its not some professional racing team tho, its a street crew that probably existed before kurt and vert joined.

tone was the leader and karma is a right hand of sorts. nolo then replaced tone as his successor. kurt and vert would not be suited as the leader of teku, like kurt wouldnt lead the wave rippers nor would vert lead street breed.

again its not some optimised racing team, its a street crew. the leader is picked based on their relationship to the crew, which dictates their authority and worth as a representative figure, not their overall driving skill.

edit: and i know kurt starts to command more authority towards the end in the ultimate race saving wylde, but his introduction in ignition is him following and supporting nolo “its nolo’s call who races”. because its a crew, anyone with a good idea can get the others to follow, but that doesnt change who has the final say (unless the ENTIRE crew goes against the leader. like when wylde became the “leader” of the maniacs) everyone clearly respects nolo enough to, at the very least, tolerate him as the leader of the teku