Eje Elgh

Eje Elgh (born 15 June 1953) is a Swedish racing driver and television reporter. He currently works as an expert commentator for Formula One in Sweden together with Janne Blomqvist. The two have worked together as Formula One commentators for a long time, first for TV4 and then for Viasat Motor when they took over the Formula One broadcasting in Sweden.

When he could get no further in Europe, Elgh tried his luck as a driver in Japan, racing both in Japanese Formula 2 / Formula 3000 and the Japanese Sports-Prototype Championship during its heyday in 1984–1988 and focusing on the latter from 1989, first with Team Schuppan Porsche 962, then with Tom's Toyota's 91CV/92CV.^[1]

Career

In the 1970s Elgh tried the classical way through the single-seater formulas from the Formula Super Vee towards Formula One.^[1] In the late 1970s he was regarded in Sweden as a great talent and was seen by Swedish motorsport journalists as a successor to the recently deceased Gunnar Nilsson and Ronnie Peterson.^[2] He was managed in the 1970s and 1980s by former racing driver Torsten Palm.^[2]

After the Formula Super Vee Elgh came to England to race in the 1977 British Formula 3 Championships. Because most Formula 1 teams had their factories in England and because of the large concentration of talented drivers the British championship was regarded a stepping stone to Formula 1. During the 1977 season the Swede raced for the Chevron Racing Team. He finished joint second in the BP Super Visco British F3 series and joint 5th in the Vandervell British F3 series.^[2]

By 1978 Elgh had stepped up to Formula 2 and went to Fred Opert Racing team at the start. The first season was quite successful for a rookie. In Pau he was within second to Bruno Giacomelli and finished the races at Rouen-les-Essarts and Hockenheim in sixth. In the final standings of the championship he was 11th.^[3]

In 1979 he moved to Tiga Race Cars, winning his first F2 race at Enna-Pergusa. However, his best year in the Formula 2 Championship was the 1981 season. The year before he went to MM Mampe Team and had a disastrous first season, finishing only one race, in 9th. In 1981 he won in Vallelunga and finished second at Thruxton (behind team-mate Roberto Guerrero) and at the Nordschleife of Nürburgring (behind Thierry Boutsen) and third at Spa. He took 3rd in the championship that year.^[4][5][6][7]

Despite these successes and a test drive for McLaren he was not able to advance to the Formula 1 World Championship, so he sought new challenges in Asia. In the early 1980s many European racers changed the Japanese motorsport scene. Elgh successfully drove there in the Japanese Formula 2 and Formula 3000 Championships and in the Japanese Endurance and Sports-Prototype Championships.^[8][9]

Elgh's Toyota 91C-V from 1991, being displayed FIA World Endurance Championship 2012 Rd.7 6 Hours of Fuji

In mid 80s Elgh began touring and sports car career. He was works driver with Dome Motorsport and drove 1984 European Touring Car Championship races for the Volvo team of his compatriot Robert Kvist. Together with Ulf Granberg he was second in the 500 km race at Mugello.^[8][9]

By the end of his career in 1995 he was closely associated with Domes and the sports car team of Toyota for which he was engaged almost continuously. Elgh was regarded as a strong development driver and a loyal team player who was at Toyota also at times when success eluded the team. He won his first long distance race in 1985 with partner Geoff Lees at the 500-km race at Suzuka, a round of All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in a Dome 84C. His last of four successes in the Japanese Sports Car Championship was the overall win in the 500-km race from Sugo in 1991, again with Lees as a partner, this time in the Toyota 91C-V.^[8][9]

In 2006 he shared a Motortecnica MAN 4x4 truck with Paolo Barilla and Matteo Marzotto in the Dakar rally.

He also participated in the 2009 Dakar Rally where he was involved in a frightening crash. His Nissan Patrol GR Y61 fell down a 100-meter cliff and was completely destroyed, but Elgh and partner Paolo Barilla survived without any serious injuries.^[10]

In recent years he has competed in the Monaco Historique GP, in 2012 in a 1977 F3 Chevron B38-Toyota, the same car as he drove in British F3 in 1977. He was back in 2016 behind the wheel of a 1971 March 711-Cosworth Formula 1 car.

Racing record

Career highlights

^[9][19]

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1982	March Racing	Jeff Wood Patrick Nève	March 82G-Chevrolet	C	78	DNF
1985	Dome Team	Geoff Lees Toshio Suzuki	Dome Team 85C-L-Toyota	C1	141	DNF
1986	Dome Co. Ltd.	Beppe Gabbiani Toshio Suzuki	Dome Team 86C-L-Toyota	C1	296	NC
1987	Toyota Team TOM'S	Alan Jones Geoff Lees	Toyota 87C-L	C1	19	DNF
1988	Takefuji Schuppan Racing Team	Brian Redman Jean-Pierre Jarier	Porsche 962C	C1	359	10th	10th
1989	Team Schuppan	Vern Schuppan Gary Brabham	Porsche 962C	C1	321	13th	10th
1990	Team Schuppan	Thomas Danielsson Tomas Mezera	Porsche TS962	C1	326	15th	15th
1991	Team Salamin Primagaz Team Schuppan	Roland Ratzenberger Will Hoy	Porsche 962C	C2	202	DNF
1992	Toyota Team TOM'S Kitz Racing Team with SARD	Roland Ratzenberger Eddie Irvine	Toyota 92C-V	C2	321	9th	2nd
1993	Nisso Trust Racing Team	George Fouché Steven Andskär	Toyota 93C-V	C2	358	6th	2nd

Daytona 24 Hours results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1992	Team 0123	Hurley Haywood Roland Ratzenberger Scott Brayton	Porsche 962	GTP	749	3rd	3rd

^[20]

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

References