| The Australian Grand Prix. Round 1. 1st - 3rd March, Albert Park, Melbourne. |
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| Race Preview | |||
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With less than 24 hours to go before the 2002 Formula One World Championship bursts into life with Friday's practice sessions, all the teams, drivers and management personnel have finally gathered at Melbourne's Albert Park. Jarno Trulli arrived looking fit and fresh, dropping by the DHL Jordan Honda garage to warmly greet Eddie Jordan and other members of the team, before walking on down to the Renault pit. Giancarlo Fisichella meanwhile attracted significant attention when he arrived at the track fresh from unveiling Honda's revised NSX sports car at the Melbourne Motor Show. This year Jordan has been more industrious than ever in the weeks preceding the season opener in Melbourne; with pre-season testing running until the latest possible moment, a spectacular eleventh-hour EJ12 launch being held at Brussels airport to coincide with the announcement of DHL as the team’s new title sponsor, the re-branding of all the team equipment and a stop-over in Tokyo to attend a Honda press conference.
Gary Anderson, who first joined Jordan at its inception in 1990 and was the technical brain behind Jordan cars over an eight year period, re-joins the team as Director of Race and Test Engineering, following three years working with Jaguar Racing and Reynard Motorsport. Internal progression sees Rob Smedley and James Key become race engineers to Fisichella and Sato respectively, while Tim Edwards (from Melbourne, Australia), who was previously Test Team Manager, becomes Race Team Manager and Andy Stevenson, Jordan Grand Prix’s longest serving employee, is Chief Mechanic.
Giancarlo Fisichella will be driving his first race for Jordan in four years. “I'm happy to be back at Jordan. It is a great motivation for me, because I had my best year in Formula One with this team in 1997. The EJ12 has had a few problems, many of which we have resolved in testing, and the car has good potential. As usual, the team is very friendly and there are a lot of mechanics I remember from before, which made me feel comfortable very quickly. The engine is promising, and although it needs more development, no one can question Honda's ability to reach the top given its history in F1.”
The EJ12 had its first shakedown on 21 January and has since tested in Spain and England during past weeks, with three EJ12 chassis completing a combined total of 4140 kilometres over 17 days of testing. The overall design is based on the EJ11 but with some major revisions, specifically to the front and rear suspensions. It is the second Jordan car to incorporate works Honda engines and this year’s RA002E features an increased V angle (romoured to be the second widest on the gris at 96degrees) and compact packaging resulting in less weight and a lower centre of gravity. Increased power and continual development means that Honda’s latest unit gives the EJ12 great potential for the season ahead. |
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