Former British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan will make a return to the Triple Eight Racing squad for the 2015 season as he plans a title assault at the wheel of a factory-supported MG6 GT.
Jordan, who raced for the multiple championship winning squad in 2009, has spent the past five years racing for his father’s Eurotech Racing team. During that time the 25-year-old clocked up 14 races wins and the 2013 title, cementing his rise to BTCC stardom.
Jordan will embark on his latest challenge piloting the car which won seven times in 2014. The Sutton Coldfield racer feels that making the switch from the Honda Civic which he has raced for the past three years is the best move for his future.
“By joining Triple Eight, I can build something exciting for the future,” said Jordan. “Joining this team gives me the best chance I will have of winning the championship again – it is as simple as that. I’m certainly looking further ahead than just the end of this year. There are many options for me here, and that is what makes this such an exciting deal.
“I want to be more prepared than I have been in the past and this package will allow me to focus 100% on the job of driving. From my pre-event planning and preparation to my mental approach and fitness, I need to make sure that I am more prepared than ever in every aspect. I need to be better, because I didn’t think I was as good in 2014 as I was the year before. I was doing too much.”
Triple Eight, who earlier this week announced a rebranding of the team, had last year confirmed that they would be fielding an all-new driver line-up in 2014, with neither Jason Plato or Sam Tordoff returning to the team.
Team Principal Ian Harrison admits that finding a replacement for Plato, the most successful driver in the series’ history, was always going to be a difficult challenge.
“We knew that we were coming to a bit of a crossroads for 2015, so we had to go out and try and find a replacement for Plato, which is difficult,” explained Harrison. “It was a commercial decision from their side, not ours; but it gave us an opportunity to change things around and that’s sometimes not a bad thing.
“There aren’t many people out there who can replace a driver like that. We looked around and Andrew was the obvious choice. His age, his profile and his speed – which goes without saying – make him a pretty straightforward choice; it was a bit of a no-brainer for us.
“We thank Jason for his contribution over the past three seasons; we had a pretty good go at it. We wish him luck this year, and I am sure we will be firing broadsides at each other throughout the season.”
Harrison, who has been involved in the BTCC with Triple Eight since 1997, says that he has a lot of respect for Jordan having worked with him in 2009 when he still ran the works’ Vauxhall programme.
“There is mutual respect between us because we have worked together before, and that is important,” added Harrison. “It is important that people understand that you are going to do your damnedest to do the right thing and Andrew and his backers know that.”
Jordan took his first-ever pole position with Triple Eight back at Donington Park in 2009 – at the time the youngest-ever driver to achieve the feat in the BTCC.
“Now I’m going back with a lot more experience to try and lead the team to the championship; it’s a hugely exciting challenge,” added Jordan.
Triple Eight plan to run a two-car factory team in 2015 and are still in negotiations with drivers for the second car, with the preference being for a younger drive to support the marque’s marketing strategy.
“We would be looking for a younger driver,” said Harrison. “With manufacturers trying to sell a big volume of small-sized cars; the guys that normally buy those are the 21-year-olds. The manufacturers need guys that they can use to do that, so a choice that supports that is the best one for us. We have options, but it is not sorted out yet.”
MG Motor Marketing Manager Matthew Cheyne claims that Jordan will become an important ambassador for the brand.
“Defending the championship from last year and teaming up with someone like Andrew, who is obviously a great ambassador for the sport, but will also be a great ambassador for our brand, is hugely important,” explained Cheyne. “He’s incredibly personable and dynamic. He is just an exciting guy to work with and he fits our demographic for our customer.
“When you look at our product, not just the MG6 but the MG3 too, Andrew and his generation are absolutely the sort of people we are aiming at; it fits so well. We want to defend the makes title, but going for the drivers title is key and with Andrew we have got the best chance ever.”
Jordan’s Pirtek-liveried car will be on display throughout the show on the Dunlop Stand (Hall 6 Stand 6440).