24 replies to this topic

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

I love posting about Ayrton Senna, and thought i would share this really rather interesting article i found today. Taken from Planet F1®

>>Link<<


Ron Talks Of His 'Masculine Love' For Ayrton Senna
22/10/02

Ron Dennis is not one given to big, emotional moments, but talking about his former driver Ayrton Senna, recently, Ron got quite misty-eyed.


The McLaren boss was talking on the eve of the Japanese Grand Prix, the race where Ayrton won his second World Championship in 1990.

"The best driver I ever worked with was Ayrton, not because of his performance on the circuit so much as his sincerity and his friendship. Because it was not an artificial warmth - I shared his pain as well as his pleasure and that's a priveleged position to be in.

"Because whilst you stand to a certain degree in the reflected glory of a driver's sucess, either though winning the constructor's championship or being part of the winning process, the reality is it's the driver in the car at the end of the day."

"But he showed it in a unique way, he showed it - never materially, unfortunately (smiling), he was slow to get the chequebook out or buy the present - but emotionally. Looking back on it now, having a slightly better material position that I did then, it was in fact a more valuable way to me. You never forget the very small, magic moments, when the words and the emotion were really, really deep and sincere."

"It edged on almost a masculine love which was...special."

"I use the word (love) quite deliberately because it's, I think, the right word to use. It didn't have any homosexuality about it, it wasn't that sort."

"It was two people who were incredibly passionate about what they were doing and from passion comes emotion. And if you have the same emotional gratification coming out of something that was being done well, then I think it's quite a fine line to actually...You can comfortably say a love of the sport, maybe people feel a little more uncomfortable with saying mutual love of the sport - and yet it even went a bit further because there was tremendous trust."

I found it pretty cool, hope everyone likes my layout as well

[jun]

Thx, ferrari_fan for sharing this! (great layout!)
I think it's special how much Senna still is in peoples minds after all those years.

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Originally posted by jun
Thx, ferrari_fan for sharing this! (great layout!)
I think it's special how much Senna still is in peoples minds after all those years.

I know, its really nice to see he's still widely talked bout even 8 years after San Marino, shows what a legend he really was!

[raceday]

I can kind of imagine that Todt would say the same about Schumacher a few years from now ;)

Seriously, I certainly look forward to the time when Ron will release his biography containg alot of inside stories of Senna and above all the inside story of Senna and Prost

[MONTOYASPEED]

Thanks.

[senninha]

Cool

I still remember a younger Ron Dennis punching his own head and saying (more or less) "i don´t believe in it", after amazing Senna´s victory at Brazil (91), when AS raced 8 final laps with only 6th gear!!!!

In fact, i never saw Ron Dennis so happy as he showed that time (even on MH´s era).

[glorius&victorius]

Originally posted by Ferrari_F1_fan_2001
I love posting about Ayrton Senna, and thought i would share this really rather interesting article i found today. Taken from Planet F1®

Beautyfull to see Dennis' speaking out his affection and his sharing of emotions together with Senna. It was a difficult moment to see Senna leaving McLaren in Adelaide 93. But it was the end of the road. In 94 McLaren wasn't going to be competitive and both men knew this. At least their parting was done in spectacular fashion! Senna winning that final GP for McLaren, beating Williams and Prost with their superior machine.
I guess looking back that win was very special. Almost a mutual thank you from both men!
Thanks Ron, thanks Ayrton!

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Originally posted by glorius&victorius


Beautyfull to see Dennis' speaking out his affection and his sharing of emotions together with Senna. It was a difficult moment to see Senna leaving McLaren in Adelaide 93. But it was the end of the road. In 94 McLaren wasn't going to be competitive and both men knew this. At least their parting was done in spectacular fashion! Senna winning that final GP for McLaren, beating Williams and Prost with their superior machine.
I guess looking back that win was very special. Almost a mutual thank you from both men!
Thanks Ron, thanks Ayrton!

Yes Adelaide 1993 was very special for Mclaren and Senna

It was Ayrton Senna's and Alain Prosts last race together, which Senna won and later on both men said they would miss each others battles

It was Senna's last race for Mclaren and his last victory

AND it was the race win that put Mclaren AHEAD of Ferrari as the most 'winningest' team (is that a word?)

All in all, it was a VERY special race indeed

[SeanValen]

Good stuff. Senna's passion for racing always glows. I bet any new f1 fan who does not know anything about Senna, watches his races on video, books, articles, and they'll know what a great driver/person he was, and how great his time in f1 was. The Senna talk always reminds me how short and fast life is, appreciate the present more, legend of Senna alot of positives even if he's not with us

Refreshing to see a different side of Dennis.

[BMW_Power]

Just re-enforces what Ive always believed...Ron is gay.

[CLX]

Originally posted by BMW_Power
Just re-enforces what Ive always believed...Ron is gay.

Wow, what a great contribution to the thread.

Did lauda leave McLaren before Ron arrived?

[ruther]

great post!

[lanius]

Hard to believe RD ever saying things like:"It edged on almost a masculine love which was...special."

[holiday]

Originally posted by Ferrari_F1_fan_2001
I use the word (love) quite deliberately because it's, I think, the right word to use. It didn't have any homosexuality about it, it wasn't that sort of thing.

Oh, boy what is he afraid of? Is he afraid someone actually might accuse him of being gay?! RON, get a grip, it's already way past sexual revolution and the only thing you can get really accused of nowadays is l a c k i n g success. Hope you get the hint..

