Roland Ratzenberger
Discussion
I remember watching the practice session and seeing the simtek crash, bounce off and spin lazily down the track. Never seen a really bad accident live before, but it was obvious it was very serious indeed. god, what a weekend. There are youtube videos of Senna in the garages, to me there seems to be a look in his eye - he doesn't seem at ease.
Also, Saturday marks the 29th year since the passing of Henri Toivonen. Never got a chance to really show his talents, but undoubtedly a hugely skilled driver.
Also, Saturday marks the 29th year since the passing of Henri Toivonen. Never got a chance to really show his talents, but undoubtedly a hugely skilled driver.
Sid Watkins did all that he could to talk Ayrton out of racing in the GP on Sunday.
He failed, Ayrton took the start & didn't return.
The sad thing is that we never know how Roland would have developed over the next few years.
He seemed to have the potential to turn into a decent racer & yet he never had the opportunity to progress.
Another lost talent I think.
He failed, Ayrton took the start & didn't return.
The sad thing is that we never know how Roland would have developed over the next few years.
He seemed to have the potential to turn into a decent racer & yet he never had the opportunity to progress.
Another lost talent I think.
Very sad weekend. Rubens' shunt looked so deadly by the hard stop he had, and it was good to see him smiling through a fat lip shortly afterwards.
Roland was a lovely guy but for me, seeing that footage and watching his head roll in that way as the car stopped was chilling. It was obviously very serious and a shame that the outcome was he was taken before really having a chance to prove his capabilities in a reasonable car. He was a very capable peddler.
Of course the main name that keeps that weekend in everyone's memories, and not just those that were lucky enough to be more aware of Roland was very disturbed by events. Sadly as we all know, his event was the next day.
I could not bring myself to watch the GP live after seeing Roland's accident. I was a hundred miles from home at the seaside flying kites with my kids on the day of the GP. My phone rang and I was told that Ayrton was clinically dead. After a lot of "you are joking, eff off, no way" type conversation, I rounded off what we were doing with the kids and drove home to find out more for myself.
Total disbelief at the events of a few days and for me, the impact of these events were the most disturbing since seeing Gilles flung from the wreckage of his Ferrari. There was also a lot of impact in the sport immediately after, with tyre wall chicanes in the middle of fast straights and all other sorts of nonsense to slow the cars corner entry speed down, so it obviously effected the governing body / drivers' committee too.
Gone but clearly not forgotten - both of them irrespective of their different exposure and achievements in the sport.
Roland was a lovely guy but for me, seeing that footage and watching his head roll in that way as the car stopped was chilling. It was obviously very serious and a shame that the outcome was he was taken before really having a chance to prove his capabilities in a reasonable car. He was a very capable peddler.
Of course the main name that keeps that weekend in everyone's memories, and not just those that were lucky enough to be more aware of Roland was very disturbed by events. Sadly as we all know, his event was the next day.
I could not bring myself to watch the GP live after seeing Roland's accident. I was a hundred miles from home at the seaside flying kites with my kids on the day of the GP. My phone rang and I was told that Ayrton was clinically dead. After a lot of "you are joking, eff off, no way" type conversation, I rounded off what we were doing with the kids and drove home to find out more for myself.
Total disbelief at the events of a few days and for me, the impact of these events were the most disturbing since seeing Gilles flung from the wreckage of his Ferrari. There was also a lot of impact in the sport immediately after, with tyre wall chicanes in the middle of fast straights and all other sorts of nonsense to slow the cars corner entry speed down, so it obviously effected the governing body / drivers' committee too.
Gone but clearly not forgotten - both of them irrespective of their different exposure and achievements in the sport.
kiseca said:
Terrible travesty that nothing was done to make Tamburello safer after Piquet and Berger's crashes. I remember watching Berger's and couldn't believe he was still alive.
Still, that's hindsight for you.
What could they do - apart from ruin the bend - which they did.Still, that's hindsight for you.
And eventually take the GP away - which they did.
Eric Mc said:
kiseca said:
Terrible travesty that nothing was done to make Tamburello safer after Piquet and Berger's crashes. I remember watching Berger's and couldn't believe he was still alive.
Still, that's hindsight for you.
What could they do - apart from ruin the bend - which they did.Still, that's hindsight for you.
And eventually take the GP away - which they did.
kiseca said:
Terrible travesty that nothing was done to make Tamburello safer after Piquet and Berger's crashes. I remember watching Berger's and couldn't believe he was still alive.
Still, that's hindsight for you.
The 'problem' was that both drivers more or less sustained minor injuries form 180mph crashes. Everyone rejoiced in how clever the cars were and the belief was that drivers deaths was a thing of the past. That was the hype.Still, that's hindsight for you.
There were a few dissenting voices and there were various reports doing the rounds at the time of Ratzenberger and Senna's crashes pointing out what needed to be done to the cars and circuits.
So it wasn't hindsight in reality. It was predicted, to an extent, although serious injury was even then the thing they were worried about.
It's true. I never saw Piquet's crash, only Berger's, and how he got away with that, at the time, was unbelievable. I remember Berger being quoted as saying after the crash something like "People who know me see me in the paddock, do a double take, then walk on. They couldn't believe I was walking around so soon after the crash. Neither can I."
But the Berger crash showed that the IMPACT was survivable. In fact the impact didn't even cause any injury. The fact that Berger's car burst into flames was seen as a flaw with the car - not the corner.
The corner could not be changed much because there was no land available beyond the wall. There is a drop to a small river.
The corner could not be changed much because there was no land available beyond the wall. There is a drop to a small river.
Inertiatic said:
Why was it worse when Senna died?
Hear this a lot...never understand it. Ratzenburgers life was worth no less or more than Senna's.
Hear this a lot...never understand it. Ratzenburgers life was worth no less or more than Senna's.
Eric Mc said:
I don't get it either.
Hagiography in the extreme.
It's nothing to do with the "worth" of the respective lives IMO.Hagiography in the extreme.
Senna was a significantly more established driver and a 3x world champion. His death overshadowing that of Roland's is easy to understand IMO, and takes nothing away from the tragedy of both lives lost.
Practice that weekend was horrendous - seeing Roland's accident you knew how bad it was immediately. Horrible.
I didn't watch the race itself. I remember exactly where I was when I heard about Senna's death on the radio. I'm not a particularly emotional type, and only later in his career did I start to warm to Ayrton. But the news choked me up.
Inertiatic said:
fatboy69 said:
It was on this sad day back in 1994 that Roland was lost.
Tomorrow, of course, marks the even darker day that Ayrton was gone.
Why was it worse when Senna died?Tomorrow, of course, marks the even darker day that Ayrton was gone.
Hear this a lot...never understand it. Ratzenburgers life was worth no less or more than Senna's.
SimNugget said:
Was there ever a clear report as to the cause of the Ratzenberger crash.
As people have said, where on earth have 21 years gone?
Ratzenberger had a little off on the previous lap, the downforce took the wing off, he had no chance of controlling it. If it was one of todays cars he'd be a bit bashed around but would probably be fine thanks to HANS and far more protection from the cockpit sides - of course his accident was one of the reasons that cockpit sides were built up. Amazingly HANS devices weren't legislated until 2003, some time after other series had started using them.As people have said, where on earth have 21 years gone?
Not a report as such, but the theory here sounds entirely plausible.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/may/01/...
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/may/01/...
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