Imola has never considered him a second-class player. And he proved it last night too. Roland Ratzenberger was commemorated in what has been ‘his’ Tosa grandstand since 2004, not far from the spot of the tragic crash on Saturday 30 April 1994. A plaque has been inaugurated under the photo of the Austrian driver, who passed away following an accident in qualifying for the San Marino Formula 1 Grand Prix, on the eve of the race in which Ayrton Senna lost his life. There are the words reported on Ratzenberger’s grave in Salzburg: “Er lebt für seinen traum” (“he lived for his dream”). Present at the initiative, organized by the Imola-based non-profit organization ‘The Challenge of the Heart’ with the patronage of the Municipality, were Roland’s parents, Rudolf and Margit; the former F1 driver, Pierluigi Martini, who was on track with the Minardi team on that cursed weekend; the young promise of motor racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, busy these days on the street circuit for some tests with Mercedes.
“We don’t want Roland’s death to be celebrated – underlined the mayor Marco Panieri –. But rather his passion, his courage and his enthusiasm”. The president of Formula Imola, Gian Carlo Minardi, who at the time led his team in the world championship Circus, agrees. “It was one of the worst weekends of our career – he underlined, turning to Martini –. It was very difficult to finish that day. After 30 years, however, the memory must be joyful. And we must make Roland’s memory ever more alive” .
Before the blessing of Don Pierpaolo Pasini, historic priest of the circuit, the word to Deanna Zaccherini, president of the Heart Challenge. “The memory for those who lived that day will always remain indelible – he concluded –. But we all received a lesson from Roland: living by believing and fighting for one’s dreams gives an extraordinary meaning to life itself”.
Enrico Agnessi
