Charismatic, extravagant and determined, Eddie Jordan brought much-needed color and joy to the sports fans who will sorely miss him as they mourn his loss at the age of 76, as announced earlier this week.
The Irish banker-turned-motorsport driver and F1 team manager team has left an indelible mark on the sport since his emergence in the paddock.
Unlike most people in motorsport, Jordan found himself at quite a distance during his early life. That was until he watched a karting race during his trip to Jersey due to a banking strike. Bitten by the motor racing bug, he bought his own kart and competed in the Irish Kart Championship, winning the title in 1971.
After driving in many feeder series, the peak of his career came in Formula Atlantic when he won the 1978 title. Sadly, a year later, he suffered a major leg injury in Mallory Park as he competed in the British Formula Atlantic, which effectively ended his days as a driver but did little to finish his relationship with the sport.
He founded Eddie Jordan Racing, where he found great success in the F3000 series (direct F1 feeder series at the time). By 1989, the EJR team became the team to beat, winning the title for that year with a young Jean Alesi behind the wheel.
Following his success in F3000 and known for having an eye for future talents in F1 (Alesi, Eddie Irvine, Johnny Herbert), his great negotiation skills got him a deal with Ford to race their V10 Cosworth engines, and along with multiple sponsors to back his dream: Jordan Grand Prix F1 team.
Jordan had a great eye for talent but even more for business. Putting his negotiation skills to good use, he struck a deal with Ford to race their Cosworth V10 engines and several big sponsors to see his dream come true: The Jordan Grand Prix F1 Team.
The 1991 Australian Grand Prix proved to be its maiden race, and what better way to do it than with the livery that has been regarded by many as the most beautiful in the sport, the Jordan 191?
The team had several ups and downs between 1991 and 2005, but it flew close to the sun twice. First, during the 1991 season, when after a pepper spray incident involving driver Bertrand Gachot, Jordan GP took a risk and signed unknown rookie Michael Schumacher.
He debuted with the Jordan 191, finishing seventh, and was signed immediately by Benetton. Jordan GP finished fifth in the constructors championship with an incredible debut and is forever known as the team that launched Schumacher into fame.
The second notable outing came during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. A 1-2 with the great Damon Hill and rookie Ralf Schumacher brought the first race win for the team in the 1998 Belgian GP despite not having the fastest car. By the end of the 1999 season, it finished third in the championship and almost fought for the title, winning two races with Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
But far from being just a great driver and team manager, Jordan was a business expert who could find shelter when everybody else faced a storm. Cheered on and respected for his incredible personality, fans remember him not only for his bold photos and statements but also for his colorful commentary in F1 between the 2009 and 2015 seasons.
In late 2024, during the Formula Success podcast, Jordan said he had been battling a rare form of prostate cancer for a while, prior to the announcement of his death this week.
We like to remember him with his head up, fist forward against any challenge, and as he would say:
“B-E-L-I E-V-E — it‘s called Believe, and if you don’t believe 100% you are f***ed!
