F1 A.D. Specials - Jordan

Story of the drummer who never was mad.

Many modern journalists with the special fervor compare the present team-managers to Enzo Ferrari in their articles. Oftenly Ron Dennis, Jean Todt or Franck Williams are figuring in this matchings. And the only man, who was never didn't honored by such matching is Eddie Jordan.   And maybe unjustly! Though it would seem - what can be similar for mister with the ridiculous beard, bicycle-formed glasses, permanently chipping very special jokes, just like obscene expressions in thanksgiving speech for assigning him a Sporting Ambassador of Northern Ireland all over the world, and willful, goal-seeking and indefinitely in love with automobiles Commendatore?

However it's not so simple as it seems. From his debut as a chief of a ra�ing team, each Eddie's action was carefully balanced and suspended. And whether it could be differently for the person, who has invested all his money up to the last penny into the creation of this team?

Eddie Jordan's parents wasn't the prosper people. The World War 2 has bated a economic health of the Irish bourgeoisie. There was two ways from this situation - either business, or religion. And in Ireland of that time one did not hinder another. From the early age Eddie has exhibited his commercial skills, nevertheless he persistently prolonged to prepare himself for the career of the Catholic priest. His parents were dreaming of their son in a cowl, when he has infect himself with a virus of an auto racing. This has changed his life forever. And as his own career hasn't gone well (he has stopped to race after terrible emergency in 1972), Eddie has create his own team.

There were years. Eddie Jordan Racing has achieved a successes in miscellaneous leagues of a motor racing and in the end the Irishman has appeared in F3000. The business went not too bad - just remember a Jean Alesi's title in 1989. But whether it was enough for a successful debut in Formula 1? Perhaps no. Nevertheless in 1990 Eddie decided to go on storm of main fastigium of an auto racing. The bolid was designed by an old familiar Gary Anderson, the motor was granted by Ford. And the green bolid hits the start of the Grand Prix. The debut of a new team at that time was not such a scarcity as now. The surprising thing was another. The destiny of the rookie-team usually was the prequalifying starts and the breakthrough the starting grid was something like an exploit. But Jordan wasn�t an outsider. From the very beginning Bertrand Gachot and Andrea de Cesaris have declared themselfs as an middlemen and already in Canada both of them has finished in points.  

But soon Gachot falls into prison for a fight with a London taxi driver and receives a discharge from a team. Eddie, strongly missing money, makes an auction of the second drivers place. This way Michael Schumacher has come to F1. However having received a big money for a Mercedes ward's debut, Eddie has not sign a contract with him and has deprived him. A new star has been withdrawn to the Benetton by Flavio Briattore. Meanwhile Gachot leaves the prison, but he wasn't taken back to the team. The second place was occupied by the money-giving Alessandro Zanardi and Roberto Moreno.

First test session of the first Jordan F1 car.

part 2