Roberto Ravaglia
A master of fender-to-fender combat, he piloted BMW touring cars to a staggering seven championship titles across Europe's toughest series.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Italian racing driver·Birthday: May 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Roberto Ravaglia didn't just race cars; he dominated an entire discipline. The Italian driver became the embodiment of touring car excellence throughout the 1980s and 1990s, almost exclusively behind the wheel of BMW machinery. His success was built on relentless consistency and a deep understanding of the close-quarters, tactical warfare of production-based racing. Ravaglia didn't just win races; he collected championships, securing top honors in the European Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), and the British Touring Car Championship. After hanging up his helmet, he smoothly transitioned to team management, founding and running ROAL Motorsport, which continued his legacy of preparing and fielding winning cars in the World Touring Car arena. His career forms a complete arc from champion driver to successful team principal.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Roberto was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Roberto Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Roberto's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won seven major touring car championships across four different series (European, World, German DTM, and British).
- Secured the inaugural World Touring Car Championship title in 1987 driving a BMW M3.
- Captured the prestigious Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) championship in 1989.
- Founded and leads ROAL Motorsport, a successful team in touring car racing.
Did You Know?
He was a key part of the legendary 'CiBiEmme' (CBM) team that dominated touring car racing with the BMW M3 in the late 1980s.
His 1987 World Touring Car Championship win came in the category's first official season.
After retirement, his ROAL Motorsport team operated factory-backed Chevrolet entries in the World Touring Car Championship.
He achieved his British Touring Car Championship title in 1991.
“The race is won in the details of the setup, long before the green light.”
