Mike Jordan comments on the news that son Andrew will move up to Vauxhall's BTCC team and discusses the end of Team Eurotech.

Mike Jordan will take on a different role in the 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship as he helps coach son Andrew in his new role as a works driver with VX Racing.

The new season will also see changes for Jordan as the curtain closes on Team Eurotech, which is now no more after a long and successful run stretching back to 1987 - a period which saw it take no fewer than 31 championship titles.

Crash.net spoke to Mike about Andrew's hopes for 2009 and a new era for the Jordan name…

Crash.net:

Andrew is going to be with the factory Vauxhall team this year. You must be thrilled to see him get this opportunity.

Mike Jordan:

I'm over the moon. It's been four months work to get to this point. Initially we had plans to run as an Independent car and we had gone a long way down the road with that. We had announced it just after the end of last season but there were some issues with sponsorship and it isn't cheap to run an independent car. Fortunately, Andrew went and performed out of his skin at the test at Guadix and this opportunity has presented itself.

We still have some great sponsors giving us the support with this, but it's different for me as my only function now is to be Andy's driver coach. If it had been an independent team then I would have been running the show as we have done previously but it's not like that now. He has one of the best touring car bosses in history looking after him in Ian Harrison and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

Crash.net:

It might be more relaxing for you if you aren't shouting orders from the pit wall…

Mike Jordan:

I won't be on the pit wall and I can just go out and watch the sessions and talk to him about his driving, which is probably what I'm best at doing. At least with him being in a proper factory car, we're not going to have to listen to the likes of [David] Bartrum and people moan that the independents' car wasn't an independent car because we seemed to have them beaten before the season even started. I know he was making a hoo-haa about it and even had Steven Kane saying 'we know it's a works car'. It wasn't a works car; it was going to be independent. I had read the rules carefully and discussed it with Alan Gow and we were going to kick their asses. At least they have an excuse for getting their asses kicked now.

Crash.net:

You say the test at Guadix sealed the deal. Do you think he opened a few people's eyes there and Vauxhall thought 'this guy is more than just a raw talent'?

Mike Jordan:

I wouldn't be so bold as to say it sealed the deal as we are all aware that to be a good driver these days is so much more than just being a quick driver. To be a professional driver, you have to be able to deal with sponsors, you have to be able to handle the financial side of it and you have to be able to talk to the press. But on the raw speed in the test, and also the way he gelled with the team - which is a big team - he just went in very humbly as a 19-year-old kid and did a very good job.

Crash.net:

In terms of Eurotech, there won't be a BTCC programme now but what about elsewhere? Will we see the Jones brothers and the Ascari or anything else?

Mike Jordan:

There won't actually be a Eurotech because when we decided that we weren't going to run our full privateer car, I decided that I wanted to scale it down and give myself some more time.

I've been very aware for the past few years that I have had a lot on, trying to run a BTCC team and trying to run a GT team. As a team you are only as good as your worst bloke, and the last couple of years, some of my worst blokes have been pretty bad. I have always prided myself, from the first Porsche team 20 years ago, on the fact that my cars have been immaculately turned out, been reliable and been fast. Quality has slipped a little bit lately and I haven't been happy with that. We had some issues with the Ascari last year and some issues with touring cars. You can have mechanical issues on the outside with subcontractor parts but sometimes you have to look in the mirror and say 'is it something we have done wrong?' I've had a bit of that, and it has really got on my nerves. I decided it was a good time, while times are tough financially, to scale it right back, find a much smaller workshop and go again.

That is what we have done and we have rebranded the whole thing as Jordansport.co.uk and I really want to capitalise on what I have done with Andrew and his driver management as well. I have taken him from a 14-year-old driver doing junior rallycross to a factory Vauxhall drive at 19 and I think I have a lot to offer to dads and lads who want to climb the ladder. We have done it pretty spectacularly and I want to try and do more of that. We are doing some driver coaching as well and we will do some car preparation. I'm moving to a unit which is 1200-1300 square feet from a unit which was 7500 square feet and I want to draw a line under it all. We have had 20 years of getting bigger and bigger and you get on a treadmill and need to feed the monster. It takes an awful lot of money to fund that operation and all you seem to do is handle a lot of money but you don't seem to retain it. The more people you employ, the more problems you have, so I was ready to scale it back.

I have a nice little unit and we are going again and rebranding it that way. We have three or four track day cars for guys I have looked after for years and the Jones' sons car is going to do some Britcar races. We have another couple which might do some Britcar but frankly, more than that, I don't want to do it. I want time to look after Andrew as it is a pivotal year for him and aside from doing some driver coaching, that is almost enough for us.

Crash.net:

Does that mean we won't be seeing Mike Jordan on any entry lists this year?

Mike Jordan:

No, I hope you will be seeing it. Now I have this deal done for Andrew, I need to sort out doing some racing as my absolute passion is for driving cars. If it's racing at the top level in touring cars or if it is testing something at Mallory Park on a wet Wednesday morning and going in the café for breakfast, I'm equally as happy doing the Mallory Park stuff. Money constraints have meant that I can't race at the kind of level I have done in the past as we don't have the funding to do that. I hope I will be doing some Britcar as I really enjoy that and think James Tucker has done a great job with it.

The Jones' Ascari that you mentioned will be run on a daily basis now by my friend Mark Hunt at Team Pyro, but I am still involved with it as I will be doing test driving and managing things, but the Ascari is a big project car and you need several quality staff to carry it forward - and I didn't want the pressure resting on my shoulders. If the Jones' do the Spa 24 Hour race then I'd hope to do it with them as I am doing a lot of test work on the car through January and February and will be going to any GT races that don't clash with the BTCC so I have that involvement. I do want to do some racing myself so Britcar fits the bill as I think six of their events don't clash with touring cars.

Crash.net:

And if we suddenly get a press release from Vauxhall to say that Andrew has had an unfortunate incident and fallen down the stairs and Mike has been called in to replace him, we'll know you were desperate to get out in the BTCC and have him a helping hand…

Mike Jordan:

I'd be disappointed for the boy but I'd be a very happy bunny! But when you listen to Ian Harrison saying drivers are fairly old in the sport at 40 and I'm now 50, then there is no chance of me getting myself in the car! I love touring cars, absolutely adore it, but it isn't practical for me to do it now and it probably won't be again. I think that will be the end of my time doing it at that level as you do need a substantial budget to do it, but if the opportunity was ever there again, then I'd love it.