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Honda F1 Power
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Honda's
new partnership with Jordan Grand Prix was unveiled today (Tuesday)
at the official media launch of Jordan Honda's 2001 Formula 1
challenger. The all-new EJ11 will be powered by Honda's advanced
RA001E V10 3-litre engine, heralding the start of a long-term
relationship between the world's largest engine manufacturer and the
Silverstone-based team.
At
the launch, Jordan team owner Eddie Jordan was joined by Takefumi
Hosaka, Managing Director of Honda R&D and Honda's F1 Project
Leader. Also present were 2001 Jordan Honda race drivers, Heinz-Harald
Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, together with official test driver
Ricardo Zonta.
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Jordan
drivers Trulli, Zonta and Frentzen
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"We
have made good progress in the last few months, getting to know
Jordan and establishing efficient working practices," said Mr
Hosaka. "Jordan is a strong, solid team, with excellent chassis
technology and experience. The Jordan chassis and the Honda engine
will make an excellent combination. We are looking forward to
achieving some good results together.
"Our
target for the 2001 is to have one Honda-powered team in the top
three of the Constructors' Championship. We also want to achieve a
Honda-powered driver on the top step of the podium and with the
support of our partners, I am sure we should be able to achieve
this."
Welcoming
Honda to his team's headquarters, Eddie Jordan underlined the
importance of the new association with the engine
manufacturer.
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Honda
powered Jordan EJ11
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"This
is the realization of a dream, representing a total commitment to
winning the World Championship," confirmed Jordan. "Honda
has an unrivalled success story in Formula 1 and we have been given
the awesome responsibility of adding to the record."
Honda's
latest Formula 1 engine is an evolution of last year's powerful,
reliable unit that powered BAR Honda to fifth place in the 2000
Constructors' Championship, but many new elements have been
incorporated in preparation for 2001.
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The new
EJ11 at speed
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"The
new engine may look the same from the outside, but we have improved
the unit in almost every area," said Kazutoshi Nishizawa,
Technical Director of Honda Racing Development. "We have
investigated and addressed the issues from last season and the
result is a superior unit. There will be a continuous program of
development throughout the year and we expect to make further
significant improvements during the season."
The
next six weeks will witness an intensive testing program, before
the
Jordan Honda EJ11 makes its debut at the Australian Grand Prix
in
Melbourne on 4 March 2001.
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