Imola at 20: Simtek's painful story

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Sometimes in life, we can forget about people so quickly – harshly in most circumstances. That shouldn’t happen to individuals who give their life to a certain dedication. Roland Ratzenberger fits into this category. Although only a newcomer into the sport, the charming Austrian had already become a popular soul in the paddock before he became the first driver to die at the wheel of a racing car in 12 years during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Ratzenberger was driving for one of the two new teams in the sport, Simtek Grand Prix. Set-up by former FIA president Max Mosley and the hard-working Nick Wirth, Simtek were the natural underdogs of the pitlane who seeked a dream and ultimately went bust for the challenge.

In the fifth edition of the Imola at 20 series and exactly 20 years to the day since Ratzenberger perished at the circuit, I pay tribute to one of the most hard-working teams who never got much more than pain and punishment.

Early founding

Created by Mosley and Wirth, Simtek Research was founded in 1989 and began their journey as a consultancy firm in the world of engineering. Its aim was to be a third party in helping out construct racing chassis and constructions of wind tunnels for competitors to the highest possible standards.

With a facility in Banbury, Simtek built up their contracts in Formula One, Formula 3000 and IndyCars and their engineers ran the BMW 3-series cars that entered the German Touring Car Championship in 1991. Two years later, Wirth’s Grand Prix dream almost came true when Simtek won the contract to design the car for the Bravo Grand Prix team. Unfortunately, the sudden death of Frenchman and project backer of the Bravo team, Jean Francois Mosnier, saw these plans end up in the scrapheap.

With Mosley having sold his stake in Simtek Research to Wirth after becoming FIA president, Nick realised that if he was to achieve his racing dream, he’d have to do it himself rather than through a third party route. So in the summer of 1993, he took the decision to enter Formula One with his own team for 1994. They would be a newcomer on the grid along with Pacific Grand Prix.

There were realistic hopes but good backing for Wirth. The major television cable channel MTV came on board as title sponsors and three-time world champion Sir Jack Brabham became a shareholder, meaning his son David Brabham would drive one of the cars.

However they still needed funding for the second seat. Step forward Roland Ratzenberger.

Roland gets his chance

Having narrowly missed out on a Jordan drive during 1991, Roland Ratzenberger’s own Grand Prix dreams didn’t look like they were going to happen. He’d spent the majority of his junior career racing in formulae in Britain and then in Japan, racing single seaters, touring cars and sportscars. He had joined the Toyota squad to compete at Le Mans, finishing fifth in the 1993 24 Hours event and already having secured a drive for the 94 edition.

However when negotiations broke down with a number of drivers, including Gil de Ferran and the experienced but shunt friendly Andrea de Cesaris, Ratzenberger swooped in to do the deal and take the second seat.

He had impressed the engineers with his technical feedback and dedication to the cause at a winter test, ironically at Imola. He signed a contract for five races to see how things would go for both parties. For most drivers, winning is what drives them on but for Roland Ratzenberger, just being on the grid was a victory in itself.

The odds were against Simtek. Only 35 people were employed in the racing team, only 10 per cent of the staff employed by legendary Italian constructor Ferrari. Also, Wirth had designed an active suspension car for 1994 which of course would have fallen foul of the new regulations put in place at the start of the year. With a heavy chassis, which included a manual gearbox and a less than powerful V8 Ford engine, although reliable – there weren’t any expectations for them to reach the midfield.

Beating Pacific was an achievable goal and they did this in the first two races. Some technical problems and over-exuberance from Ratzenberger meant the veteran Belgian Bertrand Gachot from Pacific got onto the grid instead for the season opener in Brazil. Brabham kept out of trouble though and finished 12^th, although that was the last of the 26 finishers. Three weeks later, both Brabham and Ratzenberger made the grid at the TI Aida circuit, taking the final two spots on the grid. Brabham retired early on but Roland, with previous track knowledge from his Japan days, ended a fighting and proud 11^th.

Despite teething problems, the Simtek project had made a good start but then came Imola.

Tragedy

Both Brabham and Ratzenberger were excited and competitive but enjoyed each other’s company. Roland’s contacts from his days in Asia meant he was close to a number of the drivers in the paddock, including Eddie Irvine, JJ Lehto and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

At Imola, the car looked better in terms of handling stability. With the hopeless Paul Belmondo no threat to anyone but himself in the second Pacific and Rubens Barrichello out of the weekend’s activities following his Friday crash, Simtek were on course for a second successive race with both cars on the grid.

