No and that's the point. He PROFITTED from it for years. He took lots of peoples money who paid him based on this fraud! His final act as a Lemans winner was an attempt to highjack the Scuderia Rampage and bill it as his own and that's when he was exposed. In the end, his greed was his own undoing!
Simple. I truly resent thieves and Con artists and I will outwardly question the integrity of those who align themselves with them.
So ownership or the ability to buy a 1983 308, roughly the same price as a decently optioned Ford F-150 pickup truck - the most common vehicle in America - is now the credential required to be able to discern whether someone is lying and whether your arguments hold no weight?! What a weak and prideful argument. Ferrari ownership or even the ability to buy one isn't required to be smart enough to see through Roland's BS. But apparently the inverse is not true.
I don't know either party: I wonder if anyone from Mother's can shed some light on this. Where did they get their information that Roland was a LeMans winner? And how did they find out he wasn't? Does anyone know someone at Mother's? Maybe a-white can shed some futher light, since he apparently has the F40. Doesn't matter to me either way, for me it's interesting watching the various characters/personalities. Thanks FCHAT! Cyrus
this thread is the reason why I didn't renew my subscription Roland has always been a pleasant, friendly and wonderful person to be around. He has contributed more to my passion for Ferraris and exotics than anyone has one this site. I will always hold him in the highest regard, without prejudice. I dont' care if he was in Lemans, or not. I appreciate him for who he is and not who he was. Has anyone ever thought that maybe he's keeping a low profile is because all that was his life ( cars ) has now been forciably been taken from him, through no fault of his own? I think once again, Roland has taught us all an important lesson...this time not on the track.... Take away the Porsches, F40s, Testarossa and you realize that they are not the be all and end all of life. The most important things are not the cars, not the validity of the the models, or how big your bank book is. It is the people around you, who stand by you through these silly hobbies that will still care for you after it is all done. Bravo Roland!!! I wish I could be half the man you are.
I wish I could win LeMans once in my life. I think it would be fun. Twice would even be two times as fun!
Man, signing on to Fchat everyday and this thread is the first eye sore that pops up. I don't know anyone who likes a thief or a con artist. I for one simply avoid any known individuals of this nature and count myself lucky if I've done so without losing any money or face. Darth, you're going so far with this that I can't help but question your own life. You protest too much.
I am sorry Randy, but Roland's behavior, friendliness, generosity, skill at driving, etc. are absolutely irrelevant to the issue at hand. The question asked (and answered) is simple. 1.) Question: Did Roland present himself to the F-Chat community at large (and to others) as a "pilote" (Thats French for driver) who had won twice at the 24Hrs duMans? 2.) Answer: Yes-Proof from eye witnesses, proof from his own e-mails and postings, and finally proof in the form of a public ad for Mothers Wax. This proof is not circumstantial-it is direct, weighty and clearcut. There can be no "hedging" on this by any supporter of Roland. 3.) Question: Did Roland profit by such deception? 4.) Answer: Yes, it would appear so. By claiming to have won that race, he was able to leverage that into driver training opportunities. Note that I have not said that he is not qualified, via other experience, to play that role-only that the impression given helped him financially. 5.) Question: Once this information became "public", did Roland attempt to correct the error/misinformation? 6.) Answer: Here the answer is more muddled-He never publically defended himself or apologized, that I am aware of. The Mothers ad did change, but the reasoning behind it is not clear. Was it changed to "cover up" the issue, or was it changed because he was caught or because he only now realized the error in the ad? I leave each person to make their conclusion on that. 7.) Question: Why do I care? 8.) Answer: Because I have been there at LeMans many times, competing as a Team Member--I have been there as a track engineer, design engineer, car designer and Technical director for BMW (Williams Grand Prix/BMW), Panoz, Team Goh/Audi, Toyota, Porsche and others. I have be going 10 year plus now and, due to luck and hard work, I have been able to see a Team I have been with win Overall twice, 3rd OA once, 5th OA once, 1st in class, 3rd in class, etc. With that record, you would think that I would have some legitimate claim to saying "Yes, I have won LeMans", but I do not make such claims, never have and never will. I always say I have been with a Team or it was my car, or I helped on that program. I leave the "winning" accolades to the drivers-as it should be. Now, if I, as a professional in the business, with my record, make this distinction, then, with all due respect to anyone else, this is the way in which my community (That is the racing world) interprets the phrase "I won LeMans.) What I would ask of Roland and/or his supporters is this: 1.) What Team were you (Roland) with when competing at LeMans. 2.) What was your (Roland) official position/duties at the race? 3.) What years where you competing at LeMans? Give me some reason/facts that would help me to say, "yea Roland played a part in that win-He did such at the race." Then I could feel better about this whole thing, but as things stand now (And I have held back on my opinion for too long now.) I take Roland's statments as a personal insult to me and my fellow team mates!
