Eddie Jordan, the charismatic Irish entrepreneur whose team gave Michael Schumacher a Formula One debut in 1991, has died of cancer at home in South Africa aged 76, his family said on Thursday.
Jordan, who later became a television pundit, entered the ‘Piranha Club’ world of grand prix racing with his eponymous Silverstone-based team in 1991 and stayed until financial troubles led to a sale in 2005.
After multiple changes of name and ownership, it now competes as Aston Martin.
“EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence,” the family said in a statement.
They said Jordan had died in the early hours in Cape Town with his family beside him.
Born on March 30, 1948, Jordan competed in motor racing’s junior series before becoming a driver manager and then a team owner.
The F1 team and their lively publicity-seeking owner brought a “rock and roll” image to the sport — with glamour models draped over cars and plenty of tabloid headlines — but also punched above their weight in beating long-established rivals.
Germany’s seven-times world champion Schumacher made his debut with them at Spa-Francorchamps after Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot was jailed for spraying a London taxi driver with CS gas.
The team were short of cash and Schumacher, still largely unknown and racing in sports cars, was available and had a persuasive manager and a wad of Mercedes money.
The German was immediately poached by Flavio Briatore’s Benetton, where he won titles in 1994 and 1995, but younger brother Ralf had a longer stint with Jordan in 1997 and 1998.
Britain’s Damon Hill, the 1996 champion with Williams, was a race winner with Jordan in 1998. The team finished third overall behind Ferrari and McLaren in the 1999 constructors’ championship and won four races in all.