Crash and Burn

For a fleeting moment in the early 80s Tommy Byrne was the world’s greatest driver, the motor racing equivalent of George Best and Muhammad Ali all rolled into one. Byrne was a cocky, aggressive driver from humble roots and the F1 glitterati simply didn't like the mix. Eddie Jordan the former team-owner, who worked with both Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, will tell you: ‘Forget Schuey and Senna - Tommy Byrne was the best of them all.’ His rise was meteoric and his fall spectacular.