MOTOR SPORT: Team boss Eddie Jordan remains defiant over the future of his team, despite suggestions from Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone the sport would be better off if the likes of Jordan and Minardi were not on the grid.
Ecclestone claims to favour three-car teams from top outfits, but Jordan is convinced Formula One needs privateer squads.
Asked whether his team would make the start of 2005, the Dubliner said: "It's a difficult one to answer. One has to be realistic about the situation. I am an absolute fighter, as are the vast majority of the private teams.
"What happened last week with Ford (when the team's engine supplier announced it was pulling out of the sport) is every justification that the privateer teams are there for Formula One, because we are there through hard times and tough times.
"I believe firmly that Formula One has to have a strong element of private teams, because manufacturers come and go as and when they see. The private teams are the ones who keep preserving that platform that we all need. The foundation of the championship has to be on the continual performance of private teams.
"I will fight tooth and nail to be on the grid in Australia next year. Can I guarantee anything? I can't do that, but for sure I will only go down fighting."
Meanwhile, Jaguar boss Tony Purnell has revealed there is "masses of interest" in buying the troubled Formula One team.
Purnell, who runs Jaguar as part of his role as chief of Ford's premier performance division, believes the health of Formula One can be judged by whether he can find a buyer.
Jaguar, and engine supplier Cosworth, are up for sale after parent company Ford opted to pull out of Formula One, prompting serious worries for the future of three teams in the sport.
Along with Jaguar, Cosworth engines are used by Jordan and Minardi, leaving a third of the grid in jeopardy.
But Purnell is confident he can find the right buyer for Jaguar, insisting any candidate must be able to run the outfit successfully over the next few seasons.
"There's masses of interest," Purnell said. "Of course Formula One generates a lot of people who want to take a chance, and we are sifting through the realistic buyers from the chancers. But there is masses of interest and one's got to be fairly confident a solution will be found. The fact is that we are only going to sell to a credible buyer.
"The idea of buying a Formula One team is a bit of a misnomer. The idea is about funding a Formula One team on a continuous basis. We are only going to change the ownership for someone who is going to make it work for two or three years.
"The whole process is a confidential one. I'm not going to talk about any individual bids, but rest assured I have contacted every potential buyer that II know of. If we don't find a key new owner it says much more about the health of Formula One as a business than anything to do with the present team."
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