Inspired by Yhwman (Jordan Grand Prix)

Member Name: Squiggles

Product:	Jordan Grand Prix
Date:	04/07/01 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast and furious, Great tactics, Run by that man EJ

Disadvantages: Serious competition from Sauber

Grateful thanks to Yhwman for giving me the confidence to write about a sport I love, even if I'm not up to scratch on the technical details!..................

I would be lying if I said I knew everything about Formula One, I don’t! I’m the first to admit I’m not an expert; I’m a girlie after all. But I am a huge fan of the sport, the speed, the strategy element, the drivers (just can’t get enough of men in hard helmets, ahem!), and in particular, the Jordan team.

I guess it’s more to do with the man himself, Eddie Jordan, rather than anything to do with the best Formula One car, or the team with the best technological and speed advancements. Eddie is simply one of the nicest, liveliest and most fair team owners you could wish to meet. His flamboyant nature and ever-ready smile adds to his appeal and you can always count on EJ to be the life and soul at those big glitzy F1 parties and celebrity bashes! Plus, his garage technicians, mechanics etc seem to be amongst the hardest working and jovial of all the teams, and their respect and admiration for Eddie is obvious.

Jordan has a relatively short history in the sport compared to say, Ferrari. But their sheer enthusiasm and dedication to the sport has resulted in a great deal of success for Eddie, currently with Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli as number one and two drivers, although Trulli seems to be outclassing his team mate at present. This season, Jordan seem to have lost a little of their impetus, with Heinz Harald Frentzen currently lying just 11th in the driver’s table and Jarno Trulli ahead of him in 6th place. Williams and Sauber are currently their biggest rivals, Ralph Schumacher is having the season of his life and developing as a mature and respected driver, producing magical speeds from the Williams car. The acquisition of Montoya by Frank Williams seems to be paying off, with the Colombian driver showing a developing maturi
ty with every race, and producing some great speed from his engine. Sauber seem to be matched very closely and it will be a tussle to the very end of the season.

Jordan Honda, chiefly sponsored by Benson and Hedges, began their Formula One career eleven years ago and are based at the British home of motorcar racing, Silverstone. During their few short years in the sport, they have reached exciting heights and proved themselves to be a team to be reckoned with. Known as the young and lively Rock and Roll team, they are very popular with their rival teams, well at least until the lights go out! They have proved their worth by outclassing both Benetton and Williams during their short career with a delighted Eddie at the helm.

Currently, Jordan have had to face one or two unreliability problems, but in Sunday’s Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, both drivers completed the course with Trulli finishing a creditable 5th with Heinz Harold managing a disappointing 8th after suffering a poor second pit stop and a spin that brought him to a complete standstill. Their biggest problem this season, seems to be a lack of straight-line speed compared to Ferrari, Williams and McLaren, not helped by one or two DNF’s during earlier races. But at the moment, they’re placed as 6th in the Constructor’s Championship, just one point behind the Sauber team who were able to take advantage of Frentzen’s poor pit stop earlier today.

Both drivers are talented and determined; although Frentzen does seem to have lost a bit of his bite and form, but I feel sure that the enthusiastic Jordan team will soon rectify their problems, and work on the car’s speed and improve their position. They will hopefully go ahead of Sauber in the Constructor’s table and I predict 2002 will be the season that restores Jordan as one of the top three teams in the Championships. Assuming they can stop Eddie from pursuing his second career of rock band drum
mer of course!

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