AYRTON SENNA WEEK: My personal tribute to the great man

This isn't the best picture but it was the best that I managed to take with my phone.

It's very fresh so it will look a bit better later. 

This tattoo was made by Teemu Keränen at Tattoo Helsinki. Check the link below: 

https://www.facebook.com/teemutattoo?fref=ts

I may now walk with pride with Senna always with me.

A racer through and through - Ratzenberger remembered

Roland Ratzenberger embodied the spirit and drive that often define sporting greats. While not blessed with the same natural gifts as Ayrton Senna, the man he will forever be linked with following that tragic weekend at Imola, he made a virtue of his unyielding commitment and enthusiasm to ascend into the highest echelons of his field. He was that rarest of characters: charismatic, yet humble; shy, yet vivacious; able to climb the ladder without breeding enmity. His was a life dedicated, and ultimately surrendered, to a singular passion - motor racing.

Ratzenberger was born in Salzburg, Austria, on 4 July 1960. A relative latecomer to motorsport, he only began establishing his name 23 years later in various Formula Ford championships. He achieved notable success, and by 1985 had won the Austrian, German and European titles. A year later, he added the prestigious Formula Ford Festival crown, qualifying on pole and holding off a dogged, race-long assault from Philippe Favre. Two seasons of British Formula Three followed, the first of which was with a West Surrey Racing (WSR) team that had won the title with Mauricio Gugelmin in 1985 and, two years prior, with Senna.

"Roland was a very good guy, and fitted in with everyone," WSR team principal and managing director Dick Bennetts reflects. "Not for the first time, he didn't have enough budget for the full season, but he was so driven that he didn't let that affect him. 

"He was no slouch - anyone who wins the Festival is clearly very good. He had a particularly good feel in adverse conditions, so he was very quick in the wet. The highlight of the year was him winning at the Nurburgring in July, which was part of the 1987 F3 Euroseries. He started sixth, but came through to win the first race and finished runner-up in the second, in which he also set the fastest lap. He was so delighted.

"He didn't have the natural talent of a Senna, a Hakkinen or a Barrichello [WSR took the latter pair to subsequent F3 titles], so he worked that much harder to make things happen. He was a good all-rounder and very adaptable as a driver, but he made it because of that work ethic."

Ratzenberger would prove that versatility throughout his career. He branched into the World Touring Car Championship in 1987, while two years later he combined a race-winning season in British Formula 3000 with two races in the DTM and the first of what would become routine visits to the Le Mans 24 Hours. His best result in the legendary endurance race came in 1993, when he finished fifth - just four laps off the podium - in a SARD Toyota 93 C-V shared with Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka.

Faced with the dilemma of how to further his career, Ratzenberger headed for Japan, where he raced in sportscars, touring cars and F3000. Success would again follow: he swept to victory in the Fuji 1000km in 1990 and won the prestigious Suzuka 1000kmsthe following season - which he supplemented with a podium in the Daytona 24 Hours classic in 1992.

At the end of 1991, he tested IndyCar champion Michael Andretti's Lola at Laguna Seca and lapped within fractions of a second of the American. Formula One racing remained his ambition throughout, however, thoughplans for an F1 debut with Eddie Jordan's emergent, eponymous team went awry due to his sponsor withdrawing.

His chance would finally arrive in 1994 with the fledgling Simtek squad, where he would partner David Brabham. Not for the first time, Ratzenberger did not have the budget sorted for a full season's racing. 

"We spent some time together early on, training together and also going down to Monaco," recalls Brabham "The thing about Roland was he was immediately easy to get on with - he was a great guy. For me he was the model racer: fit, good looking, and someone who lived life to the full.

"He struggled for money - he always had to find it and raise it by himself. He didn't have a silver plate; it was always a personal battle. That was why he'd gone to Japan, because he could make money. He would go wherever he could to drive. He and I had both raced at Le Mans and were now in F1, which was something fairly unique to us really. Reaching F1 had always been his goal though, and he achieved it."

Ratzenberger failed to qualify for 1994's opening race in Brazil. He missed dry practice due to mechanical issues and was then prevented from setting a competitive time as rain washed out final qualifying. He did, however, make the grid for round two in Japan where he would finish 11th, despite a less than compliant car.

"He was struggling and I remember him complaining about his brakes," says Brabham "The team asked me to try them at Imola so I went out, did two laps and came in - they were complete junk. He improved after that and was right with me; suddenly the gap was slashed to a few tenths and he got more and more confident. Everyone was encouraged."

The breakthrough would go unfulfilled. During qualifying Ratzenberger ran wide and off the road at Acque Minerali, apparently damaging the front wing of his car. He opted to stay out, but approaching the flat-out Villeneuve kink on the next lap his wing failed, and he was pitched into the barriers at over 300km/h.

