November 10, 1965
Eddie Irvine
(Photo; Wikipedia)
Born in Newtownards, Northern Ireland.
Irvine was influenced by his parents to enter motor racing. He began his career at the age of seventeen when he entered the Formula Ford Championship achieving early success, before progressing to the Formula Three and Formula 3000 Championships. Irvine first appeared in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1992 SARD driving a Toyota Group C car alongside Roland Ratzenberger and Eje Elgh. The team finished ninth overall and came second in the Group C class. He first drove in Formula One with the Jordan team in 1993 season, where he achieved early notoriety for his involvement in incidents during his early career. He clinched his first podium finish in 1995 before moving to Ferrari in 1996.
His most successful season was in 1999 when he took four victories and challenged McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen for the World Championship, eventually finishing the runner-up. He moved to Jaguar in 2000 and endured poor results but managed to clinch his team's first podium in 2001 and another podium in 2002. Irvine left Jaguar due to friction within his team and announced his retirement from competitive motorsport when he did not secure a race seat.
Since leaving motorsport, Irvine became a media personality in Britain. He was also linked with the takeover of the Jordan and Minardi teams in 2005, with talks coming to nothing. Irvine also expanded his interests into the property market, having built up an investment during his racing career.
Irvine is seen by many as a playboy in the mould of James Hunt, in contrast to the sport's modern stars, who are seen as staid and less flamboyant. Irvine is also remembered for his tendency to speak his mind, often to the irritation of some. Despite this, Irvine does not consider himself to be a playboy stating his life is "90% work". He was nicknamed "Irv the Swerve" and later "Fast Eddie".
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