Any of you remember Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, founder of Onys-Moneytron? Late '80s Van Rossem was a econometric stock exchange guru. In 1989 he founded Onyx-Moneytron, fitting Cosworth engine and Johanson, Letho and Gachot as drivers. He came to F1 looking for topinvesters.
I have got the chance to meet him. I'm an F1 enthousiast for years, so, any ideas to keep the conversation going?
groetjes
Joachim
1989 Moneytron - Onyx
Started by
joachimvanwing
, Sep 04 2003 17:35
14 replies to this topic
Advertisement
#2
Tim Murray
-
- 24,887 posts
- Joined: May 02
Moderator
Posted 04 September 2003 - 19:12
Have a look at this thread:
http://www.atlasf1.c...ight=van rossem
There are others featuring him - do a search on 'Van Rossem' for more.
http://www.atlasf1.c...ight=van rossem
There are others featuring him - do a search on 'Van Rossem' for more.
#3
Peter Morley
-
- 2,263 posts
- Joined: October 02
Member
Posted 05 September 2003 - 08:08
He is into slot racing cars - he runs a series of races for 1/24th scale slot cars.
As with a lot of car enthusiasts he started off with slot cars then moved into real ones, unlike many he kept up with the slot cars as well.
Not sure what you can ask him about, I know what you shouldn't ask him about (money laundering, his former Ferrari collection, cryogenics for example are all topics that will probably end the conversation rather quickly).
I met him last year and found it difficult to strike up a conversation, as with most successful (?) people he only has time for what he is interested in.
Example: the slot cars I distribute are 1/32nd scale not 1/24th so he isn't interested (of course I found out later that he buys them from one of the shops I supply). And he was only interested in the latest stuff not old ones/history.
As for real cars I didn't want to go there - I was told that he still isn't allowed his own until he pays back all the investors which is rather unlikely given the scale of their losses (doesn't stop him driving a Ferrari or living in a nice house - of course they belong to generous friends).
Since his release he moved into politics - stood up and made a brilliant point in the parliament one time, possibly as good as recent Italian comments about Germans.
In the past a friend won a new Ferrari 308 in a slot car championship arranged by Van Rossem, that was despite last minute rule changes (introduced in the best French style tradition). Not being daft my friend said he was going to take the car right up until the last minute, when he said he'd have the money instead.....
As with a lot of car enthusiasts he started off with slot cars then moved into real ones, unlike many he kept up with the slot cars as well.
Not sure what you can ask him about, I know what you shouldn't ask him about (money laundering, his former Ferrari collection, cryogenics for example are all topics that will probably end the conversation rather quickly).
I met him last year and found it difficult to strike up a conversation, as with most successful (?) people he only has time for what he is interested in.
Example: the slot cars I distribute are 1/32nd scale not 1/24th so he isn't interested (of course I found out later that he buys them from one of the shops I supply). And he was only interested in the latest stuff not old ones/history.
As for real cars I didn't want to go there - I was told that he still isn't allowed his own until he pays back all the investors which is rather unlikely given the scale of their losses (doesn't stop him driving a Ferrari or living in a nice house - of course they belong to generous friends).
Since his release he moved into politics - stood up and made a brilliant point in the parliament one time, possibly as good as recent Italian comments about Germans.
In the past a friend won a new Ferrari 308 in a slot car championship arranged by Van Rossem, that was despite last minute rule changes (introduced in the best French style tradition). Not being daft my friend said he was going to take the car right up until the last minute, when he said he'd have the money instead.....
#4
Pedro 917
-
- 1,767 posts
- Joined: August 02
Member
Posted 05 September 2003 - 10:54
Happy Birthday Peter !!
"Rebel" Van Rossem was a stock exchange guru and because of his bold statements, he became a media darling. He created his own political party, got elected and quickly became the black sheep in parliament. He messed up when King Albert II was sworn in shouting "vive la république" which obviously caused an enormous mayhem. That was simply "not done" and he was outlawed. All forces were used in order to crucify him and they finally jailed him for fraude and another million reasons. He was released because of health problems and calmed down since (my guess is that they made a deal : shut up and we'll set you free).
