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Roland Ratzenberger was just starting in Formula One racing when his life was tragically cut short. The child who was to become a popular motor racing driver was born in Salzburg, Austria on July 4 1960. During his racing career he claimed to have been born in 1962 to appear younger and so lengthen his time for competing in the sport.

His first experience of motor racing was in the German Formula Ford series in 1983. His skills in this class of racing were rewarded in1985 when he won both the Austrian and Central European Formula Ford Championships. 1985 also saw him take second place at the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival in the United Kingdom. The following year he returned to Brands Hatch to win the festival.

In 1987 he joined West Surrey racing to compete in the Formula Three championship series, in the United Kingdom, finishing eleventh in the series. He also raced in the World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) driving a BMW M3 for the Schnitzer team and he managed two second places in that series.

Roland was a popular driver with the British public. On breakfast television at the time there was a glove puppet character called Roland Rat and he was inevitably paired with the puppet in their minds. He was very good natured about this comparison even making a television appearance with the puppet.

1988 saw Roland in British Formula Three racing again this time driving for the Madgwick Motorsport team. He again finished eleventh overall for the series. The WTCC was not run that year and the series was not run again until 2005.

Moving to drive in the Formula 3000 series in 1989 he achieved one first place and finished second in the championship. It was in 1989 he first drove in Category C Sportscars when he entered the Le Mans 24 hour race. He drove a Porsche 962 for the Brun Motorsport team. Unfortunately he did not finish the race and retired in the third hour.

He wanted to go into F1 racing but was unable to secure a drive. In 1990 he left European racing to go to Japan where he drove in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship with the SARD team. For two years he combined this championship with the Japanese Touring Car Championship. He won a race in both years with the Japanese Sports Prototypes. He also finished seventh overall in both years in the Touring Cars.

Ratzenberger also continue to drive in endurance events entering the Le Mans 24 hour every year from 1990 to 1993. His best result was a third place in1993 driving a Toyota 93 C-V for SARD. He also

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