7 replies to this topic

[RedFever]

Eddie Jordan has hit out at what he sees as the false testing times some teams have been recording this winter - even though he admits that Jordan have employed the same tactic in the past.

The team boss was critical about the stunning times set during winter testing by team's that were not competitive last season. His words must surely be aimed at Arrows and Minardi, who set a string of amazing lap times during testing at Barcelona in January and February.

Speaking in today's Sun Jordan said: "Pre-season tests often distort the picture because some of the lesser teams try to pull a fast-one to gain last minute sponsorship. They will run light cars with a thimble full of fuel, clock a fast time and say 'we are on the pace.'

"The only people they are kidding are themselves and prospective sponsors. We used to do that when we were struggling for cash and needed to attract a few last minute sponsors on the car. I fully understand the reasoning behind false times but fortunately we are now in a position where sponsors come to us."

This must be seen as a pointed reference to Arrows' recent capture of the Orange mobile phone network as a title sponsor. The team were struggling to attract a major sponsor until the new car came out and started going very quickly. Sceptics claimed that the car was running underweight, something which Tom Walkinshaw denied, and the canny Scot ended up pulling off the sponsorship coup of the winter

Jordan is confident his own team is better prepared than ever before for the start of a season. He said: "For this year we have a better car, a faster Mugen-Honda engine, two drivers that will be going flat-out for victory and a bulging bank balance. This is the first season in the company's history I have not approached the start of the year still trying to chase and beg cash needed to keep us going."

However the Irishman still feels the title will be out of his team's reach for 2000. The Jordan boss sees his team as the Leeds United of Formula 1, a hungry young outfit that can push the big guns hard for overall honours, although they are perhaps not yet ready to win championships.

"One thing in our favour is that we are a very young team," said Jordan. "A bit like Leeds United and just look how David O'Leary's squad have been performing. They may not beat Manchester United to the championship but - like us- they have proved they can compete with the best."

Jordan is a friend of Leeds manager O'Leary, who appeared on the recent 'This is Your Life' programme dedicated to EJ. However as a Coventry fan Jordan may not be speaking to O'Leary at the moment, after the Sky Blues received a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Leeds at weekend.

[130R]

What's good for the goose ain't good for the gander. Poor Eddie, he's on his way down again, having lost the Honda to Bar. I have heard Eddie is one helluva con-man. But now , of course, he's honorable! Ha!

[Rich]

It seems like the journalist is saying one thing, and Eddie another. I don't read into Eddie's comments that he is 'hitting out at' the other teams. He seems to be merely stating that, for a sponsorless team, extreme measures are sometimes necessary to stay in the game, and that those measures don't reflect true pace in testing. As a team-owner, he's probably getting increasingly tired of journo's asking him 'So, do you think you'll be able to keep up with Arrows this season?'

If he wanted to slam teams for fake test times, I don't think he'd have admitted to doing it himself in the past. That just makes him look hypocritical. Instead, his words seem more like a rational explanation than heated criticism.

[DangerMouse]

Tom W admited to what went on, Arrows ran very respectable times at the beginning of the test and they were accused of runing without ballast, so they said OK and removed the ballest (45KGs) and ran those incredible under 1:20 times, which proved that A) the car is light and B) the first times were set with a legal car.

Remove all the ballast from a Minardi (if there is any) and it will still be over 4 seconds a lap slower than everything else - This years Arrows is going to cause a lot of humble pie to be eaten, Eddie is just pissed coz Arrows have attracted some major sponsership deals for 2000 and he knows they will be a real threat to Jordon as the best of the rest in a year or twos time.

If Jordan do not win the title in 2000 or 2001 then they will slide back down the grid as Williams/Arrows and Jaguar take a fight to the top teams.

[130R]

Eddie did say "the only people they are kidding is themselves..." I took that to be a critisism. Maybe its somewhere in between.

[RedFever]

I don't see Arrows serving a lot of humble pie to anyone but themselves.....

[eamo]

Rich is dead right, Journalists have a way of 'manipulating' what you are saying (especially tabloids)

[Piquet_1]

"the only people they are kidding is themselves..."

I think this is accurate from him, and not a shot at all. I'm sure even when these teams do run under, or unrealistically close to the regulation limits, that they can convince themselves that they're close to being as quick as the top guys if only they had that little bit of money, saved that little bit of weight, had that top driver who's on his way out but still quicker than some of the rest they almost signed last September. Hope springs eternal, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan knows just how his mind has played tricks with him in the past while playing sponsorship games...