Between 1981 and 1985, Toleman progressed from a desperate fullback to a powerful giant-killer of Grand Prix racing, during five seasons in which he gave many key figures their break in F1, including the drivers Derek Warwick, Teo Fabi and Stefan Johansson – but above all Ayrton Senna and the man who would design each of Michael Schumacher’s seven world champion cars, Rory Byrne.
Ted Toleman and his older brother Bob ran the family business centered on a car transport business based in Brentwood, Essex from the mid-1960s. Encouraged by managing director Alex Hawkridge, the Toleman Group became a familiar sponsor of grassroots motorsport club drivers over the next decade, perhaps most notably on Colin Hawker’s DFV-powered 1600 fastback Super Saloon “DFVW”, as a means of promoting the company. The brothers and Hawkridge also began racing themselves.
Tragedy struck in 1976 when Bob Toleman was killed in a crash with his Royale Formula Ford at Snetterton. Undeterred, Ted Toleman continued to occasionally race a Lola Sports 2000 as Hawkridge increased its investment in motorsport as a participant, with the company backing South African Rad Dougall, who dominated FF2000 in 1977. The company then hired up-and-coming designer Byrne from Royale and jumped right in. in F2, running a March 782-BMW for Dougall in 1978.
Two years later, Toleman made his mark with his own Hart-powered TG280 F2, designed by Byrne and John Gentry, running on Pirelli tires and with backing from BP. Brian Henton and Warwick joined a famous 1-2 team in the European F2 Championship, which inspired Toleman to move into F1 in 1981.
The team initially looked overwhelmed with the Hart turbocharged TG181 of Byrne, Henton and Warwick only qualifying for one race each during a difficult first season in the top flight. But over the next three years Toleman became a real force, coming of age in 1984 when Hawkridge signed British F3 champion Senna, who nearly won a rain-scarred and controversial Monaco GP.
MORE: The underdog F1 team that propelled Senna into the spotlight
Ayrton Senna, Toleman TG184-Hart
Photo by: Motorsport Images
But the following year, after Senna acrimoniously defected to Lotus and the team was left without a tire supply contract, Toleman’s final F1 car, the TG185, failed to start of the season. The team was sold to Italian fashion house Benetton, the name under which it then operated from 1986, and Toleman retired from motorsport.
MORE: The salvation story behind Benetton’s emergence as an F1 team
During his company’s F1 adventure, Ted Toleman also successfully raced offshore powerboats, and in 1985 he captained the first Virgin Atlantic Challenger 1, with Richard Branson on board, which narrowly failed to set a new record for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic by boat. . The Toleman Group was sold in the 1990s, after which Ted returned to his native South Africa to manage a banana plantation. He later moved to Australia before settling in the Philippines.
Although Hawkridge was the driving force behind Toleman’s colorful chapter in motorsport, the support of its president was a key part of the company’s against-odds success. “I owe everything to Ted Toleman, Alex Hawkridge and the team,” Warwick said. “They have been incredible to me. I wouldn’t have been in F1 without them or had this incredible career. I owe this life to Toleman.
Autosport extends its condolences to Ted’s surviving son, Michael Toleman, and to the entire Toleman family.
Between 1981 and 1985, Toleman progressed from a desperate fullback to a powerful giant-killer of Grand Prix racing, during five seasons in which he gave many key figures their break in F1, including the drivers Derek Warwick, Teo Fabi and Stefan Johansson – but above all Ayrton Senna and the man who would design each of Michael Schumacher’s seven world champion cars, Rory Byrne.
Ted Toleman and his older brother Bob ran the family business centered on a car transport business based in Brentwood, Essex from the mid-1960s. Encouraged by managing director Alex Hawkridge, the Toleman Group became a familiar sponsor of grassroots motorsport club drivers over the next decade, perhaps most notably on Colin Hawker’s DFV-powered 1600 fastback Super Saloon “DFVW”, as a means of promoting the company. The brothers and Hawkridge also began racing themselves.
Tragedy struck in 1976 when Bob Toleman was killed in a crash with his Royale Formula Ford at Snetterton. Undeterred, Ted Toleman continued to occasionally race a Lola Sports 2000 as Hawkridge increased its investment in motorsport as a participant, with the company backing South African Rad Dougall, who dominated FF2000 in 1977. The company then hired up-and-coming designer Byrne from Royale and jumped right in. in F2, running a March 782-BMW for Dougall in 1978.
Two years later, Toleman made his mark with his own Hart-powered TG280 F2, designed by Byrne and John Gentry, running on Pirelli tires and with backing from BP. Brian Henton and Warwick joined a famous 1-2 team in the European F2 Championship, which inspired Toleman to move into F1 in 1981.
The team initially looked overwhelmed with the Hart turbocharged TG181 of Byrne, Henton and Warwick only qualifying for one race each during a difficult first season in the top flight. But over the next three years Toleman became a real force, coming of age in 1984 when Hawkridge signed British F3 champion Senna, who nearly won a rain-scarred and controversial Monaco GP.
MORE: The underdog F1 team that propelled Senna into the spotlight
Ayrton Senna, Toleman TG184-Hart
Photo by: Motorsport Images
But the following year, after Senna acrimoniously defected to Lotus and the team was left without a tire supply contract, Toleman’s final F1 car, the TG185, failed to start of the season. The team was sold to Italian fashion house Benetton, the name under which it then operated from 1986, and Toleman retired from motorsport.
MORE: The salvation story behind Benetton’s emergence as an F1 team
During his company’s F1 adventure, Ted Toleman also successfully raced offshore powerboats, and in 1985 he captained the first Virgin Atlantic Challenger 1, with Richard Branson on board, which narrowly failed to set a new record for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic by boat. . The Toleman Group was sold in the 1990s, after which Ted returned to his native South Africa to manage a banana plantation. He later moved to Australia before settling in the Philippines.
Although Hawkridge was the driving force behind Toleman’s colorful chapter in motorsport, the support of its president was a key part of the company’s against-odds success. “I owe everything to Ted Toleman, Alex Hawkridge and the team,” Warwick said. “They have been incredible to me. I wouldn’t have been in F1 without them or had this incredible career. I owe this life to Toleman.
Autosport extends its condolences to Ted’s surviving son, Michael Toleman, and to the entire Toleman family.