Eddie Jordan, Promoter of Michael Schumacher, Passes Away

Eddie Jordan, the former promoter of Michael Schumacher, has passed away. According to reports from English media, the 76-year-old Formula 1 legend died early in the morning in Cape Town surrounded by his loved ones, following a battle with cancer. The eccentric Irishman had publicly revealed in December that he was suffering from prostate and bladder cancer, and the illness had subsequently progressed.

„It was quite aggressive,“ Jordan said during a podcast titled „Formula For Success,“ where he spoke about having experienced „some very dark days.“ Jordan was the former team principal and owner of Jordan Grand Prix and was Schumacher’s first boss in the sport during the early 1990s. The record-breaking champion Schumacher raced for the team at Spa-Francorchamps in 1991, marking his first and only race with them.

Jordan’s Impact on Motorsport

Without Jordan, the history of motorsport would be significantly less rich. He was active as a driver in lower formula categories, achieving some victories and even had the opportunity to test a Formula 1 car from McLaren. „I once had a dream of becoming a world champion, but then I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t make it as a driver,“ Jordan once remarked.

As a result, he became the head of his own team. In one of his cars, future racing icon Ayrton Senna completed his first Formula 3 kilometers in 1982. After achieving some success, Jordan finally entered Formula 1 in 1991. As a team owner, he developed creative fundraising methods, often receiving timely tips from bailiffs before they arrived to seize assets, allowing him to evade their grasp.

Successes and Legacy

Jordan experienced prosperous years in the racing series, securing lucrative sponsorship deals and hosting extravagant parties. He was known for having scantily clad women parading in front of his team’s garage, essentially pioneering the concept of grid girls. Among the drivers who raced for Jordan were world champions Damon Hill, Rubens Barrichello, and Eddie Irvine, as well as several Germans, including Ralf Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Nick Heidfeld, and Timo Glock.

Jordan had an eye for talent, leading his team to a total of four Grand Prix victories, two of which were won by Frentzen in 1999. However, he could not keep pace with the financial burn of factory teams. In 2005, he sold his shares, but he remained connected to the racing series as a TV expert for the BBC, where he garnered attention with his witty commentary before retiring in later years.