Teddy Mayer 1935-2009

The American, whose full name was Edward Everett Mayer, was at the helm of McLaren in the 1970s, between founder Bruce McLaren's death and the arrival of Ron Dennis.

Mayer's first involvement with motorsport saw him running a Formula Junior team in the 1960s, before he assisted McLaren with the creation of his eponymous Formula One team.

After McLaren was killed testing a Can-Am car at Goodwood in 1970, Mayer took over the running of the team and led them to the 1974 and 1976 world championships with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt. McLaren were also successful in Can-Am and Indy/Champ Car racing through this period, winning the 1976 Indianapolis 500 with Johnny Rutherford.

When the McLaren F1 team's fortunes declined in the late 1970s, primary sponsor Marlboro arranged for successful Formula Two team boss Dennis to be brought on board. Mayer stayed on initially, before selling his shares to Dennis in 1982 and forming a new Champ Car team with his former McLaren colleague Tyler Alexander.

Mayer Motor Racing's Tom Sneva came close to beating Mario Andretti to the 1984 CART Champ Car title, before Mayer returned to F1 with the Beatrice Haas project. This short-lived operation would not be as successful as Mayer's previous F1 exploits with McLaren, and after the team closed in 1986 he returned to America to work with Penske, staying on as a consultant until 2007.

Mayer passed away at his home in England on Friday 30 January. He is survived by his son Tim, currently the chief operating officer of IMSA and the American Le Mans Series, and his daughter Anne.