For David Brabham, Roland Ratzenberger is not the forgotten man of Imola. His former team-mate died on this day 26 years ago, 24 hours before the sport lost one of its greatest drivers, Ayrton Senna. Roland Ratzenberger: “Roland had no real help in terms of racing from his parents – his dad didn’t approve – so he went off on his own.” Brabham: “For me he was the ideal racing driver – he was fit, good-looking and had a great smile.” Roland Ratzenberger: “That was a big effort for a new team.” “I can’t remember how long into the session it was,” Brabham said.

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