On Saturday, Ratzenberger set a high target, to beat both Gachot and his more experienced teammate Brabham. Whilst the first goal was realistic, the second was possibly too ambitious. Nevertheless, he was full of confidence going into the second qualifying session. On his first out lap, he had an excursion at the Aqua Minerali chicane, which damaged the front assembly of the car. Rather than come back to the pits for checks, the Austrian (pictured below) pushed on to start his first flying lap of the afternoon.

Roland Ratzenberger on his final lap before tragedy strikes

Through Tamburello and the front wing weakened, then failed and already exiting the corner, having built up speed close to 200mph, he had no chance. The impact with the wall at the Villeneuve kink is beyond description and there wasn’t much left of the car when it eventually rolled to a halt at the Tosa hairpin.

Despite the best efforts of the doctors, both at the track and at the Bologna hospital, fatal neck injuries led to Ratzenberger’s death.

The team was inconsolable, as were the rest of the paddock. Bernie Ecclestone urged Simtek to race on to help with the shock. Whilst Bernie’s enthusiasm for the show to carry on was not called for in the circumstances, the team leader shone through.

On race morning, Brabham said: “I lost a close friend yesterday. Though teammates for a mere few weeks, we had already a lot of fun together and had every reason to look forward to a great year with the Simtek team. I am confident that the greatest tribute we can pay to Roland is to race today, hence my decision.”

Bravely, David continued and won many admirers for his spirit, not just at Imola but throughout the rest of the season. Suspension failure put him out of the San Marino event but he would not quit. It was his passion that also kept a devastated Wirth going.

When Ayrton Senna died, the attention switched away, understandably so but the majority seemed to totally forget what had happened to Roland Ratzenberger. On Friday, 6 May 1994 – Ratzenberger was buried in the town of his birthplace, Salzburg in Austria. Compatriots Gerhard Berger and Karl Wendlinger attended, along with his closest pal in the paddock, Frentzen. Mosley went too, adding: “Roland had been forgotten. So I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna’s. I thought it was important that somebody went to his.”

With Brabham’s courageous attitude, Simtek decided to carry on – adding a ‘For Roland’ sign on the airboxes of the cars. It wouldn’t get any easier.

More agony

The shattered Simtek mechanics then had another write-off when Andrea Montermini, who was signed up to take the seat vacated by the dearly departed Ratzenberger, lost control and crashed heavily during Saturday morning practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. Wirth’s dreams were turning into the stuff of nightmares.

Frenchman Jean-Marc Gounon took over the car from the French Grand Prix afterwards and achieved the team’s best ever result on his debut, with ninth place. Brabham finished 10^th in Barcelona. 11^th in Hungary and 12^th in Japan and he started to occasionally outqualify the Lotus and Larrousse cars as the season progressed. When he started a fantastic 21^st in Belgium, Brabham rubbed salt into Erik Comas’ wounds. After Comas had joked that he would retire if ever outqualified by a Simtek a fortnight earlier in Hungary, Brabham did just that at Spa and went on to quip; “I want to wish Erik a happy retirement!” Simtek finished damaged but survived a turbulent 1994 season. They were the best of the debutants and hoped 1995 would be better. It wouldn’t.

MTV decreased their sponsorship levels for 1995 and although Brabham’s heart was with the Simtek project, a huge financial offer from BMW to go and race in the British Touring Car Championship was impossible to ignore. Wirth replaced him with the talented Dutchman Jos Verstappen, partnered by Italian Domenico Schiattarella. The S951 chassis was much better, with Jos qualifying a sensational 14^th in Argentina, and ran as high as sixth before gearbox problems intervened. Schiattarella finished ninth in Buenos Aires but the team’s financial plight was getting worse. £6m in debt and failure to get more financial backing left Wirth in a miserable position. Monaco 1995 was the team’s last race and they filed for liquidation shortly afterwards, taking 48 jobs with it. The assets were auctioned off and Wirth’s dream was over.

He moved to Benetton as an engineer, then chief designer but left the company in 1999 and after an unsuccessful return with Virgin Racing in 2010 and 2011; Wirth has given up on the sport he so wanted to succeed at.

If the funds had been there, Simtek had a decent chance of creating some success. Sadly though, the word pain dominates Nick Wirth’s dream. For Roland Ratzenberger, at least he achieved his ambition, even if it was far too short-lived.

Categories: 1994, Austria, BMW, David Brabham, Imola, Max Mosley, Nick Wirth, Roland Ratzenberger, Simtek

The 100 Greatest TV adverts - Part Five (100-81)

By Simon Wright

The television advertisement has been around on our screens for almost 60 years.  They portray all of our favourite products, promoted by either everyday celebrities or just normal everyday members of the British public.