"There are parts of Imola I can't remember, for obvious reasons," Brabham recalls. "Like anything in life, you can't fully understand the experience before you actually go through it. It was devastating, there is no other word. I was numb. 

"The whole team was the same; we had a huge black cloud hanging over all of us. In the end I decided to have a go in the warm-up, and felt okay. When I came in, though, I could sense the cloud had lifted ever so slightly, and that prompted the decision to race. 

"It was a fight to continue, and there were probably parts where I wasn't fully there, but it was all done in respect to Roland. I'll forever remember his smile. He was a very committed driver, and very honest both on track and off, but it's his smile that is my enduring memory. He was a racer through and through; he lived and loved the sport. I've never once regretted racing that day in tribute to him."

Just one day later, Senna's fatal accident would send shockwaves around the world. It later emerged that the Brazilian had been carrying a furled Austrian flag in his cockpit, in planned tribute to Ratzenberger. 

"Saturday was terrible. After Sunday, we were all completely stunned," Bennetts says.

"Even when he was with us, Ayrton had an attitude that he was the best. He had so much talent, but that had certain implications too, and he could be a tough cookie to deal with. Roland never had that. He was a more quiet type, a lovely guy who lived for racing. We will always remember them. It was a tragedy for motorsport. More importantly, it was a tragedy for two young men."

(source: f1.com)

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: 2nd qualifying of the 1994 San Marino GP (Imola)

Roland Ratzenberger, MTV Simtek Ford

It's Senna week but let's not forget Roland Ratzenberger who passed away one day before the great Ayrton Senna.

Roland Ratzenberger was a young driver who had been a part of only 3 gp weekends. He had raced in one single race only so it was very sad indeed that he died.

Ayrton Senna's reaction when he saw Ratzenberger's crash:

Here is some footage of the 1994 San Marino (2nd) qualifying session.

Ayrton Senna planned to win the race on Sunday and wave the Austrian flag for young Ratzenberger. They found the flag in Senna's car later on Sunday after he also had crashed.

Rest in peace Roland and Ayrton. You are both missed in the motor racing world.

If you believe in god like Ayrton then you should think about the two of them up there somewhere racing each other.

I am not a religious man but when people die I sometimes like to think like a religious person. It brings a smile on my face for a second or two.

We should not just remember how they died. We should remember how they lived.

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: First Formula 1 Test 1983 (with English subtitles)

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: Ayrton Senna at the 1991 AUTOSPORT Awards

This week is dedicated to Ayrton Senna. 

He passed away 20 years ago in Imola and he is the greatest driver of all time if you ask me and almost anyone else.

I will post stuff about Senna every day this week. Here is the first thing - a video:

De Silvestro makes F1 test debut for Sauber

Former IndyCar racer Simona De Silvestro enjoyed her first day of Formula One testing with Sauber on Saturday, as she completed 112 laps of Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit in Italy. De Silvestro, who joined the Swiss team as an affiliated driver in February, was at the wheel of a two-year-old Sauber C31, without KERS and using special Pirelli tyres.

The 25-year-old Swiss driver, who is undergoing an F1 preparation programme at Sauber with a 2015 race seat in mind, used the opportunity to become familiar with the specifics of a Formula One car and according to the team was able to improve constantly during the day.

“Although it’s something very special to drive a Formula One car, I was not too nervous in the morning,” said De Silvestro. “I was more focused on what my job would be. But, after completing the installation lap, I realised that this was my first lap in a Formula One car, and that this was something really special.

“What impressed me most was the downforce of the car and the braking. When I did my first lap the brakes were cold, but even then the decelaration was beyond what I had experienced before. The g-forces are significantly higher compared to what I was used to in IndyCar. 

“Overall, I’m happy with my first day in a Formula One car. I concentrated mainly on understanding the tyres and finding out how to get the best out of them. And with every outing I learned more about the behaviour of the car. I can feel now where there is more potential and how I can use it. Physically I feel quite good, which is definitely a result of my preparation in recent months. I have been training really hard and this paid off.”

Sauber test engineer Paul Russell was clearly impressed with De Silvestro’s first outing, commenting: “Simona did a very solid job today. It was immediately clear that she is an experienced driver. It was as good a start in a Formula One car as you could hope for, and you couldn’t really ask for more today.”

De Silvestro will continue testing with Sauber at Fiorano on Sunday.

(source: f1.com)

Secret Life Of Formula 1 - Technology Documentary

I had to repost this documentary because the other one got erased from YouTube. I hate it when they do that!