Just like he was in his NBA heydays, the fiercely competitive Jordan is all about winning. Molding a private team into a factory squad's nightmare is one path towards that end. Another would be to circumvent the wall he's hit by simply joining the factory ranks if the opportunity arose.
Asked if he would be interested in running the official team for a manufacturer, for example Ducati if and when they reenter the AMA Superbike series, Jordan repied, "I'm not opposed to that. At all. As long as I can win. If I can win, I'll play. If I can't win, it's not worth playing. Nobody wants to play a game when you know you can't win.
"When you look at our team, in all honesty, we went from being in the game the first year. Second year, we got a taste of the podium. Third year we had a lot of issues with injuries and whatever, and this year, we're at least out there and competing and we've got a win and a couple podium finishes. If it wasn't gradually increasing for me, it wouldn't be worth my time."
The signing of multi-time AMA Superbike race winner Aaron Yates has allowed the Jordan Suzuki squad to take a big step forward in '07. Already this season Yates has given the team their first win (in Superstock) and threatened to land on the Superbike podium on a couple of occasions.
Rumored to have long been a fan of the hard-charging Georgian, Jordan said of his new pilot, "I love Yates. He's very professional. He's been in a factory situation and he's come to us and I think we've provided something that he probably didn't get in a factory situation -- the individual attention, the support, the belief. He is a guy under that tent, with Jake Holden, with leadership qualities. He's been very professional and I'm glad we were able to get him. It gives us a better chance to win, obviously. But it says a lot about who he is. He was looking for a new start and he could have easily laid down or whatever, but he's a competitor and I love that about him.
"It makes it a lot more fun. We're getting closer. Our bike is faster than
what his was last year, so we're gaining ground. We're doing something right here. And he's very enthusiastic. He's helping us develop our whole program because he's been under that factory umbrella. We needed someone like that at this stage of where we are, just so it can help us progress as a racing team."
Towards the end of the sit-down, Jordan was asked why it took this long to speak to the racing media, and why he did so at all if his (understandable) privacy concerns were so important.
"It's a great opportunity," he said. "Obviously, I try and stay away from the press of this industry because I'm still gaining knowledge. You guys ask me questions of things that I don't know, but now I can be more articulated about it and trust myself. Up to this point, I've been telling Kenny (Abbott), 'let's run it like a business and when I understand the business I can say something.' I'm starting to understand it pretty good and I can say my piece. Is this the correct time? I don't know. You guys asked for this interview and I said, 'okay no problem. Let's sit down and talk about it.' I was never afraid to sit in the front of the media, I just didn't know what to say and what to talk about. Now that I know it, I'm not afraid to talk about it.
"I'm excited. I like this sport. These guys… the dangers and challenges they take, the split-second decisions -- that's a challenge. That's not just a daredevil, it's a challenge and they're good at it. I'm starting to be able to calculate some of the things that are happening in the race, some of the mistakes that are being made. I ride, I get on the track, I fall, I crash, I do all that stuff. To me I'm a daredevil to some degree. I'm not afraid of a challenge and I'm not afraid to step into something that I don't know much about, but I can learn. Once I learn it, I want to win, I want to compete at it. This does drive my competitive juices and I'd like for it to be even better when we're all on the same playing field. I'd like to think that we could really make an impact. I think it would be good for the AMA."
