# Roland Ratzenberger

> He raced one Grand Prix, finished 11th, and died the next weekend at Imola—hours before Senna's crash made the same circuit a name everyone knows. The first Formula One fatality in twelve years, remembered now mostly as the tragedy that came first.

*Austrian racing driver (1960–1994)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/roland-ratzenberger

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Athlete ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2066131))
- **Category:** Athletes
- **Country:** Austria
- **Born:** 1960-07-04
- **Died:** 1994-04-30
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Roland Ratzenberger came out of Salzburg through Walter Lechner's racing school at eighteen, won Formula Ford titles through the mid-eighties, and spent 1987 driving touring cars for Schnitzer—four podiums in ten races in the BMW M3. He cycled through British F3000, then moved to Japan with Toyota, racing sports prototypes and touring cars while entering Le Mans four times between 1990 and 1993, winning the C2 class in his final attempt. Simtek signed him for 1994; he failed to qualify in Brazil, started dead last at the Pacific Grand Prix and brought it home eleventh. A week later, during qualifying at Imola on 30 April, his front wing failed at the Villeneuve Curva and he hit the concrete barrier at 225 km/h. The basilar skull fracture killed him—the first driver to die at a Grand Prix weekend in over a decade, the day before Senna's death turned the same track into a watershed.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 60.6 / 100
- **Momentum:** 25.0 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 23.7 / 100
- **Now attention:** 23.9 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100
- **Country rank:** #127

## Topics
#Athletes, #Athlete, #Motorsport, #Austria, #Europe, #20th Century

## Sources
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78495)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Roland%20Ratzenberger)
- [Ролянд Рацэнбэргер](https://be_x_old.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B4_%D0%A0%D0%B0%D1%86%D1%8D%D0%BD%D0%B1%D1%8D%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%80)
- [Роланд Раценбергер](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4_%D0%A0%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%80)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Ρόλαντ Ράτζενμπεργκερ](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A1%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84_%CE%A1%CE%AC%CF%84%CE%B6%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%BC%CF%80%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%81)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [رولند راتزنبرگر](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AF_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B1)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [רולנד רצנברגר](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%A0%D7%93_%D7%A8%D7%A6%D7%A0%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%A8)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [ローランド・ラッツェンバーガー](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%83%84%E3%82%A7%E3%83%B3%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Rolands Racenbergers](https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolands_Racenbergers)
- [Roland Ratzenberger](https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [Wikiquote](https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roland_Ratzenberger)
- [رولاند راتزنبرجر](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%B1)
- [رولاند راتزنبرجر](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%B1)

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