (as he’d forgotten his own). Donnelly, never shy with words, remembers this: “Along came Roland with his lovely big smile, lovely personality, and how much of a gentleman he was. But when he put his helmet on he was aggressive, and if you wanted to get past you had to eat some grass.”

Roland Ratzenberger Remembered, by Darren Banks, is published by BHP Publishing, and is available now.

* Photographs and quotes reproduced under Fair Dealing for Criticism and Review.