As is currently the situation with Jordan and Gascoyne, Arrows have put Hamidy on ‘gardening leave’ to stop him having access to sensitive information regarding the 2001 car.

Although there has been no official confirmation from either Jordan or Arrows, Hamidy is happy to comment on the deal. "Eddie's plans are very exciting. I'm looking forward to working with Honda. I also like the way Eddie puts things together. There is an energy about him that you don't always see in F1", the Iranian said. Ironically Eddie Jordan will have to buy out the rest of Hamidy's contract from Arrows owner Tom Walkinshaw if he wants him to join early. This is exactly the same situation Eddie has with Benetton/Renault and Gascoyne. Flavio Briatore and the Irish boss are still negotiating for the early release of Mike and if a deal can be struck, Eddie can use the Gascoyne payoff to fund the early arrival of Hamidy.

An Iranian, Eghbal started his work in Formula One at Williams Grand Prix in 1988 as a Senior Aerodynamicist. He joined Stewart Grand Prix some eight years later as Head of Aerodynamics. In 1998 he moved to Arrows as Chief Designer.

Party goers were treated to track action from Jordan drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, who demonstrated the EJ10, as well as from Jordan's past. John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris put the famous green Jordan-Ford 191 through its paces, while Czech F3000 driver and current Jordan test driver Tomas Enge added to the action in the double race winning Jordan Mugen-Honda 199. A display of the ten cars raced over the decade was a central attraction in the paddock, together with displays from Jordan's Silverstone factory, an area for Pit Stop challenges, an Irish Village of music and dance and much more besides.

"Only Jordan could hold a party like this," exclaimed Jarno Trulli. "It is fantastic to have all the team, staff, families, sponsors and friends together, and to see all these supporters. It's something else!" "We had a lot of fun," added Frentzen. "It is very special to be able to demonstrate our car in this unique environment with all the fans so close to the action."

De Cesaris, who flew to England specially for the event said, "I felt so at home when I put on my old overalls from 1991. It was quite a feeling. I teased Eddie that I would spin the car off the track....I didn't, of course, but I had a lot of fun out there!" John Watson added, "That first drive on a cold day back in November 1990 seems a long time ago. The team has come a very long way since then, and it was a very special to be able to bring old and new drivers together to celebrate in a way that only Jordan can do."

The star turn of the day, however, was undoubtedly Jordan's founder and Chief Executive Eddie Jordan, who brought the team into Formula One ten years ago. Demands for his autograph were ceasless, greetings and good wishes numerous. "I never dreamed of a celebration like this," he said. "When my marketing team came to me with the idea of celebrating our first ten years in this way, I had my doubts. But I must say it was the most amazing event - quite an emotional experience."

Donington Park estimated a turnout of some 12,000 visitors, with record numbers attending the Donington Grand Prix Collection, the largest collection of Grand Prix cars in the world. Heinz-Harald Frentzen stopped off at the collection in the morning. "I could have spent all day in there," he said. "It was fascinating."

The day finished in true EJ style with a special celebration concert, held in aid of the Eddie's chosen charity, CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood). Hosted by DJ extraordinaire, Chris Evans, the sell-out concert lasted well past it's 10pm curfew hour, as fans chanted for more from Eddie Jordan and his band of Buzzin Hornets.
Chart toppers, Westlife, made a special appearance to celebrate with Eddie and his team, thrilling the fans with close to an hour of their hits. The crowds also enjoyed performances from recently signed RCA act, ‘Made in London’, a three girl band, and Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham and 70’s side-kick Brian Robertson who recreated some of the groups most memorable songs. Eddie Jordan joined Thin Lizzy on stage to the hit, 'Boys are back in Town.' "These guys are my idols," said Jordan. "Playing with them was an amazing experience."

Chief Executive Eddie Jordan said of the day which saw thousands of Jordan fans descend upon the Donington track, "Other than Ferrari Jordan is clearly the other People’s team and it is great to offer this chance to all our supporters."