PS: Lauda is in no way gay, Ross might be, but who cares? Bernie would be delighted to have a gay, black, jewish star driver on the grid.

[CLX]

Ron said Senna was the best driver he worked with, I wonder if Ron worked with Lauda. If so, Ron's statement would mean pretty much, considering he would have had the chance to work guys like Hakkinen, Prost, Lauda...

[kenny]

Originally posted by CLX
Ron said Senna was the best driver he worked with, I wonder if Ron worked with Lauda. If so, Ron's statement would mean pretty much, considering he would have had the chance to work guys like Hakkinen, Prost, Lauda...

yes he worked with Niki...

[kos]

Originally posted by kenny


yes he worked with Niki...

more than that. It was Ron who actually lured Lauda back from his retirement with prospects of huge salary and chance of winning championship again

[DREW]

Q: "What is he afraid of?"
A: "Just re-enforces what I've always believed...Ron is gay."

That's what he's afraid of...

DREW

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

I think you people are looking too much into this whole gay thing, Ron Dennis was extemely fond of Ayrton, i mean he was the best driver they ever had (IMO and probably Ron's too) , the same way Jean Todt is fond of Schumacher, same way Frank Williams was besotted with Piers Courage and Alan Jones, come on guys, we're all mature people here, I'm only 16 and i stopped using the insult 'gay' 3 years ago... and I'm very sure that most people are a hell of a lot more maturer than me on here.

[Todd]

Ron comes off as the biggest homophobe ever in that piece, but I guess it is just a manifestation of his paranoia. My problem with his love note is that I doubt it is true. They had a professional relationship, and to look at their contract negotiations for 1993 and the fact that Senna couldn't ditch McLaren quickly enough when they were no longer the fastest car, even offering to drive a Williams for free, I think that this falls between only remembering the good about the dead and an outright work of fiction.

[RedFever]

oh, so this is what Piquet was referring to when he said Ayrton was gay.......he must have caught him with Ronnie boy............


Joking aside and leaving poor Ayrton rest in peace, Ron is funny as usual. In his strange use of the English language (why does he it always make any possible attempts to make things more complcated than they are???), Ron gets usually into a dead-end and then doesn't know how to get himself out of it. He simply wanted to say theat he and Ayrton developed a special relationship which went beyond being an employer/employee, they became good friends et all. Unfortunately, in his attempt to explain how deep this friendship was he kinda feared for a seond he gave the wrong impression, so he feels compelled to explain it was not a homsexual love, just a masculine one. If instead of Ronskeak he had used English, nobody would have needed any further explanation. Ross Brawn and Schumi have this relationship and Schumi as soon as he crossed the finish line of Suzuka 2000 kept screaming "I love you guys, Ross you are great, you are great" and nobodyneeded an explanation from the Ferrari team explaining that Ross and Schumi actually don't sleep together. If only Ron would chose one day to speak in regular English, his life would be so much simpler

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Originally posted by RedFever
oh, so this is what Piquet was referring to when he said Ayrton was gay.......he must have caught him with Ronnie boy............


Joking aside and leaving poor Ayrton rest in peace, Ron is funny as usual. In his strange use of the English language (why does he it always make any possible attempts to make things more complcated than they are???), Ron gets usually into a dead-end and then doesn't know how to get himself out of it. He simply wanted to say theat he and Ayrton developed a special relationship which went beyond being an employer/employee, they became good friends et all. Unfortunately, in his attempt to explain how deep this friendship was he kinda feared for a seond he gave the wrong impression, so he feels compelled to explain it was not a homsexual love, just a masculine one. If instead of Ronskeak he had used English, nobody would have needed any further explanation. Ross Brawn and Schumi have this relationship and Schumi as soon as he crossed the finish line of Suzuka 2000 kept screaming "I love you guys, Ross you are great, you are great" and nobodyneeded an explanation from the Ferrari team explaining that Ross and Schumi actually don't sleep together. If only Ron would chose one day to speak in regular English, his life would be so much simpler

agreed!

[MarkWRX]

Ferrari_F1_fan_2001

Sometimes Ron Dennis' love for perfection in all things, including precise speech, gets him in trouble. He was discussing his love for Ayrton Senna and realized that it could be taken out of context, as quoted text, by certain people (several examples of them appearing in this very thread). So he started to backtrack and got himself in trouble. Give the man a break. He was trying very hard to give a sincere interview about a McLaren driver who many (I am not one) consider a Saint of Formula 1.

Of course, the more adolescent minded had to jump on that with comments about RD's sexuality. With all the comments about Sarah Fisher in another thread, it makes me wonder why I read this board sometimes.

Mark

[AD]

I think Ron Dennis spoke from his heart, and it was very nice

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Originally posted by MarkWRX
Ferrari_F1_fan_2001

Sometimes Ron Dennis' love for perfection in all things, including precise speech, gets him in trouble. He was discussing his love for Ayrton Senna and realized that it could be taken out of context, as quoted text, by certain people (several examples of them appearing in this very thread). So he started to backtrack and got himself in trouble. Give the man a break. He was trying very hard to give a sincere interview about a McLaren driver who many (I am not one) consider a Saint of Formula 1.

Of course, the more adolescent minded had to jump on that with comments about RD's sexuality. With all the comments about Sarah Fisher in another thread, it makes me wonder why I read this board sometimes.

Mark

Thanks Mark, glad someone agreed with me here, i was expecting to get jumped on here for sticking up for Ron Dennis lol