When Roland Ratzenberger crashed brutally during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Formula One was forced to face mortality for the first time in eight years, but the death the following day of Ayrton Senna cast a shadow over Ratzenberger’s tragedy. Twenty years on, Ratzenberger’s memory breathes, as does his legacy. Leigh O’Gorman spoke to the drivers who raced against and knew him, as they remember Roland Ratzenberger – Formula One’s forgotten man.
Tag: touring cars
“GP2 Series: Qinghua signs on for Caterham; Calado and Dillmann set test pace”
Ma Qinghua will become the first Chinese born driver to compete in the GP2 Series this season, when he takes part in the opening round in Malaysia with Caterham.
“Giancarlo Baghetti: The Grand Débutante”
------ This post was originally published on Too Much Racing in August of last year, as part of the VivaF1 blogger swap shop. The Grand Débutante reappears here today, as it marks the 50th anniversary of Giancarlo Baghetti's great achievement. ------ In terms of startling Grand Prix débuts, few will ever rank as highly as … Continue reading “Giancarlo Baghetti: The Grand Débutante”
Driver Replacement Therapy: Ricardo Zuniño
When Niki Lauda walked out on his Brabham team following practice for the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, the British team found themselves in a dire situation. Step forward Ricardo Zuniño.
Flying the Flag: Masahiro Hasemi
When the Formula 1 teams showed up for the final race of the 1976 season and the conclusion of a titanic battle between Ferrari’s Niki Lauda and McLaren’s James Hunt, few noticed several Japanese drivers on the entry list for the main event; one of which happened to be Tokyo native Masahiro Hasemi.
Tom Walkinshaw (R.I.P., 1946-2010)
Former Formula 1 and Sportscar boss, Tom Walkinshaw has passed away at the age of 64. The Scot had been suffering from cancer for some time, before eventually succumbing to the disease
Guest Post: Pruning the Feeder Series
A theme often touched upon both by Leigh and myself in discussions around the internet is that of the junior and development series.
“This Charming Man: Carlos Pace”
Something that is often lost in the grey, highly corporate world of modern motor racing is charm – that ability to please and appeal to all people with neither effort or force. It was inevitable that as Bernie Ecclestone helped reshape Formula 1 into the mammoth global entity that it is today, much of the … Continue reading “This Charming Man: Carlos Pace”
AVUS – The Fastest Circuit on the Planet
The Automobil-Verkehrs und Übungs-Straße circuit - otherwise known as AVUS - probably stands as one of the most striking and unusual tracks in the history of Grand Prix motor racing. With its two 6-mile long adjacent straights hooked together by hairpins at either end, the pin-shaped AVUS was easily the fastest closed circuit in the world.