Jarno Trulli and Heinz-Harald Frentzen demonstrated the current Jordan car on the track while Irish Formula 1 legend John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris, a member of the team’s original driver line up, will both took to the original Jordan Formula One car, the J191.

The evening was rounded off by a concert involving Eddie’s own band, the Buzzin’ Hornets and Irish chart-toppers Westlife.

“I had made a good start from the fourth row and was up to sixth place by the first chicane. I was then slip-streaming Barrichello near the middle of the track as we came through the Curva Grande. I was planning a move down the inside in order to try and take him under braking for fifth place into the second chicane. As we arrived he moved further left, probably contemplating doing the same thing to my team-mate Jarno Trulli, whom I couldn't see at the time, but who was apparently on his right.

“When Rubens braked, he did so earlier than I had expected. It took me by surprise and at 330 kph I had virtually no time to react. I simply couldn't stop my car in time and I hit the back of Rubens' rear wheel with my front wing, which then prevented him from braking properly. As I automatically reacted by moving to the right to try and avoid the Ferrari, Jarno suddenly appeared ahead braking normally and I couldn't avoid him either. My front right wheel hit the back of Jarno's rear left wheel knocking the wheels off both our cars.

“After that it was all a high speed blur. My car was pitched into the air sideways and I thought it was going to roll over, but then it hit the back of the Ferrari again and landed back on its wheels. By this time I was just a passenger until my car came to rest in the gravel trap along with everyone else.

“I think everyone who knows me and my racing career knows that I am not the sort of driver to take unnecessary risks at the start of a race and I don't have a reputation of being involved in accidents. The first lap is always the most risky part of any race and it is inevitable that circumstances sometimes come together which result in an accident. When you have cars tightly bunched at over 300 kph all braking hard for a slow chicane accidents are sometimes inevitable. I heard after the race that Barrichello was blaming me for the accident. In his situation I can understand his feelings, especially driving a Ferrari at Monza, but as he well knows the reasons for any accident are not as simple as he would like everyone to believe. As the stewards enquiry showed after they had reviewed all the evidence, it was a racing incident, the sort that happens several times a year, but fortunately without the same tragic result.

“Of course, my deepest regret is the fact that a marshal lost his life in the incident. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this terrible time, particularly for them, but also for all of us that are involved in motor sport when an accident occurs. We all realise the risks involved in the sport we love so much, but it does not make the reality of such a tragedy any easier to bare when one of us pays the ultimate price for our passion."

He said recently, "I think this is a huge opportunity for Formula One. We must maximize it to make sure that everything is done to create the right image because, in my opinion, we are on the edge of a huge opportunity, which you very seldom get".

He added that the quick ticket sell out on race day is a good sign and thinks, "IMS has held its side of the bargain. It's now down to the teams and the drivers to put a bit of extra promotion into this event. Why not do it for other races? The point is that the other races are established, and the new events deserve to be given every opportunity".

The Germanhas said that he has received thousands of e-mails to his web site from motor sport fans all around the world.
"During the last days I have felt so much support in so many e-mails either from special Frentzen fans or just from general motor sport enthusiasts," he said. "I am totally overwhelmed. I want to say thank you to everybody who sent messages. Those e-mails showed that people are seriously interested in discussing the Monza incident and have been and still are, a big help in a situation when I've been heavily criticised from a few parties."

In a freak accident involving seven cars, the wheel from Frentzen's EJ10 broke loose, tragically killing the 33 year old Italian fire marshal, Paolo Gislimberti.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli were involved in the first lap multiple pile-up at Monza and the authorities didn't release the cars concerned until Monday.
By this stage the team had decided to cancel their scheduled testing session at Mugello and the cars eventually arrived back at their Silverstone base on Tuesday evening. Remarkably there was no major damage to either car so they have already been repaired and will be ready for next weekend's USGP. "By then we had already decided to cancel the scheduled Mugello test and recall that car for preparation for Indianapolis," said MD Trevor Foster about the decision to cancel the test. "In fact, we are now in a position where the two race cars for the US Grand Prix will be the race cars from Monza. Their monocoques were OK and they just needed generally tidying work, repainting and rebuilding. We will still be ready to deliver the cars for freighting to the airport on Friday."

