Eddie Jordan
Encyclopedia
Edmund "Eddie" Jordan also known as "EJ" (born March 30, 1948) founded and owned Jordan Grand Prix
, a Formula One
constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005. He is currently the lead analyst for F1 coverage on the BBC
.
in 1948, Jordan grew up in Bray
, County Wicklow
, and was educated at Synge Street Christian Brothers School in Central Dublin.
Intending to become a dentist
, he ended up working for the Bank of Ireland
as a clerk. During a strike in Dublin, he went on holiday to the island of Jersey
, where he witnessed and took part in kart racing
for the first time.
In 1974 Jordan moved on to Formula Ford
, where he competed for two years, but was forced to sit out the 1976 season when he broke both his legs in a crash. After his injuries had healed, he switched to Formula Atlantic
, won three races in 1977, and won the Irish Formula Atlantic Championship in 1978. Jordan and Stefan Johansson
raced in British Formula Three
in 1979, under the name "Team Ireland". The same year, Jordan drove in one Formula Two
race and did a small amount of testing for McLaren.
in 1981 at various events in and around Great Britain. In 1982 his primary driver was James Weaver
; in 1983 Weaver ran again in European F3 and Jordan hired Martin Brundle
, who finished second to Ayrton Senna
in British F3. In 1987 the team employed Johnny Herbert
, who proceeded to win the British Formula Three Championship
.
Jordan also entered a Formula 3000 team, whose first wins came with drivers Herbert and Martin Donnelly in 1988. In 1989 the Jordan F3000 team dominated the season and Jordan driver Jean Alesi
won the championship.
in 1991 hiring the respected Gary Anderson as Chief Designer. The team quickly gained its respect and punched above their weight on a number of occasions during the season. It should also be noted that Eddie Jordan gave Michael Schumacher
his Formula 1 debut in the team's debut season. After one race for the team, Schumacher was lured away to rivals Benetton.
In the team achieved its best ever result when drivers Damon Hill
and Ralf Schumacher
finished first and second at the Belgian Grand Prix
. In , Jordan achieved their F1 zenith when Heinz-Harald Frentzen
became a genuine contender for the championship, ultimately finishing third, the best placing ever of a Jordan driver and accumulating two race wins along the way. He was leading the European Grand Prix
, but retired because of electrical problems.
team in 2002 and numerous difficulties within the team (including a very public row and the sacking of Frentzen before his home GP), Jordan was forced to switch to expensive Cosworth
engines. The added burden of this plus DHL withdrawing their sponsorship and Benson and Hedges toning down their sponsorship soon added up and the lack of funds made his team go from bad to worse in 2003. However despite this, Jordan delivered an improbable race win in Brazil 2003 courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella
, the first for Fisichella and the last Formula One victory for the Ford Motor Company and the Jordan team. In 2001 Jordan sued Vodafone for allegedly breaking a three year sponsorship agreement worth $150 million but lost the case creating further setbacks for Team Jordan.
Jordan's steep fall from the glitzy heights of 3rd in the constructors in 1999 was now out of control. Despite new sponsorship from Trust computers and the addition of "Quick" Nick Heidfeld
and a promising young rookie in Timo Glock
for 2004, Jordan was in serious trouble. Jordan retained complete ownership of his team until 2004 and his rejections of rumoured approaches for buy outs (most notably from Peugeot
and Honda) may have cost the team greater success.
, financed by wealthy Russia
n-Canadian
businessman Alex Schnaider, bought Jordan Grand Prix in early 2005, and the team was subsequently renamed MF1 Racing for . The team was sold again in 2006 to Dutch car manufacturer Spyker Cars
to become Spyker F1
for , and then sold once more to become Force India
in . Force India still competes in Formula One and operates out of Jordan's old premises at Silverstone
.
for BBC Sport F1 coverage alongside Jake Humphrey
, David Coulthard
and Martin Brundle
.
Jordan wrote a monthly column called 'This much I know' for F1 Racing
magazine, until they relaunched with Murray Walker
writing instead. Jordan also worked on a TV series called "Eddie Jordan's Bad Boy Racers." In 2007 he was appointed Chairman of Rally Ireland
, a round of the World Rally Championship.
music, and he personally plays the drums. Until 2007 his band's name was V10. A cut down version of the band is currently gigging at various venues around the world under the name of "Eddie & The Robbers".
His father Danny Jordan
played football for Shamrock Rovers in the 1950s, and Jordan was a fanatical fan of the club. Jordan is a fan of Coventry City and has been linked with takeover bids for the club. Jordan is also a Celtic FC shareholder Jordan's other sporting interests include golf and horse racing, where he has horses in training with Mouse Morris
.
He has several other companies still owned partly or wholly by himself, including the vodka
brand Vodka V10 and the energy drink brand EJ-10
Jordan has written an autobiography, "An Independent Man", which was published in May 2007.
as a result of a racing accident sustained during his youth. As such, he is a noted wig wearer; carrying three to simulate hair growth.