Nevertheless, I enjoyed his passing through !
"Rebel" Van Rossem was a stock exchange guru and because of his bold statements, he became a media darling. He created his own political party, got elected and quickly became the black sheep in parliament. He messed up when King Albert II was sworn in shouting "vive la république" which obviously caused an enormous mayhem. That was simply "not done" and he was outlawed. All forces were used in order to crucify him and they finally jailed him for fraude and another million reasons. He was released because of health problems and calmed down since (my guess is that they made a deal : shut up and we'll set you free).
Nevertheless, I enjoyed his passing through !
#5
ensign14
-
- 64,615 posts
- Joined: December 01
Member
Posted 05 September 2003 - 10:58
I understood he was up for fraud so he set up the Rossem party, so he could be elected to Parliament and rely on the Belgian Parliament's rule at the time that MPs were immune from prosecution?Originally posted by Pedro 917
All forces were used in order to crucify him and they finally jailed him for fraude and another million reasons.
#6
fines
-
- 9,647 posts
- Joined: September 00
Member
Posted 05 September 2003 - 13:47
Ask him... to stay away from racing!Originally posted by joachimvanwing
Any of you remember Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, founder of Onys-Moneytron? Late '80s Van Rossem was a econometric stock exchange guru. In 1989 he founded Onyx-Moneytron, fitting Cosworth engine and Johanson, Letho and Gachot as drivers. He came to F1 looking for topinvesters.
I have got the chance to meet him. I'm an F1 enthousiast for years, so, any ideas to keep the conversation going?
groetjes
Joachim
#7
Jimmy Piget
-
- 530 posts
- Joined: April 02
Member
Posted 05 September 2003 - 18:04
I suppose this man to have a huge sense of humour.
"Moneytron" name is a pun (for non-French talking TNFers, it phonetically means "my turd" — sorry , Mr Moderator...)
As far as I am concerned, I do regret the days when such people walked inside F1 (the same for Andrea Sassetti of Andrea Moda "fame").
Now, we just get "light products" without any taste or smell...
Fortunately, there still are the races !
"Moneytron" name is a pun (for non-French talking TNFers, it phonetically means "my turd" — sorry , Mr Moderator...)
As far as I am concerned, I do regret the days when such people walked inside F1 (the same for Andrea Sassetti of Andrea Moda "fame").
Now, we just get "light products" without any taste or smell...
Fortunately, there still are the races !
#8
RTH
-
- 6,072 posts
- Joined: January 03
Member
Posted 06 September 2003 - 12:34
Yes, they were at least characters with a bit of colour and scandal rather than the dull grey - ' I'm not allowed to tell you anything you don't already know ' team principals we have today.
Onyx was always Mike Earle's team - headquarters were a fabulous country mansion at Fontwell Park sussex near the coast ( which they were also restoring at the time - the Ballroom was amazing ) with a state of the art factory at the rear.
Alan Jenkins was designer - who always wanted every component to be CNC machined out of a solid block of unobtainium, - high standards but as later proved not ideal for a team just starting out in Grand Prix racing costs were uncontainable.
A great shame it was a nice little car which showed great potential - but didn't live to get enough chance.
Onyx was always Mike Earle's team - headquarters were a fabulous country mansion at Fontwell Park sussex near the coast ( which they were also restoring at the time - the Ballroom was amazing ) with a state of the art factory at the rear.
Alan Jenkins was designer - who always wanted every component to be CNC machined out of a solid block of unobtainium, - high standards but as later proved not ideal for a team just starting out in Grand Prix racing costs were uncontainable.
A great shame it was a nice little car which showed great potential - but didn't live to get enough chance.
#9
barrykm
-
- 847 posts
- Joined: February 02
Member
Posted 06 September 2003 - 13:19
It was certainly one of the neatest-looking cars at the time.
#10
petefenelon
-
- 4,815 posts
- Joined: August 02
Member
Posted 06 September 2003 - 18:45
Originally posted by RTH
Yes, they were at least characters with a bit of colour and scandal rather than the dull grey - ' I'm not allowed to tell you anything you don't already know ' team principals we have today.
