Astraman
27-04-2000, 04:48 PM
April 27th - Mike Gascoyne to quit team.
In a shock announcement Eddie Jordan has today announced that Technical Director Mike Gascoyne would not be renewing his contract with the team, currently due to expire in July 2001. :(
His decision to leave is a huge blow to the team as they try to make a concerted effort to move closer to the Ferrari and McLaren teams over the next few seasons. The loss of such a key part of the team will be hard to replace.
Since the British Grand Prix it has been widely rumoured that he has been approached by Renault to take control of their technical department and with thier full time entry due in the 2002 season although Renault have not so far made any comment. It would make sense to get a technical director in 2001. :mad:
Gascoyne joined the Jordan team in 1998, initially as as Chief Designer, alongside Gary Anderson, and was promoted to Technical Director in January 2000. He has to take a lot of the credit for the recent success of the team, all three wins have come with him in charge, although the J198 was an anderson design. The J199 was his first total build and took the Jordan team to their highest ever points total of 61 and championship position of 3rd. :D
When asked about Gascoyne's decision Eddie Jordan commented, "Mike has informed me of his plans and pledged to honour his contract until July 2001. Due to our success in recent years it is inevitable that our key team members would be approached by other teams, particularly as major motor manufacturers become involved. Throughout our existence we have invested heavily in developing young talent and putting structures in place so that no individual is irreplaceable. Mike has done, and will continue to do, a great job for us. We have a great team of designers and engineers and I am confident that they will mount an increasingly strong challenge for the World Championship." :cool:
Gascoyne also released a statement to the press, "I really appreciate the great opportunity which Eddie and the team have given me at Jordan. The company is rich with truly outstanding people and my move will make the way clear for them to achieve greater success and recognition." http://www.eforecourt.com/UBB/naughty.gif
It is not known what Jordan´s plans are for a replacement once Gascoyne's contract expires. :confused:
April 25th - Eddie says gearbox problems will be fixed by Barcelona.
Reliability problems to be solved by Barcelona Eddie Jordan expects to have the gearbox reliability problems solved in time for the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks time.
The team has suffered from a potentiometre problem in the first few races of this season - causing both Frentzen and Trulli to retire from races when they have problems changing gears.
As Jordan's Chief Executive, Eddie Jordan explains, "We have some new components which we worked on flat out to have for the British Grand Prix. But unfortunately we were not able to have them ready in time. We will, however, have them available for tesing in Spain next week. Hopefully this will resolve the problems we have had with reliability and mean that we can finish more races and win further points." :rolleyes:
April 19th - Eddie - My biggest regret is not signing Alesi.
Someone with Eddie Jordan’s colourful history of motor sport and style of business is bound to have a few regrets. Eddie has admitted he has, but surprisingly perhaps he says that his biggest regret in his 10 years of Formula One, is not having the chance to work with Jean Alesi.
He strongly believes that Alesi had the talent and potential to be World Champion and could he have done a ‘Frentzen’ to bring it out.
"If I had one regret it is that I haven't worked with Jean in Formula One, because I honestly believe I could have turned him into the world champion that he should have been," said Jordan. "The thing about Alesi is that you see his real talent coming out in the wet. He has a natural style and huge experience and he knows how to do it at this level."
Jordan has remained close to Alesi since the Frenchman won the F3000 championship for Eddie Jordan Racing in 1989. "He is a very certain style of driver but when he came to me in F3000 he was a spoilt little brat and I told him to leave his home in Avignon and come and live with me. He learnt his English with me and now my 17-year-old daughter is living with them over Easter learning French and she has seen that they are a very emotional family."
Since those F3000 days Eddie has watched Jean's career with great interest and insisted that an arm around his shoulder would work wonders at Prost to get the best out of the experienced Frenchman.
Eddie suggests he tried to sign him during the 1991 season when Jean was driving for Tyrrell. "He got high and mighty with me and went to Ferrari and got involved with a new manager. He would not cry, but he would get very emotional. He allowed himself to get in a situation at Ferrari where Alain Prost was the boss.”
Moving on to the Frenchman’s current drive Eddie commented, “Now he is trying to build a strong personal relationship with somebody like Alain thinking that it is going to get him through, but in the heat of the moment it is pragmatic. I am not saying Jean is not a true professional, but he needs a very kind person to get the best out of him."
April 18th - Jordan to get Honda engines ?
It's believed that Jordan could be on the verge of signing an engine deal with Honda which will see the Irish outfit become the Japanese giant's second team. Bernie Ecclestone stated recently that he would like to see all engine manufacturers supply two teams to ensure there are enough quality engines to go round and Jordan would be the obvious choice for Honda.
It's well known that prior to BAR securing their deal with Honda last year, Eddie Jordan worked very hard to try to convince the Japanese company to supply his team and he was hugely disappointed when the BAR-Honda deal was announced.
In recent months Honda have distanced themselves from Mugen-Honda, dissolving the joint development and research teams that have been in place for some years and now divesting themselves of their 40% stake in what was previously a sister company. This lack of funding and support seriously questions how competitive the Mugen engine can be in the future so Eddie knows there is no alternative but to get a works engine.
