Slim Borgudd

Slim Borgudd
Born	Karl Edvard Tommy Borgudd (1946-11-25) 25 November 1946 Borgholm, Öland, Sweden
Died	23 February 2023(2023-02-23) (aged 76)
Other names	Tommy Borgudd
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, drummer
Years active	Mid-1960s–1990s
Known for	Formula One driver for ATS and Tyrrell; jazz-rock drummer; European Truck Racing Champion

Karl Edvard Tommy "Slim" Borgudd (25 November 1946 – 23 February 2023) was a Swedish drummer turned professional racing driver who competed in Formula One for the ATS and Tyrrell teams.

Biography

Originating from Borgholm on the island of Öland, Borgudd initially made his mark as a jazz-rock drummer, performing with groups such as Lea Riders Group, Made In Sweden, and Solar Plexus. He also worked alongside Björn Ulvaeus’s Hootenanny Singers.

His motorsport journey began in the mid-1960s behind the wheel of a Lotus Formula Ford. After claiming victory in five sports car club events by 1972, he committed fully to racing. Between 1972 and 1975, he participated in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, finishing second overall in 1972. Additionally, he secured the Scandinavian Formula Ford championship title in 1973.

Progressing to Formula 3 competition in 1976, Borgudd raced intermittently until 1977. The following year, he established his own team and competed full-time driving a Ralt-Toyota, capturing the Swedish Formula 3 championship in 1979 and finishing third in the European series. Despite attempts, he was unable to advance to Formula 2 in 1980, only appearing at the Monaco F3 Grand Prix that year.

At age 34, Borgudd entered Formula One with the ATS team during the 1981 season. Making his debut at the San Marino Grand Prix, he outqualified teammate Jan Lammers. Lacking financial backing, Borgudd placed the ABBA logo on his car to attract sponsorship, which garnered significant media interest. He earned a single championship point by finishing sixth at the British Grand Prix; however, ATS remained an uncompetitive outfit throughout his tenure.

In 1982, Ken Tyrrell recruited Borgudd alongside Michele Alboreto. Borgudd found adapting to the team challenging and was released after three races when his sponsorship funding ended.

Between 1983 and 1985, Borgudd competed sporadically, including appearances at events such as the Macau Grand Prix. Returning to Formula 3000 in 1985 with an outdated Arrows A6 chassis, he entered five races but struggled against competitors driving purpose-built vehicles.

Borgudd also took part in endurance racing, contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1987 and winning the Willhire 24 Hour race in a Ford Sierra in 1989. He achieved considerable success in truck racing by winning European Truck Racing Championship titles in Divisions 2 and 3 during 1986 and 1987. In 1992, he finished third overall in the Class B category.

Transitioning to the Nordic Touring Car Championship in 1994, Borgudd secured the championship title. Plans for a return to British Touring Car Championship competition with Mazda and Roger Dowson Engineering in 1995 were ultimately abandoned.

In truck racing competition, he narrowly missed out on the Truck Racing Cup championship to Steve Parrish in 1994 but claimed it convincingly in 1995. Following fifth and fourth-place finishes over subsequent seasons, Borgudd retired amid controversies regarding perceived favoritism towards Mercedes-Benz teams. He later participated in amateur racing events while residing in Coventry.

Borgudd passed away on 23 February 2023 at age seventy-six.

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
1981	Team ATS	ATS D4	Cosworth V8	USW	BRA	ARG	SMR 13													20th	1
		ATS HGS1						BEL DNQ	MON DNPQ	ESP DNQ	FRA DNQ	GBR 6	GER Ret	AUT Ret	NED 10	ITA Ret	CAN Ret	CPL DNQ
1982	Team Tyrrell	Tyrrell 011	Cosworth V8	RSA 16	BRA 7	USW 10												NC	0

Full British Touring Car Championship Results

(legend) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position within the class) (Races shown in italics represent the fastest lap in class)

Year	Team	Vehicle	Category	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Overall Standing	Points	Class Standing
	1990	nowrap | Labatt's Team	nowrap | Ford Sierra RS500	A	OUL	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DON Ret‡	THR	SIL	OUL	SIL	style="background:#DFDFDF;" | BRH overall:2‡ class:2‡	SNE	BRH	BIR	DON	THR	SIL	NC	0	NC

‡ Participated as endurance driver – points not awarded

External links

• Biography of Slim Borgudd at F1 Rejects
• Slim Racing profile
• as Slim
• as Tommy Borgudd