Onyx was always Mike Earle's team - headquarters were a fabulous country mansion at Fontwell Park sussex near the coast ( which they were also restoring at the time - the Ballroom was amazing ) with a state of the art factory at the rear.
Alan Jenkins was designer - who always wanted every component to be CNC machined out of a solid block of unobtainium, - high standards but as later proved not ideal for a team just starting out in Grand Prix racing costs were uncontainable.
A great shame it was a nice little car which showed great potential - but didn't live to get enough chance.
The Chamberlain/Earle gameplan seemed to hinge on getting works engines ASAP - it looked like they might get Lamborghini works engines at first - indeed at one point there was a chance that they'd actually end up as the March works team running Lambo-powered cars; then Meat Loaf came along and tried to get them Porsches (now that would've killed them...)
Jenkins always struck me as a detail man rather than a great conceptual designer - the overall styling of the Onyx was gorgeous, but the best bit of engineering was the gearbox...
#11
fines
-
- 9,647 posts
- Joined: September 00
Member
Posted 08 September 2003 - 03:17
'Colourful characters'? Let's face it, Rossem, Joachim Lüthi et al were just crooks, criminals and [unprintable]!
a firm
a firm
#12
RTH
-
- 6,072 posts
- Joined: January 03
Member
Posted 08 September 2003 - 06:28
You are quite right, - for some reason motor racing has historically attracted some people of a dishonest persuasion and very often on a grand scale, being convicted of some very heavy duty offences.
I am sure many of us could list people who made themselves high profile in the sport funding their involvement through fraud,drugs, illegal alcohol,theft,racketeering, murder, blackmail , smuggling & violence. - And probably a great many more who have got away with it undetected , many a time I have wondered how X or Y have paid for their extreme and gratuitous spending, with no apparent means of support. There is a book there for someone to write ! If these sort of people were not "Up to it " motor sport may well have been kept at a much more affordable level for the true enthusiast competitor.
I am sure many of us could list people who made themselves high profile in the sport funding their involvement through fraud,drugs, illegal alcohol,theft,racketeering, murder, blackmail , smuggling & violence. - And probably a great many more who have got away with it undetected , many a time I have wondered how X or Y have paid for their extreme and gratuitous spending, with no apparent means of support. There is a book there for someone to write ! If these sort of people were not "Up to it " motor sport may well have been kept at a much more affordable level for the true enthusiast competitor.
#13
ensign14
-
- 64,615 posts
- Joined: December 01
Member
Posted 08 September 2003 - 07:46
Having said that, motor racing is not the only sport in which this has happened, and sport is not the only activity to have suffered likewise...Originally posted by RTH
I am sure many of us could list people who made themselves high profile in the sport funding their involvement through fraud,drugs, illegal alcohol,theft,racketeering, murder, blackmail , smuggling & violence.
#14
fines
-
- 9,647 posts
- Joined: September 00
Member
Posted 08 September 2003 - 19:37
True, but racing probably suffers disproportionally. And wondering about where the money comes from has me often galled thinking of the Historic Racing Scene, too! 
#15
RTH
-
- 6,072 posts
- Joined: January 03
Member
Posted 09 September 2003 - 07:51
For me borrowing gigantic sums of money from banks etc for your own company and then spending it on your personal motor racing or in , say buying motorsport venues put in your own name , in the certain knowledge that doing this will send the limited liability company in to bankruptcy - thereby losing all the shareholders money (i.e. yours & mine pension contributions ) all the creditors money and all the outstanding income tax and V.A.T - so putting our taxes up yet again - I see this as every bit as serious a crime as "The great train robbery " often now with sums as great as a billion pounds lost and these people should get sentances long enough to stop them ever coming out.
There has been a huge amount of this which still goes completely unpunished, the law and judicial system in this country (UK) has all its priorities wrong and is in a disgraceful state.
There has been a huge amount of this which still goes completely unpunished, the law and judicial system in this country (UK) has all its priorities wrong and is in a disgraceful state.
