Reinhold Roth, the German rider who took part in the motorcycle world championship between 1979 and 1990, died this Friday. At the age of 68, he succumbed to the aftermath of the serious accident on the Rijeka circuit that forced him to retire in 1990.
Speedweek.com quoted his wife Elfriede, who had accompanied him with home care since 1990 – always flanked by nurses. A deteriorating health condition brought Roth to the hospital emergency room. His kidneys stopped working and the former driver eventually died.
In the 1990 accident, Roth crashed into Darren Milner’s Yamaha at about 170 km / h and suffered a broken skull base and a third-degree traumatic brain injury. He was resuscitated after about ten minutes without oxygen and was in a coma for several days. Although he was able to return home, he was still in need of care.
During his World Championship career, Roth competed in three classes (250cc, 350cc and even the top class at that time, 500cc). He was the most outstanding in the 250cc, with three race wins, another 12 podiums and two vice world champions.
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