Every year on the last day of April, the motorsport world commemorates Roland Ratzenberger, the Austrian racing driver whose life was cut short 29 years ago during that fateful weekend in Imola.
In 1994, the 33-year-old Austrian driver signed a five-race contract with Simtek, a newly created Formula 1 team owned and technical director by Nick Wirth, who later became Virgin Racing’s technical director. Once we have already quoted these words of Wirth, but today it is appropriate to quote again his memoirs by Roland Ratzenberger.
Nick Wirth: “I will never forget our first meeting when Roland first arrived at Simtek’s base in Banbury. At that time I lived in a small village near Silverstone. I don’t remember why it happened, but he offered to take me home. It turned out that he arrived at our office in one of the smallest cars available for rent – it was the size of a Fiat 500, maybe it was a Ford Fiesta with a 1 liter engine.
Anyone who lives in those parts knows the road from Banbury to Silverstone well. And we sped down this road at insane speed, maybe breaking the rules a little. And there, at the end of a long straight, there is a terrible right turn – whoever drove there understands what I’m talking about. Now there is a police camera to check the speed limit.
And as we approached the place at full speed, I warned him, “Roland, be careful, this is a very tricky corner.” And he just looked at me with his special look, which I even got used to later. And we conquered this corner without slowing down and flying into the oncoming lane, on this little Ford. Anyone who tried to do the same would certainly not be able to stay on the road and end up in a ditch with an overturned car. My whole life flashed before my eyes, but by some miracle Roland taxied, using both curb and curb – in my memory it was the most incredible example of masterful driving.
And when he came out of this corner, a big smile appeared on his face, but here I was white as snow. But I will remember that incident for the rest of my life. And while it’s clear that the Ford Fiesta is far from being a Formula 1 car, at the time I thought, this man knows a thing or two about the art of driving!
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
