"
Against advice, he made the choice to remove his earplugs to enjoy the newly enriched sound of four variable length intake trumpets. His decision would have serious consequences. The demands of driving the Mazda led Johnny Herbert to dehydration, but it would cause a more insidious evil for his team mate ...
With his resounding victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991, Volker Weidler pursued his career the following year in the prestigious Japanese F3000 series which Tom Kristensen would soon emerge. Victorious twice (Suzuka and Sugo), he was in good position to win the championship when balance problems disturbed his equilibrium. Probably caused by the vibrations of the quad-rotor Mazda, unbearable tinnitus would soon compel the driver to hang up his helmet for good at the tender age of 30"
http://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/vo...1746_9958.html
"Volker Weidler suffered from tinitus, which is a hereditary disease which
not only causes deafness but also a constant buzzing in the ear (I know
that reads like an oxymoron but...) and impairment to the sense of
balance. Weidler was to have surgery to cure this and was advised to give
up racing while he recovered from the operation. I believe that he decided
on a permanent retirement."
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...f1/Rmx0_q18hUY