Jordan's first EJ14 test revealed.

First Look
By Huw Alban
February 9 2004

After launching their new F1 challenger on Wednesday, Jordan were the only team testing at Silverstone last week. This in itself is not unusual as the early British weather tends to be a bit unpredictable.

The Silverstone based team had brought along Timo Glock in an EJ13 chassis to accompany Nick Heidfeld in the new 2004 car.
Despite there being a new piece of F1 kit on show, Jordan were very relaxed about showing it off. There were no warning glances to the small number of photographers gathered outside the Jordan garage today, and the staffers looked very comfortable with the small amount of interest being shown in their new toy.

The full Grand Prix circuit was not open today, as work was being completed on the Becketts run off area. Instead the international circuit was being used which takes a sharp right just before Maggotts and uses the Ireland straight which pops out just before the Abbey chicane.

The team got off to an early start with a run by Timo, followed by Nick. Nick, in the new chassis suffered from some early gremlins with what looked like a gear box selection problem. He came to a stop somewhere on the Ireland straight and had to be recovered on low loader. The team that to jack the new Jordan on a wheeled trolley at the rear in order to push the car back into the garage. Mechanics immediately set to work taking the rear to bits. When they had finished, the team fired up the Cosworth engine and, without the rear wheels or engine cover on, cycled the gearbox through a number of gear changes.

This co-incided with the weather finally breaking. It had been threatening to do this all morning, and with just over an hour of the morning session remaining rain stopped play. Nick and Timo did venture out for one run each in the wet conditions, but Nick was still having gear selection problems and was struggling to get his car out of the garage. Timo, on the other hand, completed a ten lap run without incident which finished with a fuel stop practice. He appeared to complete this with ease and pulled out of the box in a plume of rear wheel spinning spray. Impressive !

The circuit fell silent for most of the last hour, the only sound being rain drops on the grandstand roofs at Luffield corner. Five minutes from the end though the team sent both drivers out, and watching from the middle of the Ireland straight it was very entertaining to see Timo slide his Jordan sideways as he entered the straight. This quick run from both the drivers ended the morning, but with rain falling steadily it looked like we were in for a quiet afternoon.

Sure enough, the heavens were still emptying at the start of the afternoon session, and after an hour the team took two laps of the circuit in a Ford Mondeo Estate presumably to check the amount of standing water or the track conditions. After another half an hour of listening to rain drops drumming on the roof of the car, a quick call from my spy in the pit lane announced that Heidfeld was getting ready to get into the EJ14.

Nick had a great deal of fun and games trying to slow the new car down at the end of the Ireland straight, but all credit to the German ace, he didn't slide sideways once. On a second run later that afternoon, that gearbox gremlin struck again stranding the new Jordan just after Bridge corner and for the second time the car was recovered on a low loader.

As soon as the car was back in the garage, Jordan mechanics feverishly stripped the floor off and started work at the rear. With light failing rapidly it was obvious that the team wanted a final run of the day. Both cars took to the track at around 16:30, but Nick got off to faltering start with yet more transmission problems. Another quick adjustment at the back saw him on his way.

The afternoon session ended early with track officials concerned about the lack of light. Apparently Charlie Whitting was at the circuit today and, in overhearing a conversation on the pitwall, the circuit were playing cautious.

The next test at Silverstone is in two weeks time with Renault rumoured to be around for the full three days and Jordan again putting in an appearance, but only on the 25th. There you go, advanced information from Jordan Fans Online - you won't get it anywhere else....