BAR do currently have an exclusivity clause in their contract, so it is unclear how Honda would handle the legal side, but with the Jordan cars being quicker then BAR at just about every test session and race weekend, BAR must be worried about the threat to remove supply completely. They might see the supply of Jordan as the second team as a way to keep the increasingly competitive powerplant http://www.eforecourt.com/UBB/groovy.gif
In a shock announcement Eddie Jordan has today announced that Technical Director Mike Gascoyne would not be renewing his contract with the team, currently due to expire in July 2001. :(
His decision to leave is a huge blow to the team as they try to make a concerted effort to move closer to the Ferrari and McLaren teams over the next few seasons. The loss of such a key part of the team will be hard to replace.
Since the British Grand Prix it has been widely rumoured that he has been approached by Renault to take control of their technical department and with thier full time entry due in the 2002 season although Renault have not so far made any comment. It would make sense to get a technical director in 2001. :mad:
Gascoyne joined the Jordan team in 1998, initially as as Chief Designer, alongside Gary Anderson, and was promoted to Technical Director in January 2000. He has to take a lot of the credit for the recent success of the team, all three wins have come with him in charge, although the J198 was an anderson design. The J199 was his first total build and took the Jordan team to their highest ever points total of 61 and championship position of 3rd. :D
When asked about Gascoyne's decision Eddie Jordan commented, "Mike has informed me of his plans and pledged to honour his contract until July 2001. Due to our success in recent years it is inevitable that our key team members would be approached by other teams, particularly as major motor manufacturers become involved. Throughout our existence we have invested heavily in developing young talent and putting structures in place so that no individual is irreplaceable. Mike has done, and will continue to do, a great job for us. We have a great team of designers and engineers and I am confident that they will mount an increasingly strong challenge for the World Championship." :cool:
Gascoyne also released a statement to the press, "I really appreciate the great opportunity which Eddie and the team have given me at Jordan. The company is rich with truly outstanding people and my move will make the way clear for them to achieve greater success and recognition." http://www.eforecourt.com/UBB/naughty.gif
It is not known what Jordan´s plans are for a replacement once Gascoyne's contract expires. :confused:
April 25th - Eddie says gearbox problems will be fixed by Barcelona.
Reliability problems to be solved by Barcelona Eddie Jordan expects to have the gearbox reliability problems solved in time for the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks time.
The team has suffered from a potentiometre problem in the first few races of this season - causing both Frentzen and Trulli to retire from races when they have problems changing gears.
As Jordan's Chief Executive, Eddie Jordan explains, "We have some new components which we worked on flat out to have for the British Grand Prix. But unfortunately we were not able to have them ready in time. We will, however, have them available for tesing in Spain next week. Hopefully this will resolve the problems we have had with reliability and mean that we can finish more races and win further points." :rolleyes:
April 19th - Eddie - My biggest regret is not signing Alesi.
Someone with Eddie Jordan’s colourful history of motor sport and style of business is bound to have a few regrets. Eddie has admitted he has, but surprisingly perhaps he says that his biggest regret in his 10 years of Formula One, is not having the chance to work with Jean Alesi.
He strongly believes that Alesi had the talent and potential to be World Champion and could he have done a ‘Frentzen’ to bring it out.
"If I had one regret it is that I haven't worked with Jean in Formula One, because I honestly believe I could have turned him into the world champion that he should have been," said Jordan. "The thing about Alesi is that you see his real talent coming out in the wet. He has a natural style and huge experience and he knows how to do it at this level."
Jordan has remained close to Alesi since the Frenchman won the F3000 championship for Eddie Jordan Racing in 1989. "He is a very certain style of driver but when he came to me in F3000 he was a spoilt little brat and I told him to leave his home in Avignon and come and live with me. He learnt his English with me and now my 17-year-old daughter is living with them over Easter learning French and she has seen that they are a very emotional family."
Since those F3000 days Eddie has watched Jean's career with great interest and insisted that an arm around his shoulder would work wonders at Prost to get the best out of the experienced Frenchman.
Eddie suggests he tried to sign him during the 1991 season when Jean was driving for Tyrrell. "He got high and mighty with me and went to Ferrari and got involved with a new manager. He would not cry, but he would get very emotional. He allowed himself to get in a situation at Ferrari where Alain Prost was the boss.”
Moving on to the Frenchman’s current drive Eddie commented, “Now he is trying to build a strong personal relationship with somebody like Alain thinking that it is going to get him through, but in the heat of the moment it is pragmatic. I am not saying Jean is not a true professional, but he needs a very kind person to get the best out of him."
April 18th - Jordan to get Honda engines ?
It's believed that Jordan could be on the verge of signing an engine deal with Honda which will see the Irish outfit become the Japanese giant's second team. Bernie Ecclestone stated recently that he would like to see all engine manufacturers supply two teams to ensure there are enough quality engines to go round and Jordan would be the obvious choice for Honda.
It's well known that prior to BAR securing their deal with Honda last year, Eddie Jordan worked very hard to try to convince the Japanese company to supply his team and he was hugely disappointed when the BAR-Honda deal was announced.
In recent months Honda have distanced themselves from Mugen-Honda, dissolving the joint development and research teams that have been in place for some years and now divesting themselves of their 40% stake in what was previously a sister company. This lack of funding and support seriously questions how competitive the Mugen engine can be in the future so Eddie knows there is no alternative but to get a works engine.
BAR do currently have an exclusivity clause in their contract, so it is unclear how Honda would handle the legal side, but with the Jordan cars being quicker then BAR at just about every test session and race weekend, BAR must be worried about the threat to remove supply completely. They might see the supply of Jordan as the second team as a way to keep the increasingly competitive powerplant http://www.eforecourt.com/UBB/groovy.gif