Married to Marie, ex-All Ireland Under-18 basketball
player, the couple have four children. Their main base is in Ireland where Jordan keeps his personal helicopter, and he has homes in Wentworth
, South Kensington
, London
and Monaco
, where he keeps his yacht.
Jordan is a patron of the child cancer charity CLIC Sargent.
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
, a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005. He is currently the lead analyst for F1 coverage on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Biography
Born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1948, Jordan grew up in Bray
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and was educated at Synge Street Christian Brothers School in Central Dublin.
Intending to become a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, he ended up working for the Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
as a clerk. During a strike in Dublin, he went on holiday to the island of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, where he witnessed and took part in kart racing
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
for the first time.
Racing career
Upon his return to Dublin, Jordan bought a kart and began racing. His first race was at Bouley Bay, Jersey, in 1970; he entered the Irish Kart Championship in 1971 and won it.In 1974 Jordan moved on to Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
, where he competed for two years, but was forced to sit out the 1976 season when he broke both his legs in a crash. After his injuries had healed, he switched to Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic is a specification of open wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club of America Formula Atlantic.-History:The history of...
, won three races in 1977, and won the Irish Formula Atlantic Championship in 1978. Jordan and Stefan Johansson
Stefan Johansson
Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson is a former Formula One driver from who drove for among others both Ferrari and McLaren during his Grand Prix career. Since leaving Formula One he has raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing, and Grand Prix Masters...
raced in British Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
in 1979, under the name "Team Ireland". The same year, Jordan drove in one Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
race and did a small amount of testing for McLaren.
Team management
At the end of 1979 and short of money, Jordan founded his first team, Eddie Jordan Racing, which ran drivers David Leslie and David SearsDavid Sears (Motorsport)
John David Sears is a former racing driver turned owner of the Super Nova GP2 team. He also managed drivers such as Jan Magnussen, Taki Inoue and Vincenzo Sospiri and is son to Jack.He turned down the chance to buy Simtek at the end of 1994.-Foot notes:...
in 1981 at various events in and around Great Britain. In 1982 his primary driver was James Weaver
James Weaver (racing driver)
James Weaver is a British former racing driver. He began his career in the European F3. In 1982 he was the Eddie Jordan Racing team's primary driver, but in 1983 he went back to the European F3. He debuted in the British Touring Car Championship in 1989 at the Oulton Park circuit in March that year...
; in 1983 Weaver ran again in European F3 and Jordan hired Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
, who finished second to Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
in British F3. In 1987 the team employed Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...
, who proceeded to win the British Formula Three Championship
British Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
.
Jordan also entered a Formula 3000 team, whose first wins came with drivers Herbert and Martin Donnelly in 1988. In 1989 the Jordan F3000 team dominated the season and Jordan driver Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...
won the championship.
Formula One
Jordan founded Jordan Grand PrixJordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
in 1991 hiring the respected Gary Anderson as Chief Designer. The team quickly gained its respect and punched above their weight on a number of occasions during the season. It should also be noted that Eddie Jordan gave Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
his Formula 1 debut in the team's debut season. After one race for the team, Schumacher was lured away to rivals Benetton.
In the team achieved its best ever result when drivers Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
and Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...
finished first and second at the Belgian Grand Prix
1998 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 30, 1998, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps; contested over 44 laps, it was the 13th race of the 1998 Formula One season. The race was won by Damon Hill driving for the Jordan team...
. In , Jordan achieved their F1 zenith when Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. At various times driving for Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Prost, and Arrows, he achieved three race wins before his retirement from F1 in 2003.-Early career:He was born in the West German city of...
became a genuine contender for the championship, ultimately finishing third, the best placing ever of a Jordan driver and accumulating two race wins along the way. He was leading the European Grand Prix
1999 European Grand Prix
The 1999 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 26, 1999 at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1999 Formula One season....
, but retired because of electrical problems.
Decline and sale
After losing a Honda engine partnership deal to the BARBritish American Racing
British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...
team in 2002 and numerous difficulties within the team (including a very public row and the sacking of Frentzen before his home GP), Jordan was forced to switch to expensive Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
engines. The added burden of this plus DHL withdrawing their sponsorship and Benson and Hedges toning down their sponsorship soon added up and the lack of funds made his team go from bad to worse in 2003. However despite this, Jordan delivered an improbable race win in Brazil 2003 courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella , also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Nowadays, he drives for AF Corse's GT2 Ferrari in various sportscar events...
, the first for Fisichella and the last Formula One victory for the Ford Motor Company and the Jordan team. In 2001 Jordan sued Vodafone for allegedly breaking a three year sponsorship agreement worth $150 million but lost the case creating further setbacks for Team Jordan.
Jordan's steep fall from the glitzy heights of 3rd in the constructors in 1999 was now out of control. Despite new sponsorship from Trust computers and the addition of "Quick" Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
and a promising young rookie in Timo Glock
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...
for 2004, Jordan was in serious trouble. Jordan retained complete ownership of his team until 2004 and his rejections of rumoured approaches for buy outs (most notably from Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
and Honda) may have cost the team greater success.