The Oxo Family campaign ran successfully throughout two decades

Adverts (Oxo family pictured) have come a long way since a toothpaste company broadcast the first ever commercial on ITV's opening night back in September 1955.  Some of them can be a real nuisance, especially if they pop up in every single advertising break.

It has been over 13 years since a programme was produced by Channel 4 to find the nation's greatest advert, and there have been some real gems since.  Five years ago, I did a top 60 selection on my YouTube account, and have always noticed the commercials that actually can leave you laughing, amazed or even feeling a bit emotional.

In this five-part series for Viewing Perspectives, here is my updated list of the 100 Greatest TV adverts of all-time.  The first part covers numbers 100-81, with all years given a rough reference of when the commercial was either first screened or shown most regularly.

100. BT: World Wide Web (2000)

BT produced a series of commercials around the turn of the millennium with the collaboration of the famous character E.T from the famous film.  Directed by Paul Weiland, this advert was one of the best, taking the characters into another planet with faster internet connection, which was a real boost in 2000.  Even in 13 years, it is amazing to think how far the World Wide Web has really evolved.

99. Castlemaine: Overloaded Truck (1986)

The Australian beer Castlemaine was a popular favourite in its heyday, which was the 1980s.  This funny advert in around 1986 saw a truck being completely able to take a whole amount of cans of Castlemaine, but collapse once two bottles of sherry for the lady were loaded.  The slogan at the end of the commercial says it all really.

98. Coca Cola: Celebrations (2010)

The main Coca Cola advert for the 2010 FIFA World Cup focused on the goal celebration, one of the greatest reactions in any football match.  The advert pays tribute to Roger Milla and his 'Dancing Corner' routine after his goalscoring heroics for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup.  Then using other actors, it takes you on a tour of the best goal celebrations in 20 years.  This is a pretty clever aspect for the advert, and would get most football fans right into the spirit of the 2010 competition in South Africa.

97. Woolworths: Forgetting items (2001) 

The demise of Woolworths in 2008 started the decline of the retail industry, and many big names have followed thanks to the UK recession, including Jessops, MFI and Comet.  Woolies also had some hit adverts, especially at Christmas time.  Here are the memorable double act Ant & Dec getting distracted and forgetting why they had gone into Woolworths into the first place in 2001, with the music in the background summing up that at the time, Woolworths really was 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland.'

96. American Express: Andy Roddick (2005)

American tennis player Andy Roddick was one of the nearly men in tennis.  He only won one Grand Slam - the US Open in 2003, and lost three men's singles finals at Wimbledon.  However, he got his chance to have the Wimbledon trophy in this advert for major card chain American Express.  Confidence, annoyance and trophy uncertainty are the main themes to this advert.

95. Stella Artois: Flowers (1991)

Stella Artois has a reputation for some slightly odd and daft commercials, but they got it just right in 1991 with this advert starring two men, some good-looking flowers and a thirsty pint of the beer.  As indicated, it is reassuringly expensive, but the taste of this alcoholic beverage is questionable. 

94. Budweiser: Fantasy Premier League (2006)

If Budweiser had become official sponsors and not just the official beer of the Premier League, imagine what could happen.  The Americans did with this advert, which would end the tedious 0-0 stalemate, and renaming football teams into American equivalents.  They decided not to go ahead with these plans, and gladly too, but it was a humorous look into how the game could have turned out.

93. Muller Yoghurt: Wunderful Stuff (2011)

When I first saw this advert for Muller Yoghurt, I wasn't gripped by it - presumingly because I don't like yoghurt.  However, the commercial is actually catchy, helped by the appearance of some familiar cartoon characters.  As we all know, Muller is clearly made of Wonderful Stuff.

92. Vauxhall: Hide and Seek (2005)

Broadcast first in the early millennium years, this entry is one of two from Vauxhall in the top 100, and involves a real element of a classic game I'm sure we all used to play in the playground. The model used, the Corsa squeezes into almost every single position you could think of, before the Hide and Seek chase begins.  It is quirky and a tad odd, but goes well with the slogan of putting the fun back into driving.

91. Oxo: The Final Family Meal (1999)

The Oxo Family were one of TV's most common families in the 1980s and 1990s. First debuting in 1983, the campaign was one of the longest, spanning 16 years until this emotional final goodbye in 1999. Lynda Bellingham and Michael Redfern play the parents, as the family sit down for a final meal before moving onto a new environment. This was a sign of the times that the 'Great British Family' stereotype is fast becoming a thing of the past.

