11 replies to this topic

[Jeroen Brink]

Whatever one may think of him, a proper biography would be a compelling read. Any takers?

[RS2000]

Be careful what you wish for. Imagine the nightmare of an autobiography - 300+ pages of Ronspeak......

[Jeroen Brink]

Be careful what you wish for. Imagine the nightmare of an autobiography - 300+ pages of Ronspeak......

I surely did not wishful for an autobiography...... (though I find Ronspeak highly entertaining).

[LittleChris]

I believe that DCN has connections at Mclaren, so who better to unravel probably the best F1 race team owner to date ?
In my opinion, Ronspeak is something put on for the media and I very much doubt that he would speak to you in the same way if you were an employee. Also I have nothing but huge admiration for someone who started as, in effect, a gofor, and has carefully built up successful companies such as Project 3 ensuring that the foundations were solid before moving on to the next stage. There was an article in some management magazine a few years ago entitled "Is Ron Dennis Britains Best Manager ?" and I would've happily said and still would say " yes" despite that ******* Mosleys efforts to sully his name

Subsequent edit - Can't believe that a bit of software has decided to convert such an innocuous word as SC u M BAG bag to asterisks - pathetic !

Edited by LittleChris, 25 September 2010 - 23:08.

[kayemod]

LittleChris has it exactly right. I don't think there are many on TNF, or indeed in the racing business generally, who have anything but the greatest admiration for Ron and his achievements, which is why I was mildly surprised by that "Whatever one may think of him..." line in the first post..

[Ross Stonefeld]

I thought the comments by Jo Ramirez in his memoirs were very interesting.

[kayemod]

I thought the comments by Jo Ramirez in his memoirs were very interesting.

I'd certainly agree with the "interesting" bit, but I found that book rather disappointing in many ways. Jo's writing on Ron Dennis all came across to me as belated whinging from a man who'd spent a large part of his working life being dominated by a far stronger character, and saw his autobiography as a golden opportunity to get his own back. As I think I've said in the Book Thread, it reminded me of a small boy ringing neighbours' doorbells, and scampering off before he could get caught. I wasn't much involved in racing in much of the period Jo writes about, but I still knew several people who were, they tell rather different versions of the goings-on at Copersucar and other episodes covered in the book. It is an interesting read, I don't want to knock it unfairly, but I think it's very much one man's version of what happened, and I suspect that a great deal of it would come across very differently if we'd been told of the same happenings from the viewpoint of those being criticised by Jo.

[Bloggsworth]

Ron Dennis is an exceptionally competent team manager and businessman and I have the utmost respect for him but, 300 pages of how he allegedly got everybody out of the factory one morning to align all the screws in the lights in the entrance to the new factory, or rumours of how he has the gravel on his driveway at home taken away and washed a few times a year would be extremely tedious. Next we'll hear that he has the goldfish in the factory lake polished twice a year...

Maybe the colourful life he led when young is a well kept secret, but nothing in his demeanor suggests it.

Edited by Bloggsworth, 26 September 2010 - 11:07.

[Jeroen Brink]

Ron Dennis is an exceptionally competent team manager and businessman and I have the utmost respect for him but, 300 pages of how he allegedly got everybody out of the factory one morning to align all the screws in the lights in the entrance to the new factory, or rumours of how he has the gravel on his driveway at home taken away and washed a few times a year would be extremely tedious. Next we'll hear that he has the goldfish in the factory lake polished twice a year...

Maybe the colourful life he led when young is a well kept secret, but nothing in his demeanor suggests it.

I think there are many dimensions to him, with the above just one of them. His values and determination, dealing with a cast of characters ranging from Senna to Luca de Montezomolo, business choices: if done well it would be an highly inspiring read and could be award winning material.. There are good F1-biographers around, but I feel this would require someone with deeper and broader insights than that e.g. someone from the team of The Economist, seconded by Nigel Roebuck.

[Bloggsworth]

Don't get me wrong, I was rooting for him as the FIA & Mosley persecuted the McLaren team, but his voice is perfectly adapted for The One Note Samba. What went on around him and those that entered and left his orbit make the story of his achievments more colourful.

[john aston]

Grey cover then...

[mfd]

Grey cover then...

and I'd suggest it was called Odd Fellow I wouldn't give much of a chance for a prospective author not being the victim of a News of the World expose.