I woke up this morning to the sad news that Eddie had lost his battle with cancer. He fought it valiantly, but once it gets a hold it is all down to luck. Eddie was someone who so often beat the odds and achieved the impossible - so it’s hard to believe he’s gone.
I first met Eddie in 1983 when we were competing against each other in European F3. Since then, we’ve been friends, colleagues and occasionally enemies, but through it all we would do whatever we could for each other.
One thing you could always be certain of was that if I had a sponsor on the car, or a driver with money, EJ would do his utmost to steal them away. Once I came to terms with that and understood it was just the way he was made, I realised he was a lovable soul and someone who was always there for me when I needed him.
When he asked me to design his first Formula 1 car in late-1989, I thought he was mad and said no. Eventually, with a little help from my wife Jennie, he persuaded me to take the job, and in early 1990 I set to work on designing the Jordan 191, or the Jordan 911 as it was originally known.
Of course, Eddie was very good at convincing people to join him, even if he might exaggerate what they are signing up for. When I started work on the Jordan there was nothing but an empty industrial unit at Silverstone, which was not quite what I'd been promised, but slowly we were able to build it up.
It was his enthusiasm for everything he did that convinced people to join us. We were building up from nothing. To most it would have been a pipe dream, so it was a hard sell to get good people in - but a quick chat with EJ and they very quickly came on board.
I started that project fully expecting never to finish it, but Eddie had an amazing ability to get the cash needed to keep going and it eventually became clear that it was really going to happen. He gave us what we needed to build a good car, including doing the Ford V8 engine deal, and do a better job than anyone ever thought possible in 1991. But that was Eddie, he made the impossible into reality through his sheer force of character.
Though the first year went well, the team was in serious trouble financially and it required a series of miracles by Eddie to keep the doors open. With time, the team grew to the point where we could regularly put one over the big boys, which I always enjoyed and know EJ loved to do as well.
He was always fair with me - I’d say hard but fair. He had his pressures and I had mine, but he would never pass his onto me. In the early days, he was always protective, but as the team grew and more levels of management came into play, the days of sitting down with EJ for a one-to-one and making a few decisions became less frequent.
I don’t think he enjoyed that change any more than I did, but he was the boss and he had to lead by example.
He was a fighter. It wasn’t easy to go out there and find the budget required for F1 year after year, but through his unrelenting doggedness he managed it. Yes, we had some very tough financial situations but he absorbed them and came up with a plan. He never involved me in any of that; he knew I would do whatever I could for as little as possible, so I suppose we both had confidence in each other.
Formula 1 is very different now and I don’t see anyone coming in and doing whatever EJ did for F1. He was the team owner, team principal, financial director, commercial director and team motivator all rolled into one. In reality, he made F1 what it is today. He showed that if you are willing to put it all on the line personally, then you can achieve it.
We all, and especially EJ, loved getting one over the big boys. And we had the pleasure of doing that many times, which is probably why the team had so many fans.
To his wife Marie, family and friends, my love goes out to you all. EJ, you will be dearly missed.
