Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s only one way we can ever describe former go-kart racer Terry Fullerton, it would have to be as fast, skilled, and utterly unafraid, considering all that he has achieved in the circuit. However, what’s arguably even more prominent is this 1973 Karting World Champion’s career in the industry outside the actual tracks as a coach, a driver manager, as well as an entrepreneur. Though, as also chronicled in Netflix’s ‘Senna,’ it is rather undeniable that he is still best known as the friend, rival, and teammate of late legendary racer Ayrton Senna during his karting days.
Terry Fullerton Has Been Involved in Racing All His Life
Having been born in London, England, on January 4, 1953 — a mere three years after the inaugural season of Formula One — Terry had dreams of becoming a professional racer from an early age. This actually went to such an extent he even began training for the same almost as soon as he was able, only for his entire family’s world to turn upside down in 1964 owing to a tragedy. His elder brother Alec sadly died in a motorcycle racing accident at the Mallory Park circuit on June 14, 1964 — a day following his 21st birthday — leaving his loved ones with a hole in their hearts.
This grief subsequently led Terry to restrict himself to kart racing instead of going forward with his initial ambitions of conquering the world of Formula One amongst the best of the best. Little did he know it would take him a long while to prosper even in this motorsport field, not because of his sheer determination or skill level but because the competition was just that good. In fact, he didn’t even qualify for the British team for the 1969 Karting World Championship and had to use his eligibility for an Irish license to partake in this event both in 1969 as well as 1970.
It was only in 1971 that Terry managed to begin competing in the Championship on his actual British license, just to finally start gaining some real traction and support — he finished 4th this year. If we’re being honest, nobody expected him to do this well since he hadn’t had much success in the two years prior, but what’s even more impressive is that he then won the tournament in 1973. The then-20-year-old was actually the first ever Briton to hold this title (with the help of Birel Karting), unaware the very best years of his pro career as a racer were just now beginning.
Terry Fullerton and Ayrton Senna Competed Together For 3 Seasons
While Terry continued to do wonders on the track for years to come, the entire dynamic changed for him, starting in the winter of 1978 when Ayrton Senna became his teammate under DAP. He was their number one guy at the time, yet the Brazilian driver proved his mettle almost immediately, making them not just incredible teammates and friends but also the biggest rivals. That’s actually despite the fact the latter didn’t speak much English at the time, so they mostly used hand gestures or a bit of sign language to talk in the early months of their partnership.
In Terry’s own words, it didn’t matter that Ayrton was a relative newcomer or seven years younger than him because he was charming and impressive both personally as well as professionally. He once even told Formula 1, “[Ayrton] was a bright, intelligent kid, he wasn’t a slow thinker – his eyes would move quite fast and dart around when you were talking to him – and he was switched on.” He added, “In 1978, we had a nice relationship where I was kind of the elder statesman of the team… and he was obviously the newcomer. He was learning off me, or trying to learn off me, which was fine, I had no problem with that, and we moved forward like that.”
Then came 1979, when their rivalry as well as acquaintanceship both progressed in a way that was explosive on the circuit and inspirational off, pushing them to always put their best foot forward. Therefore, of course, 1980 was a lot more intense for them, yet neither lifted the World Championship trophy across these three years — the closest they came to it was with P2 and P3 finishes. In the end, while Terry remained in kart racing until 1984 before officially retiring as a driver, Aryton moved on to Formula Championships in 1981 before rising the ranks to reach Formula One in 1983. Later on, they reconnected, yet they never really had a personal bond.
Despite the fact Terry and Aryton owed one another nothing and weren’t technically friends in the long run, the latter once said he got the most satisfaction racing against his DAP teammate. “He was very experienced,” the proud Brazillian speedster said during a press conference at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. “And I enjoyed very much driving with him because he was fast, he was consistent, he was for me a very complete driver. And it was pure driving, pure racing. There wasn’t any politics then, right? No money involved either, so it was real racing, and I have that as a very good memory.”
Despite Retiring as a Driver, Terry Fullerton is Still Key in the Karting Industry
Since Terry’s whole life until his retirement essentially revolved around cars and kart racing, it was seemingly relatively easy for him to switch gears from a driver to a coach as well as a manager. This 3-time British Junior Champion, 8-time British Champion, 4-time European Champion, 1-time World Champion, and former car mechanic for Rolls Royce (1968-1972) thus began coaching potential talents. As if that’s not enough, he later even established Fullerton Racing Karts, an organization through which he not only trains but also provides young racers with go-karts potentially worthy of championships.
In fact, just some of Terry’s former students include late Indycar driver Justin Wilson, once Formula One and current World Endurance racer Paul di Resta, double 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Allan McNish, and former F1 driver turned commentator Anthony Davidson. Hence, it comes as no surprise he is now regarded as one of the world’s leading coaches of upcoming karting talent. With such success as well as a desire to still be a part of the motor racing industry following 40+ years of experience, the 71-year-old happily married family man plus dog dad from East England continues to serve as a karting coach and manager.
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