This was the third Irish Entrepreneur of the Year Awards recognising business leaders and honouring Irish entrepreneurs who have created and sustained growing businesses. According to the judges, Eddie was selected as Ireland's Entrepreneur of the Year for the following reasons: "We wanted to honour his significant achievements since entering Formula 1 nine years ago. From modest beginnings and at great personal risk, Eddie Jordan became one of the sport's biggest players. He has successfully combined drive and business acumen with charisma and energy to put Jordan Grand Prix on the centre stage."

In receiving this coveted award, Eddie commented, "It is, of course a great honour if your own country bestows such a prestigious award on you. Since I made my decision to enter Formula 1, I have been determined to succeed in this challenging sport and this would not have been possible without my loyal staff by my side, plus the support of my family and one or two special friends, as well as our sponsors and suppliers."

Eddie will now participate in the inaugural World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, taking place in Monte Carlo in May 2001, with 20 national winners from other participating countries competing for the ultimate international recognition.

Eddie Jordan commented on the new partnership with: "We are delighted to welcome LeggMason Investors as a sponsor to our team. They are a dynamic and innovative fund management company, and as such a unique sponsor for Jordan. We very much look forward to sharing the global reach, excitement and values of Grand Prix racing with LeggMason Investors and their clients."

Chief Executive for LeggMason, Rebecca Tomas, gave her thoughts on the sponsorship by saying: "Over the past few months we have been looking at a variety of sponsorship opportunities to appeal to our IFA and clients, as well as a vehicle to promote our new brand, Formula One is an exciting and high profile sport with a global reach and audiences in their millions. We believe this is the right medium to use in raising the profile of LeggMason Investors. The success and determination of the Jordan team since their launch ten years ago, and their values of teamwork and pursuit of excellence, ideally reflect our approach to fund management, and I am certain we will both find it to be a very rewarding and lengthy relationship."

Here is the race from his perspective.
“I didn't get a very good start and was back in ninth place by the end of the first lap. I managed to get Ralf Schumacher back on the first lap and when Button and Trulli tangled on the second lap, I was up to sixth place. I decided to stay out on my wet tyres as most of the field pitted for dry rubber and by lap eighth I was up in second spot. While I knew it wouldn't last, there is nothing like seeing P2 on the board early in the race and I was hoping that when I made my own stop I would still be well up.

“I had a good stop after 14 laps and came back into the race in fourth place behind Ralf Schumacher, Hakkinen and Michael. Barrichello's early stop for wet tyres had left him in a bunch of traffic around ninth place and then when Hakkinen blew up I started to think seriously about a place on the podium.

“Verstappen, Villeneuve and Barrichello were pushing me hard from behind, but I had chosen a low downforce configuration for the race. I was struggling for grip on the infield, but I knew that they would have a problem staying with me down the straight, which was about the only easy place to pass, under braking for the first turn.

“I got an unexpected second place when Schumacher went to the pits and then Verstappen disappeared when he went off just behind me. However, Jacques was still pushing hard and then he spun leaving Barrichello looking for second place, Jacques now back in fourth spot.

“Rubens was quicker through the infield, but just as I had hoped he wasn't able to get close enough on the straight to make a serious attempt at passing me. I was watching my mirrors, as much as the road and after 10 laps of playing cat and mouse it was time for the pit stops.

