Jordan






Team Jordan
personnel : technical director



Mike Gascoyne

[Eddie Jordan]
[Mike Gascoyne]
[Trevor Foster]
[Engineers]
[Mechanics]
[Commercial]
[Logistics]
Mike Gascoyne

A chance look through an engineering magazine gave Mike Gascoyne his break into Formula One.
"I was working at Westlands Systems to earn some money whilst writing my thesis for my PhD," explains Gascoyne, "I was reading Flight Magazine one lunch time when I saw an ad for an aerodynamicist at McLaren. I applied more for the hell of it than anything else and was offered the job. Needless to say, my thesis was never finished. If I ever tire of F1, I suppose I could always go back!"

Gascoyne is not short of qualifications to class him at the top of his field. A Cambridge graduate from one of the university's most academic colleges, Churchill, he has progressed quickly in the world of Formula One. Aged 36 he joined Jordan Grand Prix in July 1998 as Chief Designer and was promoted to Technical Director in January 1999. The success of the Jordan Mugen-Honda 199, the first car to be designed under Gascoyne's leadership, won him the 1999 Autocar award for achievement to motor sport.

Gascoyne's rapid development, he readily admits, was helped greatly by Harvey Postlethwaite, with whom Gascoyne worked for seven years. "Yes, you could call him my mentor," says Gascoyne. "It was Harvey who allowed me to learn about the overall design of a Formula One car. I trained as an aerodynamicist but always wanted to look at the bigger picture. Harvey showed me the broad overview of Formula One engineering, and working under him for five years at Tyrrell gave me invaluable experience. His passing was a great loss to motor sport engineering."

Gascoyne defines his role at Jordan very clearly. "My job is to take the team to the level where we can win races from the front and therefore win World Championships." His aim is to ensure Jordan has the right technical programmes to design and build a competitive car to keep the team in the top echelons of the sport. "We have restructured our working practices in the drawing office and wind tunnel to enable the expertise and resources to be used much more efficiently. We have worked on optimising our design team's performance and on putting in place the right provisions for the future."

He is equally clear about his design philosophy. Delegation, management and motivation are crucial, as is ensuring that responsibility is being given to the right people. "I don't care if not a single one of my ideas ends up on the car," explains Gascoyne, "if this means someone else has had a better idea. If my ideas spark off other peoples' ideas and we end up with a better car, I feel I have succeeded. Ultimately I make the decisions, but before doing so I want to have everyone's input in order to choose the right solution to give us the best car. I would not pretend there is anything new in this, but perhaps it is something new to Jordan."

To escape the world of F1, Gascoyne enjoys DIY, making furniture and watching sport. Living on a farm with his wife and two children does allow him some retreat, but his competitive nature and passion for team work makes Formula One the perfect vehicle upon which he can combine engineering with his favourite sport.

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