Team after Jordan
Midland GroupMidland Group
The Midland Group is an international trading and investment holding company, Registered in Guernsey under the name Midland Resources Holding Ltd, the group owns a number of subsidiaries across the agriculture, manufacturing, real estate, shipping and steel industries.Primarily active in the...
, financed by wealthy Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman Alex Schnaider, bought Jordan Grand Prix in early 2005, and the team was subsequently renamed MF1 Racing for . The team was sold again in 2006 to Dutch car manufacturer Spyker Cars
Spyker Cars
Spyker Cars is a Dutch sports car marque. The modern Spyker Cars only has the legal right to the brand name. The company's motto is "Nulla tenaci invia est via", which is Latin for "For the tenacious, no road is impassable". The marque's logo displays the piston engine of an airplane, a reference...
to become Spyker F1
Spyker F1
Spyker F1 Team was a Formula One team that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship, and was created by Spyker Cars after their buyout of the short-lived Midland F1 team...
for , and then sold once more to become Force India
Force India
Sahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...
in . Force India still competes in Formula One and operates out of Jordan's old premises at Silverstone
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and Banbury...
.
Other motorsports interests
In 2009, Jordan returned to the F1 scene as a punditPundit
Pundit may refer to:* Pandit or pundit in India, a scholar or expert, especially of traditional Indian law, philosophy, or music* Pundit , a 19th century term to denote native surveyors who explored regions to the north of India for the British Empire* Pundit , an expert or opinion-leader who...
for BBC Sport F1 coverage alongside Jake Humphrey
Jake Humphrey
Jacob John "Jake" Humphrey is an English television presenter, currently best known for his work with BBC Sport, being the youngest ever presenter to host Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score. He currently presents the BBC's Formula One coverage and BBC Sports Personality of the Year...
, David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
and Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
.
Jordan wrote a monthly column called 'This much I know' for F1 Racing
F1 Racing
F1 Racing is a monthly magazine focused on Formula One racing which launched in March, 1996.The previous Editor, Matt Bishop, also used to write a fortnightly column for the website of the weekly magazine Autosport...
magazine, until they relaunched with Murray Walker
Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
writing instead. Jordan also worked on a TV series called "Eddie Jordan's Bad Boy Racers." In 2007 he was appointed Chairman of Rally Ireland
Rally Ireland
Rally Ireland was a new addition to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2007. It was not part of the 2008 schedule, but returned as the First round of the championship in 2009. The North-South event is the largest sporting occasion on the island of Ireland with over 250,000 spectators and...
, a round of the World Rally Championship.
Other interests
Jordan loves rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music, and he personally plays the drums. Until 2007 his band's name was V10. A cut down version of the band is currently gigging at various venues around the world under the name of "Eddie & The Robbers".
His father Danny Jordan
Danny Jordan
Danny Jordan was an Irish soccer player who played for Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers during the 1950s.He signed for the Milltown club for the 1952/53 season but returned to Bohs and was top scorer in the League of Ireland for the 1953/54 season with 14 league goals with the Dalymount Park...
played football for Shamrock Rovers in the 1950s, and Jordan was a fanatical fan of the club. Jordan is a fan of Coventry City and has been linked with takeover bids for the club. Jordan is also a Celtic FC shareholder Jordan's other sporting interests include golf and horse racing, where he has horses in training with Mouse Morris
Mouse Morris
Michael 'Mouse' Morris is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey.As a jockey he rode Skymas to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1976 and 1977 and Billycan to win the 1977 Irish Grand National, while his most notable successes as a trainer have come with Buck House in the 1983 Supreme...
.
He has several other companies still owned partly or wholly by himself, including the vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
brand Vodka V10 and the energy drink brand EJ-10
EJ-10
EJ-10 is an energy drink marketed by Eddie Jordan through his now-defunct Formula One team, Jordan Grand Prix. The energy drink was heavily advertised as free of caffeine and taurine to avoid a sugar crash. EJ-10 has a fruity flavor and provides energy after eight minutes for up to 90 minutes...
Jordan has written an autobiography, "An Independent Man", which was published in May 2007.
Personal life
Jordan suffers from alopeciaAlopecia
Alopecia means loss of hair from the head or body. Alopecia can mean baldness, a term generally reserved for pattern alopecia or androgenic alopecia. Compulsive pulling of hair can also produce hair loss. Hairstyling routines such as tight ponytails or braids may induce Traction alopecia. Both...
as a result of a racing accident sustained during his youth. As such, he is a noted wig wearer; carrying three to simulate hair growth.
Married to Marie, ex-All Ireland Under-18 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, the couple have four children. Their main base is in Ireland where Jordan keeps his personal helicopter, and he has homes in Wentworth
Wentworth
-People:* Baron Wentworth , the Wentworth peerage, several men and women.* D'Arcy Wentworth , surgeon in the early days of Sydney, Australia, and father of William Charles Wentworth I....
, South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, where he keeps his yacht.
Jordan is a patron of the child cancer charity CLIC Sargent.