Eddie Jordan was mourned and celebrated in equal measure on the opening day of the Monaco Grand Prix meeting in Monte Carlo on Thursday.
His unique position as driver, team owner, businessman and entertainer – but also resident of the principality – was remembered at a meeting of friends and family hosted by Prince Albert at the magnificent Monaco Yacht Club.
Later, a lunch hosted by the British Racing Drivers’ Club at the seaside Fairmont Hotel heard from Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali and F1 team principals. Both events saw a mixture of tears and laughter worthy of a traditional Irish wake.
Jordan’s relationship with Monaco goes back to the early 1980s when he started entering his Eddie Jordan Racing (EJR) Formula Three cars in the Grand Prix support races. The opportunist in him recognised that all sorts of drivers could easily get sponsorship for the prestigious event and he could earn a tidy profit. He rented cars from British-based teams until EJR consisted of no less than five cars.
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In the late 1980s, he used his position as a successful F3 entrant to get to know the movers and shakers in the F1 world. In 1991, he arrived with his own F1 team called Jordan Grand Prix. The Jordan-Ford 191 was driven by the closely matched pairing of Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot.
That year, because the team had to pre-qualify for their one and only time, they were banished to the second-tier paddock area in the repurposed multistorey car park adjacent to the main paddock. Coincidentally, this year, the shamrock-bearing Formula Two Series leader Alex Dunne and all the other F2 teams will use this exact location.
Jordan lived in Monaco from 1996. Reflecting on the Irishman’s life, Prince Albert said: “Eddie contributed greatly to the Monaco Grand Prix over many years but was also an important link in the relationship between Ireland and Monaco. We all remember his amazing energy and positivity and ability to get those around him to give their best.”
The prince encouraged guests to support the Eddie Jordan Foundation, which aims to help young people reach their full potential. It is chaired initially by Jordan’s long-term friend and business partner, Keith O’Loughlin.
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MC Paul Adamson noted how the late F1 team owner changed many people’s lives for the better – including his own, when Jordan asked him to skipper his yacht on the 2014 Oyster World Rally.
Others present included former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche and actor Liam Cunningham.
The British Racing Drivers’ Club event was a more relaxed affair, with several former drivers sharing their stories, including Damon Hill, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard.
Aston Martin technical director Adrian Newey took time out from his work duties to spend time with the Jordan family, including Eddie’s wife Marie and two of their children, Zoe and Kyle. A tribute film, narrated by Bono, was warmly received.
