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The King is dead, long live the King

NEWS STORY
07/07/2005

Silverstone, and the British Grand Prix, has special significance for Jordan fans.

Its factory, located opposite the legendary track's main entrance, for Jordan, Silverstone was, quite literally, a 'home race'.

As we look ahead to the 2004 event, there will surely be a number of Jordan fans that will, at some point over the weekend, wipe a tear from the corner of their eye, as they reminisce days gone by… the highs, the lows, the post-race parties, the factory visits and the passion inspired by charismatic team founder, Eddie Jordan.

This year's race will be entirely different, for Eddie Jordan has sold out and moved on, indeed according to our sources, he is now looking closely at fronting a consortium interested in purchasing the franchise for an Irish A1 GP entry.

Although the cars still bear his name, and to all intents and purposes are still the Jordans we knew and loved - complete with yellow livery - the team is entirely different from that which ran here in 2004.

The team is now owned by Alex Shnaider, a Russian who emigrated to Canada, and of whom little is known.

When Shnaider took control of the team in early 2005, the team - what was left of it - was in chaos, and it is a miracle that the team was able to turn up on the grid in Melbourne. Yes, the results have been difficult, but considering the position the team had been left in, the recovery has been remarkable.

Whether Shnaider bit off more than he could chew, in buying Jordan, is not known, however, it is unlikely that the Canadian billionaire was fully aware of just how expensive F1 really is. However, little by little the team is being rebuilt ahead of a full re-launch in 2006, when the ghost of Jordan can finally be laid to rest.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's big race, Shnaider finally goes public and talks about the progress being made. "Everything is going according to plan," he says. "At the end of this year we will re-brand the team to Midland F1. Next year it will be a global team with a distinct Russian flavour.

"We will take all the positive things that we've learned this year and we will improve the team for next year."

There have been a number of rumours since Shnaider took control, with suggestions in recent weeks that former F1 driver, Eddie Irvine, was putting together a consortium to take control of the team. It was said that Shnaider had become disillusioned with Jordan, and indeed F1.

"We remain committed to the sport and to the team," says Shnaider. "The sport is going through a difficult time now, but from another point of view, TV viewership is increasing this year. The sport is becoming more interesting, what with the new regulations, the competition is more interesting. So we are committed to it, we are committed to the team and we are committed to turn the team around and to make the team more successful next year.

"Formula 1 is an incredible sport," he continues, genuinely enthusiastic. "Just to give you an example; I had many friends that were never fans of Formula 1, and they couldn't understand why I have been always a fan, and when I bought the team many of them were very curious.

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