APRIL 26, 2005

Lord Trotman

Lord Trotman of Osmotherly, the man who took the Ford Motor Company into Formula 1 in a serious way back in 1996 when he joined forces with Stewart Grand Prix, has died at the age of 71. Trotman retired to Yorkshire in England in 2000, having completed an ambition programme called Ford 2000, a vast globalisation programme which involved huge restructuring which cut $5bn in costs and introduced the concept of different vehicles sharing major components. Trotman was chief executive of Ford from 1993 until 2000 when he handed over to Jac Nasser. He was knighted in 1996 and elevated to the House of Lords three years later.

The decision to enter F1 marked a significant increase in Ford's interest in the sport, which came to an end last year with the sale of Jaguar Racing. Before that Ford's involvement had been limited and intermittent. At the time the partnership with Stewart was supposed to be more integrated than any previous F1 engine deal involving chassis development, aerodynamics, electronics and other technologies and a special Ford Motorsport Technology Department being established at Dearborn in Michigan. In the end, however, Ford's involvement lessened after Trotman and Nasser had gone, a situation which led to the demise of Jaguar Racing.