90. Citroen: Going Crazy (2010)

French car manufacturer Citroen have often come up with some creative and innovative adverts, especially in the past 15 years. This one in 2010 makes the list, involving a couple taking their car on a crazy and wild ride while the guard on patrol in the harbour is taking an afternoon nap. Who would have thought you could have this much fun in a car in just over 60 seconds!

89. John Smith’s: Moving Out (2003)

The John Smith campaign with comedian Peter Kay has been such a success, it was very difficult to only pick a couple of adverts from a whole host of humorous commercials.  This is one of my favourites and comes in at number 89, as Kay instructs his mother to move out of the family home to put a snooker table in her bedroom.  He will take no nonsense to get his way, despite the severe reluctance of his 55-year-old mother.

88. BMW: 1 Series – Horses (2004)

In 2004, the successful 'Series' models were launched by BMW with these catchy and rather bouncy commercials. The 1 Series was launched in the UK on 18 September 2004, and it was quite rare that you wouldn't see one of these adverts in it's build-up. This one is involving horses showing almost near perfect balance, which goes well with the tagline - 'The only one in its class with near perfect balance.' Some attractive music from Prodigy completes a great package.

87. Olympus Cameras: Wedding Photography (1979)

The digital camera has come a long way, with technology so advanced nowadays that you can now upload pictures to social media almost immediately after being taken. Back in 1979, Olympus Cameras were setting the path, with famous photographer David Bailey leading the way, as seen in this wedding.  His counterpart though prefers the old format, but is being left behind and doesn't even know who Bailey actually is.

86. Carling: Refreshed (2011)

A long day at work is something I will be returning to real soon after 14 months on the sidelines since finishing my degree at University.  We have all had tough and difficult days, so what is the best feeling to become totally refreshed, well that answer is simple.  According to Carling, it is a pint of their beer, and it isn't a bad vision.  This advert shows the refreshment the normal individual is after in 2011 and it makes the point it is meant to really well.  In case anyone was wondering, the actor in this commercial is Marc Baylis, who is currently in Coronation Street.

85. Samsung: Impatience is a virtue (2009)

Even in four years, technology in mobile phones have rapidly changed, meaning the Samsung Jet is now horribly out-of-date.  However this commercial in 2009 almost tempted me to go down the Samsung route, before sticking at the time with the tried and trusted Nokia.  It is an all-action advert.  Impatience is a virtue for technology like the latest smartphone, but sometimes that isn't a great quality to have.

84. Nike: Thierry Henry (2005)
At his peak, Thierry Henry was the best footballer on the planet, and he was also a famous face of some top brands.  Forget his Renault appearances though, it was this one with Nike that was best.  Henry shows off his skills for the American sportswear giant, and can't be tackled by anyone, except for a dog!  Undeterred, he gets up and carries on.  Someone with Henry's ability could afford to do this.

83. Boddingtons: Athlete (1997) 
TV presenter Melanie Sykes makes an appearance in this advert, as she was the face of Boddingtons in the 1990s. This 'Athlete' commercial also stars Ken George, who now has his own production company, called KGB productions.  Boddingtons was promoted as the cream of Manchester, and even came third in a poll of most popular things about Manchester, after Coronation Street and Manchester United.  This is now a defunct beer, but it had its day and was a powerful competitor in its heyday.

82. Peugeot: The Sculptor (2003) 
This strange advert promotes the determination to make a piece of art.  The individual, who lives in 'Bollywood' culture wants to make his car into a lookalike of a Peugeot 206, so he trashes his machine using every method possible, before redesigning it.  Actually, it isn't a bad attempt, although the colour doesn't quite match the intention of the picture the actor looks at.

81. Tango: Orange Man (1991) 
The Tango 'Orange Man' campaign was both successful but also highly controversial.  The first advert, which sees the 'Orange Man' slap the guy in the face once he has drunk some Tango, leaving him stunned was hilarious, but was banned in 1991 as schoolchildren consequently started doing this in playgrounds up and down the country, and the results led to some rather distasteful events.  As a result, I can't include banned adverts in this list, and so here is the 'Kiss' version - rather short-lived but the best alternative at the time.  It didn't quite have the same appeal as the 'Slap' edition, but it was a safer way to go, and shows that even 22 years ago, there were committees around to curb down on adverts that slightly pushed the boundaries.

Categories: 1991, Adverts, American Express, Andy Roddick, Ant & Dec, BMW, BT, Budweiser, Citroen, Coca Cola, E.T, Flowers, Oxo, Peter Kay, Playground, Prodigy, Roger Milla, Vauxhall, Woolworths, YouTube