Slim Borgudd

Tommy 'Slim' Borgudd (26 November 1946 - 23 February 2023) was a Swedish racing driver who competed in Formula One during 1981-1982, achieving the unique distinction of being the only Formula One driver to have played drums for the legendary pop group ABBA, combining careers in music and motorsport in a way no other driver has matched. Born on 26 November 1946 on the southern Swedish island of Borgholm, Borgudd's first career was as a professional drummer, mainly performing jazz-rock fusion. He played with short-lived but critically acclaimed Swedish groups including Lea Riders Group, Made In Sweden, and Solar Plexus, establishing himself in Sweden's vibrant 1960s music scene. Through the music industry, Borgudd struck up a friendship with Björn Ulvaeus, who invited him to join the Hootenanny Singers.

This friendship proved significant when Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson formed ABBA, one of the most successful pop groups in history. Björn occasionally asked Borgudd to play drums during ABBA's studio recording sessions, making him the only person to have both recorded with ABBA and competed in Formula One—a truly unique double achievement in popular culture and motorsport history. Despite his music career, Borgudd harbored racing ambitions, and his motorsport journey began in the mid-1960s when he acquired a Lotus Formula Ford car. He competed in various categories throughout the 1970s, gaining his first notable success in 1972 by winning sports car racing club events and participating in the Swedish Touring Car Championship driving a Hillman Imp and Volvo 122.

His results improved steadily through the decade as he balanced racing with his music career. In 1979, Borgudd won the Swedish Formula 3 Championship and finished an impressive third in the European Formula 3 Championship, beaten only by future Formula One World Champion Alain Prost and Dutchman Michael Bleekemolen. This strong performance in the ultra-competitive European F3 series demonstrated that Borgudd, despite starting racing relatively late and pursuing it part-time alongside music, possessed genuine talent worthy of Formula One consideration. In 1981, at age 34—ancient by modern standards for a Formula One rookie—Borgudd finally entered Formula One with the German ATS team.

He made his debut at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, where he outqualified his more experienced teammate Jan Lammers, immediately demonstrating his competitiveness. Although Borgudd brought no cash sponsorship to ATS, he secured permission to place the famous ABBA logo on his car's sidepods—a marketing arrangement with his famous friends that generated enormous media interest and helped promote both ABBA and Formula One. The distinctive ABBA branding made Borgudd's ATS instantly recognizable and attracted significant attention beyond traditional motorsport audiences. Borgudd's 1981 season proved challenging, as the ATS D5 was uncompetitive and suffered from chronic unreliability.

He suffered several frustrating non-qualifications as the pre-qualifying system introduced that year eliminated slower cars before official qualifying. However, Borgudd persevered and delivered his best result at the 1981 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he finished sixth and scored his first and only World Championship point. This result demonstrated that given reliable machinery, the Swedish drummer-turned-racer could compete at Formula One's level. Borgudd's solid if unspectacular performance in 1981 impressed Ken Tyrrell enough to hire him to partner Michele Alboreto for the 1982 season.

Joining Tyrrell, one of Formula One's most respected teams, represented a significant step up for Borgudd and suggested his Formula One career might flourish. However, the partnership proved disastrous. Borgudd failed to adapt to the Tyrrell 011 and struggled to match Alboreto's pace. When his limited sponsorship money ran out just three races into the season, Tyrrell unceremoniously dropped him, ending his Formula One career.

Over his brief Grand Prix tenure, Borgudd started 10 races, scoring one championship point. After leaving Formula One, rather than attempting a comeback in junior categories, Borgudd made a surprising career switch to truck racing in 1986. This decision proved inspired, as Borgudd found considerable success racing commercial trucks—a discipline requiring different skills from Formula One but offering close, exciting competition. In 1986 and 1987, he won both the Division 2 and Division 3 championships in the European Truck Racing Cup, driving a Volvo White.

His truck racing career continued successfully through the 1990s, and in 1994 he came close to winning another title before finally capturing the 1995 European Truck Racing Championship driving a Mercedes-Benz 1834-S. Borgudd's truck racing success demonstrated his versatility and competitiveness across different motorsport disciplines. Throughout his later life, Borgudd remained connected to both music and motorsport communities in Sweden, celebrated as a unique figure who bridged both worlds. His connection to ABBA—one of the best-selling music acts of all time—made him instantly recognizable beyond motorsport circles, while his Formula One and truck racing careers earned respect within racing communities.

Slim Borgudd passed away on 23 February 2023 at age 76, leaving behind a legacy unlike any other in motorsport history. While his Formula One career was brief and achieved limited success, Borgudd's unique combination of recording with ABBA, competing in Formula One, and winning European truck racing championships makes him one of motorsport's most interesting and unusual characters—a true Renaissance man who pursued his diverse passions with dedication and achieved remarkable success across multiple fields.