India looks to Eddie Jordan as role model

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON (Reuters) - Eddie Jordan had fun in Formula One and now Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya intends to bring back the good times after buying the team founded by the Irish entrepreneur.

Force India will represent a startling new departure for the sport when the first Indian-owned team make their debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16 but they have not forgotten their roots.

A decade ago, in 1999, the Jordan team punched well above their weight by finishing third in the championship and winning races while bringing a renegade, rock'n'roll attitude to the sport.

The Silverstone-based team then slid into decline, were sold to Russian-born Canadian billionaire Alex Shnaider in 2005 and renamed Midland before being passed on to Dutch sportscar maker Spyker.

Mallya, a liquor and airline billionaire known in India as 'The King of Good Times', took over last year with Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol and Force India were created.

"There is a good old English saying which holds that history repeats itself," Mallya told Reuters during last week's final pre-season test in Barcelona. "Jordan was a winning team in 1999, there's no reason why it can't go back to its winning ways in 2009."

Formula One regulations are changing next year, which could level the field considerably, but it will still take some doing for a team that scored only a point as Spyker last year.

Mallya, who has said he wants Force India to be on the podium when New Delhi hosts a Formula One race in 2010, recognizes the obstacles but expects results.