Toleman - WikiHQ

Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It participated in Formula One between 1981 and 1985, competing in 70 Grands Prix. Today, it is best known for giving Ayrton Senna his Formula One debut.

The team was generally uncompetitive during its short lifetime, prompting Senna to leave after just one year. However, several of its engineers, including Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds, stayed with the team after its sale to the Benetton Group and eventually built the organisation into the title-winning Benetton Formula. As such, Toleman is the progenitor of the racing lineage informally known as "Team Enstone".

Origins

In 1926, Edward Toleman established a company to deliver Ford cars from the Ford factory to dealers across the country. Edward's son Albert took over the company in the 1950s, and Albert's sons Ted and Bob succeeded him in 1966. The Toleman brothers recruited Alex Hawkridge to expand their transportation business into Europe. Unfortunately, Bob Toleman died in a racing accident in 1976. In 1976, Toleman began sponsoring Rad Dougall in the British Formula Ford Championship, although Dougall broke his legs in a crash the same day Toleman agreed to fund him. Toleman continued sponsoring Dougall for 1977, and he won the Formula Ford 2000 title that year. Impressed with the results, Ted Toleman agreed to start his own Formula Two team. To prepare for the higher level of competition, the team hired Royale Racing designer Rory Byrne, with an eye towards eventually building his own cars. The team steadily improved from year to year.

In 1978, Toleman ran one car, a customer March-BMW. Rad Dougall made the podium in the very first race, but scored only one more point that season. Byrne accused March's Robin Herd of undermining Toleman to benefit March's works team. He concluded that "it’s no use having a customer car, you’re always one step behind."

In 1979, Toleman fielded a second car (piloted by Brian Henton), a customer Ralt-Hart. The team still used the previous year's March chassis when the Ralt was unavailable but otherwise preferred the Ralt. The Hart engines were less powerful than the BMWs but much lighter,

In 1980, the F2 regulations were revised to limit ground effect. Henton and Warwick finished 1-2 atop the standings, with a lead so large they skipped the final race of the season.

Formula One

Toleman entered Formula One for the season. Although Hawkridge admitted that the team was not ready to compete that year, he explained that the team had a short window of opportunity to enter the top level, because the FISA side of the FISA–FOCA war wanted to add teams to improve its political position against the established FOCA teams like Brabham, McLaren, and Williams. Toleman would later refuse to join FOCA's boycott of the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix.

The team continued to recruited talented engineers, signing Byrne's former Royale lieutenant Pat Symonds for 1981 by promising to double his salary. By that time, Formula One was beginning to be dominated by turbo-powered cars, which outpaced the naturally aspirated engines previously dominant in the sport. Looking back, Symonds remarked that "if Alex and Ted Toleman had said, 'Let's go F1 racing, let's buy a [naturally aspirated Cosworth] DFV,' we'd have been a hell of a lot more successful in 1981 – but we wouldn’t have been around by 1990. We'd have been just another team."

1981–1982: Difficult early years

thumb|[[Toleman TG181]]

Toleman suffered greatly in the short run, due to growing pains associated with the innovative turbo technology and other issues. During this period, Toleman's cars were mocked in the racing press as "The Pig" (for their poor handling) and "The Belgrano" (for their oil leaks).

In 1981, the team retained Brian Henton and Derek Warwick from 1980's dominant F2 campaign, but the Toleman TG181 was exceptionally poor, qualifying for just two races all season. Warwick remarked that the car was "impossible to drive" and that "we weren't just slow: we were seven seconds a lap off the back row." Warwick qualified for the final race of the season, winning a £25,000 bet for doing so.

1983: Emergence as a serious team

In , the TG183B showed improved form thanks to a major update. Derek Warwick was retained, while Teo Fabi was replaced by Bruno Giacomelli. The budget increased as Candy's sponsorship was joined by Iveco brand Magirus and BP.

