Lars 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. His racing record includes the European Formula Two Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Daytona 24 Hours.
Career In the 1970s, Elgh tried the classical way through the single-seater formulas from the Formula Super Vee towards Formula One. 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. He was managed in the 1970s and 1980s by former racing driver Torsten Palm.
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.
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.
In 1979, Elgh 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 ninth. 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 third in the championship that year.
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.
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.
By the end of his career in 1995, Elgh 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.
In 2006, Elgh shared a Motortecnica MAN 4x4 truck with Paolo Barilla and Matteo Marzotto in the Dakar rally.
Elgh 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.Eje Elgh kraschade i rallyt Dagens Nyheter, 17 January 2009 (Retrieved 28 May 2010)
In recent years, Elgh 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 Season Series Position Car Team 1974 Formel Super Vau Gold Pokal 15th Lola T252-Volkswagen 1974 Formel Super Vau GTX Championship 21st Lola T252-Volkswagen 1975 Formel Super Vau Gold Pokal 3rd Lola T320-VolkswagenLola T324-Volkswagen 1976 Swedish Formula Three Championship 11th Viking TH 1A-Toyota Rotel Racing Team 1976 Formel Super Vau Gold Pokal 16th Lola-Volkswagen 1977 BARC British F3 Championship 2nd Chevron B38-Toyota Chevron Racing Team 1977 BRDC British F3 Championship 5th Chevron B38-Toyota Chevron Racing Team 1977 FIA European F3 Championship 12th Chevron B40-Hart Fred Opert Racing 1978 Swedish Formula Three Championship 9th 1978 European Formula Two Championship 11th Chevron B42-Hart Fred Opert Racing 1978 FIA European F3 Championship 20th Chevron B43-Toyota Chevron Racing Team 1978–79 New Zealand Formula Pacific Championship 4th March 782-Ford Dick Bennetts Racing 1979 European Formula Two Championship 9th March 792-BMW Marlboro Team Tiga 1980 European Formula Two Championship NC Maurer MM80-BMW MM Mampe Team 1981 European Formula Two Championship 3rd Maurer MM81-BMW Maurer Motorsport 1981 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 14th Maurer MM81-BMW Racing Mate Project TeamTeam Equipe 1982 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 14th March 802-BMWAGS JH22-BMW Tomei JidousuyaUnico Racing 1983 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 9th March 832-BMW Team Le Mans 1983 All Japan Endurance Championship 14th Dome RC83-Ford Dome Motorsport 1984 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 4th March 842-BMW Autobacs Racing Team with Uchida 1984 All Japan Endurance Championship 41st Dome RC83i-FordDome 84C-Toyota Dome Motorsport 1985 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 5th March 85J-Mugen Honda Speed Star Wheel Racing Team 1985 All Japan Endurance Championship 5th Dome 84C-ToyotaDome 85C-Toyota Dome Company 1985 Fuji Grand Champion Series 4th MCS 6-BMW Speed Star Wheel Racing Team 1986 Japanese Formula 2 Championship 6th March 86J-Yamaha Speed Box Motor Sports 1986 All Japan Endurance Championship 20th Dome RD84C-ToyotaDome 86C-Toyota Dome Company 1987 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship 11th March 87B-Cosworth Team Kitamura 1987 All Japan Endurance Championship 14th Dome 87C-ToyotaPorsche 962C Dome CompanyRothmans Porsche Team Schuppan 1987 Fuji Grand Champion Series 15th MCS 7-Ford Sundai Spilit Team 1987 All Japan Touring Car Championship 8th Rover VitesseToyota Supra Turbo Sundai Spilit TeamTOM's Toyota 1988 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship NC Lola T88/50-Mugen Ogawa Sundai Spilit Team 1988 All Japan Endurance Championship 7th Porsche 962C Rothmans Porsche Team Schuppan 1988 Fuji Long Distance Series 5th Porsche 962C Rothmans Porsche Team Schuppan 1988 FIA World Endurance Championship 58th Porsche 962C Takefuji Team Schuppan 1988 Fuji Grand Champion Series 10th R&D 88Q-Mazda Sundai Spilit Team 1989 All Japan Endurance Championship 5th Porsche 962C Omron Racing 1989 All Japan Grand Champion Series 8th R&D 88Q-Mazda Sundai Spilit Team 1990 FIA World Endurance Championship NC Porsche 962C Team DaveyBrun MotorsportPorsche Kremer Racing 1990 All Japan Endurance Championship 17th Porsche 962C Omron Racing 1991 FIA World Endurance Championship 47th Porsche 962C Courage CompétitionPorsche Kremer RacingTeam Salamin Primagaz 1991 All Japan Endurance Championship 12th Toyota 91C-V Toyota Team TOM'S 1992 All Japan Endurance Championship 15th Toyota 92C-V Kitz Racing Team with SARD 1992 IMSA Camel GTP Championship 17th Porsche 962 Team 0123
Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Fred Opert Racing Chevron B40 Hart SIL THR HOC NÜR VAL PAU MUG ROU NOG PER MIS EST8 DON NC 0 Fred Opert Racing Chevron B42 Hart THRDNQ HOCDNQ NÜR9 PAU2 MUG13 VALDNQ ROU6 DONRet NOG13 PERRet MISDNQ HOC6 11th 8 Marlboro Team Tiga March 792 BMW SILRet HOCDSQ THRRet NÜR12 VAL9 MUG3 PAURet HOC10 ZAN6 PER1 MISRet DON5 9th 16 MM Mampe Team Maurer MM80 BMW THRRet HOCRet NÜRRet VALRet PAU SIL ZOL MUG ZAN PER MIS HOCRet NC 0 Maurer Motorsport Maurer MM81 BMW SIL18 HOC4 THR2 NÜR2 VAL1 MUG4 PAU5 PER5 SPA3 DON7 MISRet MAN17 3rd 35 Maurer Motorsport Maurer MM82 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR17 MUG VAL PAU SPA HOC DON NC 0 Horag Racing March 822 BMW MANRet PER MIS
24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1982 March Racing Jeff Wood Patrick Nève March 82G-Chevrolet C 78 DNF DNF 1984 Uchida Dome Racing Team Stanley Dickens Dome RC83-Ford Cosworth C1 - DNS DNS 1985 Dome Team Geoff Lees Toshio Suzuki Dome Team 85C-L-Toyota C1 141 DNF DNF 1986 Dome Co. Ltd. Beppe Gabbiani Toshio Suzuki Dome Team 86C-L-Toyota C1 296 NC NC 1987 Toyota Team TOM'S Alan Jones Geoff Lees Toyota 87C-L C1 19 DNF 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 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 1992 Team 0123 Hurley Haywood Roland Ratzenberger Scott Brayton Porsche 962 GTP 749 3rd 2nd
References