# Ralf Waldmann

Ralf Waldmann (14 July 1966 – 10 March 2018) was a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.

## Motorcycle racing career

In 1996, Waldmann finished second to Max Biaggi in the 250cc world championship. In the 1997 season, he gave Biaggi a strong challenge, winning four races and finishing only two points behind the Italian. Kenny Roberts offered him a job for the 1998 season on a 500cc Modenas but the competition was too strong and he finished in 14th place. He returned to the 250 class the following year riding for the Aprilia team and retired from motorcycle competition after the 2002 season. Waldmann came out of semi-retirement in 2003 and signed with the new Harris WCM MotoGP team, but quit before the year began after failing to adapt to the new four-stroke Grand Prix bikes.
His final win at the British Grand Prix in 2000 is of particular note. On a drying track, he came from nearly a whole lap down to win at the final corner at the notoriously slippery Donington Park circuit.
In 2009, he joined Martin Wimmer in buying out the motorbike manufacturing company MZ, from the Hong Leong Group. He also had a brief return to Grand Prix motorcycle racing, substituting for the injured rider Vladimir Leonov at the British Grand Prix.

## Death

Waldmann died on 10 March 2018 in Ennepetal, Germany of a suspected heart attack at the age of 51.

## Career statistics
### Grand Prix motorcycle racing
#### By class

| Class | Season | 1st GP | 1st Pod | 1st Win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
| 80cc | 1986–1989 | 1986 Baden-Württemberg | | | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 125cc | 1988–1993 | 1989 Great Britain | 1991 Germany | 1991 Germany | 55 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 432 | 0 |
| 250cc | 1994–1997, 1999–2000, 2002, 2009 | 1994 Australia | 1994 Italy | 1994 Italy | 90 | 14 | 35 | 8 | 10 | 1166 | 0 |
| 500cc | 1998 | 1998 Japan | | | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| Total | 1986–2000, 2002, 2009 | | | | 169 | 20 | 50 | 10 | 16 | 1668 | 0 |

#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos. | Pts |
| 1986 | 80cc | Krauser | SPA | NAT | GER | AUT | YUG | NED | GBR | RSM | BWU 19 | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1987 | 80cc | ERK | SPA | GER 10 | NAT | AUT 12 | YUG | NED 19 | GBR | CZE Ret | RSM | POR | | | | | | | 25th | 1 |
| 1988 | 80cc | Seel | SPA | EXP | NAT | GER 17 | NED | YUG | CZE | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1988 | 125cc | Rotax | SPA | NAT | GER DNQ | AUT | NED | BEL | YUG | FRA | GBR | SWE | CZE | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1989 | 80cc | Seel | SPA 8 | NAT 14 | GER 7 | YUG Ret | NED 12 | CZE 19 | | | | | | | | | | | 14th | 23 |
| 1989 | 125cc | Seel | JPN | AUS | SPA DNQ | NAT | GER DNQ | AUT | NED | BEL DNQ | FRA | GBR Ret | SWE 19 | CZE Ret | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1990 | 125cc | JJ Cobas | JPN | SPA Ret | NAT 25 | GER 11 | AUT 16 | YUG 4 | NED Ret | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 15 | SWE 23 | CZE Ret | HUN Ret | AUS Ret | | | 23rd | 19 |
| 1991 | 125cc | Honda | JPN 7 | AUS 5 | SPA 7 | ITA 9 | GER 1 | AUT 2 | EUR 6 | NED 1 | FRA 2 | GBR Ret | RSM 4 | CZE 8 | MAL | | | | 3rd | 141 |
| 1992 | 125cc | Honda | JPN 1 | AUS 1 | MAL 3 | SPA 1 | ITA Ret | EUR 12 | GER 3 | NED 9 | HUN 2 | FRA 10 | GBR 7 | BRA 15 | RSA 6 | | | | 3rd | 112 |
| 1993 | 125cc | Aprilia | AUS Ret | MAL 5 | JPN 6 | SPA 2 | AUT 9 | GER 5 | NED Ret | EUR 2 | RSM 4 | GBR 3 | CZE Ret | ITA 5 | USA 3 | FIM 1 | | | 4th | 160 |
| 1994 | 250cc | Honda | AUS 7 | MAL 6 | JPN Ret | SPA 4 | AUT 5 | GER 6 | NED 4 | ITA 1 | FRA 4 | GBR 7 | CZE 2 | USA 10 | ARG 8 | EUR 7 | | | 5th | 156 |
| 1995 | 250cc | Honda | AUS 1 | MAL 4 | JPN 1 | SPA 5 | GER Ret | ITA 4 | NED 2 | FRA 1 | GBR 3 | CZE 3 | BRA 4 | ARG 6 | EUR 3 | | | | 3rd | 203 |
| 1996 | 250cc | Honda | MAL DNS | INA 3 | JPN 8 | SPA 3 | ITA 3 | FRA 2 | NED 1 | GER 1 | GBR 2 | AUT 1 | CZE 3 | IMO 1 | CAT 3 | BRA 2 | AUS 2 | | 2nd | 268 |
| 1997 | 250cc | Honda | MAL 4 | JPN 5 | SPA 1 | ITA 4 | AUT 2 | FRA 3 | NED 2 | IMO 4 | GER 3 | BRA 12 | GBR 1 | CZE 4 | CAT 1 | INA 7 | AUS 1 | | 2nd | 248 |
| 1998 | 500cc | Modenas | JPN Ret | MAL 9 | SPA 10 | ITA 11 | FRA 12 | MAD 10 | NED DNS | GBR | GER 7 | CZE 13 | IMO 15 | CAT 12 | AUS Ret | ARG 15 | | | 14th | 46 |
| 1999 | 250cc | Aprilia | MAL DNS | JPN | SPA 6 | FRA 4 | ITA 2 | CAT Ret | NED 6 | GBR 8 | GER 3 | CZE 2 | IMO 7 | VAL Ret | AUS 5 | RSA Ret | BRA 7 | ARG 11 | 6th | 131 |
| 2000 | 250cc | Aprilia | RSA 7 | MAL 4 | JPN Ret | SPA 1 | FRA 8 | ITA Ret | CAT 7 | NED 24 | GBR 1 | GER 8 | CZE 5 | POR Ret | VAL 13 | BRA 6 | PAC 7 | AUS 4 | 7th | 143 |
| 2002 | 250cc | Aprilia | JPN | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED 11 | GBR | GER 9 | CZE 11 | POR | BRA | PAC | MAL | AUS | VAL | 19th | 17 |
| 2009 | 250cc | Aprilia | QAT | JPN | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | GBR Ret | CZE | INP | SMR | POR | AUS | MAL | VAL | NC | 0 |
| Source: |||||||||||||||||||||

### Superbike World Championship
#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Make | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | Pos. | Pts |
| Year | Make | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | Pos. | Pts |
| 2005 | Honda | QAT | QAT | AUS | AUS | SPA | SPA | ITA | ITA | EUR | EUR | SMR | SMR | CZE | CZE | GBR | GBR | NED | NED | GER Ret | GER DNS | ITA | ITA | FRA | FRA | NC | 0 |