“I knew Rubens was quicker on a lap, but if I could stop at the same time and get out ahead I had a chance of staying there. There was also traffic ahead, and I thought that might work in my favour if I stopped. However, the Ferrari mechanics were playing a game of bluff with our guys and as they got ready for a stop my pit called me in and Rubens carried on. The boys made a great stop, but Rubens got three more clear laps with me now running on heavy fuel so when he stopped, he had enough of a cushion to come back into the race in second spot.

“It was back to third and I certainly didn't intend giving that up before the finish. It was a long straight and I started thinking all sorts of things about how to keep Jacques behind me for he was all over me on the infield, but lagging behind on the straight.

“He got in my tow one time and I saw him make a lunge for the inside into turn one. I braked as late as I could and when he shot by me I knew he was a bit optimistic about making the corner with his brakes all locked up. He took to the grass and I went by him again. When I checked my mirrors he wasn't there and with only a few laps to go I thought I had third place made. Then he was right there again. It was a long couple of laps as we made it to the flag. I was worried he was going to make another lunge at me, but he made no silly moves and we crossed the line just half a second apart. I was never so relieved to see the flag. The team as well, I am sure.”

And the fans, Heinz-Harald - we were relieved as well !

“The famous Indy banking was a bit of a disappointment, simply because we joined the oval circuit too late to have full speed through the banking. It was comfortably flat-out and no challenge at all - as long as the track was dry. It would have been better to join the speedway at the corner before and take the banking at top speed.

“The infield was not particularly exciting, but not that easy for several reasons. There wasn't much grip and it was also very flat with no visual marks to pick the best line or the apex of the corners. It was hard to get a good rhythm going and it took a while to find the best braking points and entry speeds.”

The circuit design aside, Heinz added that the result was a great boost for the whole team and was hopefully the change of fortune that they deserve.
“This result was important for all of us at the B&H Jordan team after such a disappointing season. I hope this marks a turning point and that we can have another couple of good races to end the season with. It will be a great motivator for 2001, which we are all thinking about already.”

At Spa, Jarno was magnanimous enough to accept that everyone can make a mistake and he hoped that Jenson would learn from it. The young Williams driver obviously didn’t learn a think and Jarno was subject to a repeat performance at Indianapolis.

This time the Jordan driver had no charitable thoughts. “Jenson Button is really an idiot at the moment. He is driving like a crazy man. He was pushing me hard and he tried to out brake me, but it was too late. He then collided with me and we went off," Trulli fumed. "I had a flat tyre so I had to return to the pits. My race was effectively over at that point because of Button's big mistake. It's not the first time he's done that, and I think he needs to cool down because it can get very dangerous."

Many people have been questioning Frank Williams’ decision to release Button for two years, and this clash has demonstrated exactly how clever that move has been. Frank managed to sign Ralf Schumacher after his ‘rash’ streak had been taken out of him and no doubt he is hoping that Button will get rid of his inexperience in his stint at Benetton. There is no doubt the young Englishman has talent, problem is that if he doesn’t calm down a bit we’re not going to see it for more than a few laps a race.

We can all hope that the Benetton/Renault will be a bit further back down the grid in 2001, while the Jordan/Honda will hopefully be at the sharp end so the two drivers will have fewer opportunities to ‘meet’ on the track.

"It's a great relief to have achieved this result after such a long season of too many disappointing results," admitted Foster. "We trimmed the cars to be quick on the straight because that was the only chance we'd have to defend a position and it worked perfectly in our race strategy. We lost some time in the tight twisty infield section but it was OK through the last sector where it all mattered."

"Heinz drove a very good controlled race and everything worked out fine for us in the end. The tyres were fine and we had no dramas at all. We stayed on the wet tyres until the very last minute, as did Michael. The wets performed very well even when pushed hard on a virtually dry track and we timed it just right to switch over to dry tyres. It's a great relief to have recorded this podium position. It was a thrilling race for us and the last few laps made us all feel very tense and nervous indeed. This new circuit can produce close, exciting racing and it forces the teams and drivers to work and think very hard. It's one of the few circuits where you need very different set-ups for qualifying and the race."