Ex-mclaren Boss Teddy Mayer Passes Away

[DOF_power 0]

Ex-McLaren boss Teddy Mayer passes away

Sunday 1st February 2009

Former McLaren boss Teddy Mayer has passed away aged 73.

Born Edward Everett Mayer in 1935 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayer played a key role in establishing McLaren as a powerhouse in Formula One.

Mayer's love affair with motorsport first saw him in the Rev-Em Formula Junior team. After studying at Cornell University, the American left the land of his birth and headed to Europe where he joined Bruce McLaren who was setting up his Formula One team.

When McLaren was killed in 1970, Mayer took control of the team and guided them to world championship titles in 1974 and 1976 with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt.

During the same period Mayer ran successful programs in America, winning the 1976 Indianapolis 500 with Johnny Rutherford.

McLaren's fortunes waned following Hunt's title success, and team sponsor Marlboro brought in Ron Dennis in 1980.

Mayer stayed with the team until selling his shares to Dennis in 1982 and heading back to America to set up a Champ Car team.

Mayer returned briefly to F1 in 1985 for a spell with the Beatrice Haas Lola team. The project could not emulated Meyer's success with McLaren and after two years he returned to the USA.

Mayer is survived by his son Tim and daughter Anne.

[The Rumble Strip 0]

Sad news.

[HandyNZL 1]

Sad news indeed. Young schoolers will be going who the ****?, but old schoolers and those interested in the history of F1 will certainly have known who he was.

[mikathegreat2 2]

Who the ****?

[The Rumble Strip 0]

He is before my era but it was he who laid the foundations for the McLaren team as we know it.

[HandyNZL 1]

He is before my era but it was he who laid the foundations for the McLaren team as we know it.

Well, actually it was him and Phil Kerr....

[aussief1 4]

Very sad news

RIP Teddy Mayer.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

hey, don't look at me... I did'nt even know him

[The Rumble Strip 0]

My apologies for not mentioning Kerr then.

[HandyNZL 1]

Thats ok - you also missed Tyler ALexander and of course the MAN himself, Bruce, but we'll let you off

[The Rumble Strip 0]

You take the point though.

He was integral to the early days of McLaren as we know it.

[Rainmaster 7]

RIP Teddy Mayer.