Sadly, you aren't hurting or helping get rid of the problems, you might just be making it worse. Nothing like a user that doesn't contribute in the form of subscriptions, supporting sponsors, or working with the community for positive change, yet will put down and ***** all day long. Why are you even here now except to ***** and be dramatic? I've met Roland several times and still talk with him by email, I think he is truly one of the nicest guys and top Ferrari enthusiasts. The lies are what they are and I think some of the responses are too harsh. Its not like someone was selling raffle tickets for a Ferrari that didn't exist, offering exotic warranties that hardly ever pay, claim you have a one off rare vintage Ferrari and don't, or make yourself out to be a successful businessman that owns Ferraris when you really just inherited the money and lease the cars. Sorry, I'm having too much fun with this, it is Friday. Three cheers for FerrariChat.com. May all enthusiasts be welcome with open arms, liars revealed, diversity respected, and 2nd chances to those making mistakes. The 3rd time we send you to Guantoma Bay!
Where can I get an F-150 that cheap? :O A 2007 Denali pushes 52k with all the fixins, not including financing. That's 328 territory.
Right here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-2006-FORD-F150-KING-RANCH-SUPERCREW-4X4_W0QQitemZ4652578998QQihZ002QQcategoryZ6219QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem lmpdesigner, excellent well thought out post. FC has exposed a number of prevaricators in the years I've been here. Some of the most despised at the time have been accepted back for whatever reasons, it will be interesting to see what happens with Roland. The most interesting thing to me in all of this is not that someone lied about themselves on the internet, but rather that in a community of dedicated racing enthusiasts his claims were not called into question sooner.
He said in the old Fchat . I read it like that as well . "Hi Bob, 68 & 69 911 GT wins, DNF 70/71/72 & 78 All in P cars from Carrera 6 Group 5 and 934 rsr " From that i understand that he achieved 2 wins in GT class with a P car in 68 and 68 but didnt finish in 70/71/72 & 78 . What else can be understood ?
I think the missunderstanding comes from "I was in the 24hr-LeMans in 196X" instead of "I was at the 24hr-LeMans in 196x"
Yes. Roland told me(the not so secret, 'secret' individual) that his F40 had actually been used to race and win the 24 hours of LeMans. He said this to me and the other 'secret' individual(a close friend and roommate at the time). His name? Steve Karlsgodt, San Diego, California. F-chat name 'F1gearhead' Ask him too if you wish. So there it is for you, all out in the open. Use your brainpower to discern the truth. Remember Sloan, you told me you believed me, but in this particular thread you act as if what I have stated is somehow dubious or nefarious in nature. C'mon now, no need to play both sides. You may have signed out of this thread(for whatever reasons), but ignoring what I am relating(a fact) doesn't add up to me. And like I have said, Roland is a warm guy. Fun to talk to, has lots of Ferrari experience and knowledge, etc etc etc... I don't choose to look the other way with the fashion he chose to display his name and reputation with. It's simply what it is. I think its a damn shame that still befuddles me to this very moment. But things are what they are. Which bring me to my last question that has been floating around unanswered for a bit: [size=+2]Has Roland Linder ever owned a McLaren F1 at ANY time?[/size] He told me and Steve Karlsgodt that he did(he even pulled out a picture from his wallet as 'proof' of ownership. I literally didn't know if I could believe him or not. And this isn't to say that people don't own these cars, I know a local guy who has one. I just didn't know what else I would be willing to bite into.
No. I would know. I and others "track" McLarens and his name has NEVER come up. Also, that local owner you speak of, i assume you're talking about the guy who recently purchased one, correct? Best Chris
With all due respect I disagree. Every adult owner on this site has the responsibility to be truthful. Without that there isn't much to this site. Just a bunch of Ferrari blowhards bragging about BS. I am a firm believer that people that tell little white lies also tell big black ones. So if you lie around here and get called out on it, I guess you face the consequenses. As for some posts being too harsh, I don't think so.
Then what that tells me is that it takes some serious balls to walk around with a picture of a McLaren F1 in your WALLET, SHOW it to people, and tell them you own it. Amazing really. That is correct. Hoping to see it soon!
The only person that posts logical thoughts. You and I would handle it just the same. Agreed. When you are racing though the team effort and team becomes one. The driver is the executing part of the win, the team makes it possible. So the team "wins" just as much as the driver. That said, I still agree with you that Roland could and should have handled this better. HOWEVER he never said to me and to my knowledge, others, that HE was driving LeMans as a Winner. John appears to be the only person that have ever heard that.
Not just me. My friend as well who was standing next to me at the time. This was casually at an event, one of the first he ever brought the car to back in 2003. Maybe he dropped that line when he realized how absurd it was. What are your thoughts on him pulling a picture out of his wallet of a Maclaren F1 and touting it as his own?
