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Pastimes : Motor Sports Notes -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: X Y Zebra who wrote (438)	5/4/2004 1:17:25 AM
From: X Y Zebra	Respond to of 764

Much attention was paid to this past San Marino Grand Prix to the 10th year anniversary of super star F-1 Brazilian Driver, Ayrton Senna's death who was killed at Tamburello during the 1994 San Marino GP. The day before, a lesser known driver, rising star and F-1 hopeful Ausrian Roland Ratzenberger also lost his life after crashing heavily at over 170 mph at the Villeneuve corner during practice for the same race. (A suspected failure of the front wing, damaged on the lap before as the cause) dd9hk.de roland-ratzenberger.com Roland came to prominence in single seater racing after winning the prestigious 1986 Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England. There are many drivers who try their best and few are as gifted as Ayrton, Jochen, Jimmy, Bruce, Ronnie, and many others... yet they all share the same passion and give their best... including their life, which without hesitation if they had a chance to re-borne, they would do it all over again, even if it meant they would lose their life again... Roland is paid tribute by friend and F-1 photographer Keith Sutton: (*) Worth Mentioning is that Rubens Barrichello also had a fast speed crash at variente Bassa during the same practice day... although his car cartwheeled, he only had minor injuries. -a terrible weekend- f1tip.ch ___________________________________________________________ One Shot: a Tribute to Ratzenberger ----------------------------------------------------------- By Keith Sutton, England Sutton Images Ten years ago, on April 30th 1994, Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a car crash during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix. Often overshadowed by the death of Ayrton Senna the following day, the amicable Austrian is nonetheless never forgotten. Leading motorsport photographer and Atlas F1's image provider Keith Sutton pays a tribute to the Austrian he knew and liked with a collection of photographs, many unseen before, that celebrate his life and motor racing career Following the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida in Japan, 1994, I took the Bullet Train heading for the airport in Tokyo. I met up with Roland Ratzenberger, who was ecstatic at having competed in and finished his second GP with the new Simtek team, especially after technical difficulties with the new car at Brazil had prevented him from racing there. We were on the same flight back to England and at the airport the gentleman at the check-in desk recognised Roland to be an F1 driver, which delighted Roland immensely. Roland proceeded to give the check-in staff a pin-badge depicting his helmet. Roland had had these produced on his arrival to F1 and was handing them out to friends and those who had supported him over the years. This gesture promptly saw Roland upgraded from Business to First Class! On the plane Roland invited me to the First Class area where we ended up chatting for many hours. We charted Roland's career - which had seen him drive single seaters, touring cars and sports cars in Europe and latterly in Japan. He also explained how Barbara Behlau, a Monaco based sports manager, had personally financed his opportunity to compete in Formula One. We arranged on the flight to visit each other's respective new homes in Austria and England - a plan that sadly never had the time to materialise. Whilst Roland would never had compared his talents to those of Ayrton Senna, who we also sadly lost that weekend, I believe his desire and enthusiasm for the sport he loved was the match of anyone in the paddock. He showed that determination and hard work could allow you to fulfil your dreams. I first met Roland in 1986. I had just moved with my company to Towcester in England and Roland happened to be living nearby. One day he called me, as he needed some promotional photographs taken to try and gain some new sponsorship, and we did the shoot at the local playing fields. What was immediately apparent was his zest for life. He had a wonderful sense of humour and was a joy to be with. Roland was someone you couldn't help but be friends with and at that point I had made a friend for life. I remember well we shared a passion for fast cars and would often compare those we owned at the time - his dream machines would blow my hot hatchbacks away! The number plates my vehicles carry now bear an 'R' for Roland. Like so many others who knew him, his friendship has left an indelible impression that I cherish immensely. Many of the images I selected for this collection are previously unseen, and together they capture the varied career of Roland. I was in particular attracted to his time with the Simtek Formula One team; When the team was launched in 1993, we were the team's official photographers, entailing we had unrivalled access to the team and their drivers. We have a unique selection of images from the months Roland was with the Simtek team up to his tragic accident at Imola, and beyond that weekend, how the team dealt bravely with the crushing loss. Ten years on, the pictures of Roland and the Simtek team hold a powerful poignancy. The enthusiasm shown by Roland, and from the sadly ill-fated team through the severest adversity, should be an inspiration to us all.