Ralf Waldmann
Ralf Waldmann (* July 14, 1966 in Hagen ) is a former German motorcycle racer.
Career
Waldmann ran his first race on a 80 - cc Kawasaki and finished it in fourth. His father, in whose Ennepetal operation, he completed his apprenticeship as a gas water installer, supported him in his early years.
His debut in the World Motorcycle Championship gave Waldmann in 1986 the Grand Prix of Baden- Württemberg at the Hockenheimring on a 80 cc Rieju, he ended up in 19th place. Due to poor material he drove most at risk and often crashed. It was not until 1990, when he was able to drive with better material, he drove the Grand Prix of Yugoslavia with a 125cc machine a fourth one, a year later he won the Grand Prix of Germany at the Hockenheim ring on a B- Kit - Honda and later won he and the Grand Prix race in Assen.
In the 1992 season, he led by five runs in the world championship standings sovereign, but he could only finish the season in third place after some technical defects. The following year, Waldmann moved from Honda to Aprilia and won the last race of the season, the Grand Prix of the FIM in Jarama. For the 1994 season, a change followed Dieter Stapperts " HB Racing Team " in the 250 cc class. Due to the very good machine Waldmann could enter a series of successes, he drove in these years but against the almost invincible Italian Max Biaggi, who narrowly retained 1996 and 1997, twice the upper hand in the championship standings. Ralf Waldmann was one of the few pilots that time, which were able to hand the Italians to offer a fight man.
In 1998, Waldmann joined the class up to 500 cc and drove there, due to weak engine in its Modena - KR 3, mostly in the midfield. His best result was a seventh place at the Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring, on which it was last but not least, celebrated for his commitment to the track as the site of the German motorcycle Grand Prix with a standing ovation. At the end of the season, he finished with 46 points Rank 14 of the standings.
In the 1999 season Waldmann was sixth in the world championship standings ³ to 250 cm. He moved back into the team by Dieter Stappert and Sepp Schlögl, which also meant a change to a 250cc Aprilia. In the first free practice session of the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang Waldmann suffered a broken right hand and had to start in the World Cup without points. Then aggravated whole series of bad starts to get ahead in the championship. A total of three times on the podium stood Waldmann: Second in Mugello, third at the Sachsenring, and second again in Brno.
The year 2000 should be the last full World Cup year of Ralf Waldmann. With two wins in Jerez and Donington Park, he was at the end of the season with 143 points, seventh in the overall standings.
After a trip to the auto racing in 2001 and a few wildcard appearances for the UGT -3000 team in the 2002 World Motorcycle Championship returned Ralf Waldmann after more than two years break in 2005 returned to the stage of motorcycle racing back and raced in the Superbike class the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM ). In November 2005, Ralf Waldmann announced his final retirement from active racing.
At the Grand Prix of Great Britain 2009 Ralf Waldmann was as a replacement driver for the Russian Vladimir Leonov in the Viessmann Kiefer Racing team a short comeback in the 250 cc World Championship. He left with his Aprilia but after a few laps due to fall out.
In his long career World Cup Waldmann contested 169 Grand Prix races, of which he won 20. He is the most successful pilot in World Cup history who never became world champion.
In March 2009, Waldmann bought together with Martin Wimmer motorcycle and bicycle Zschopau and tried in vain to 2013, restructuring the company.