The Hart turbos finally began showing true pace, with Warwick qualifying fifth and sixth in the first two races. while Giacomelli left F1 for CART. In response, the team scored a coup by signing highly touted rookie Ayrton Senna, who had just won the 1983 British Formula Three Championship. Senna tested for Toleman and immediately developed a rapport with Byrne, who begged Hawkridge to sign him. – and negotiated a relatively low £100,000 release clause from Toleman. Senna was paired with Venezuelan F2 driver and former dual Grand Prix Motorcycle World Champion Johnny Cecotto. However, Cecotto's F1 career ended mid-season when he broke both legs during practice for the British Grand Prix, and Stefan Johansson was eventually signed to finish out the season.

Toleman got off to a poor start, as the team was still using the 1983 cars for the first four races of 1984. He qualified an unimpressive 17th (Cecotto qualified 18th), and both drivers retired with engine failures (Senna's retirement from a blown turbo on the 9th lap was in fact F1's first retirement of the season). However, Senna rallied to score his first F1 point at round 2 in Kyalami, despite suffering major front wing damage on the opening lap. no Pirelli driver scored points through round 5 of the season, except Senna. At Imola, the team sat out the first day of qualifying due to disputes with Pirelli, which along with a fuel pressure problem on the second day, contributed to Senna's failure to qualify for the race (the only time he failed to qualify in his entire career). Following the race, Senna successfully induced Toleman to break its Pirelli contract and sign with Michelin. When Jacky Ickx controversially called off the race after lap 31 of 77, Senna was closing in on leader Alain Prost, whose brakes were repeatedly locking up due to a deteriorating brake balance. (That said, Senna's suspension was already on the verge of failure, and Bellof's (later-disqualified) Tyrell was actually faster than Senna at the end of the race.

The team's performance fell off in mid-season, with Senna finishing only one out of six races at one point due to mechanical failures. In addition, Cecotto finished only two out of nine races that season. The lone bright spot, of sorts, was the . The weekend was marred by Cecotto's injury, but Senna qualified fourth and scored his second Formula One podium. Fighting for third, he "hound[ed] [Elio] de Angelis unmercifully" and picked up the position with two laps to go once de Angelis' engine faltered. Following the race, he received a large ovation from the Brands Hatch crowd.

Towards the end of the season, Senna announced his departure, having triggered his release clause to sign with Team Lotus. In response, Hawkridge suspended Senna for the ; release clause or not, the Brazilian was still contractually obligated to inform Toleman before negotiating with other teams. Pierluigi Martini filled in for Senna at Monza. Cecotto's belated replacement Stefan Johansson made his way from 17th place to 4th in his Toleman debut, while Martini failed to qualify. Senna returned to the team for the final two races and finished off the year in style with a third podium at the .

Although not much was expected from the team who started the year with only their upgraded 1983 car and also with two untried rookie drivers, plus the underpowered Hart turbo engine, Toleman finished a career-best 7th in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 16 points (13 courtesy of Senna, the other 3 from Johansson's 4th place in Italy). Senna also recorded the only three podiums in the team's history.

1985: Near-collapse and sale to Benetton

Following Senna's departure, the Toleman team sought to maintain its momentum by retaining Johansson and signing John Watson for the season. Benetton kept the Toleman name until season's-end.

Legacy

When Ted Toleman sold the team to Benetton, the Italians promised to keep the staff together. Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds, in particular, remained with the newly rebranded Benetton Formula, which proceeded to hire a new crop of talent, including Flavio Briatore and Ross Brawn. Led by Michael Schumacher, the Benetton team won two Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship in the 1990s. Schumacher took Byrne and Brawn with him to Ferrari, and the two helped lead the turn-of-the-century Ferrari dynasty.

The original Toleman leadership (Toleman and Hawkridge) did not compete in Formula One again. Ted Toleman left England in 1993, but intermittently remained involved in motor racing, managing the Australian Mini Challenge one make series. Alex Hawkridge eventually chaired a company that used racing simulators to coach aspiring drivers.

Complete Formula One results

(key)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"

! Year

! Chassis

! Engines

! Tyres

! Drivers

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! Points

! WCC

! rowspan="3"|

| rowspan="3"| TG181

| rowspan="3"| Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t

| rowspan="3"|

| USW

| BRA

| ARG

| SMR

| BEL

| MON

| ESP

| FRA

| GBR

| GER

| AUT

| NED

| ITA

| CAN

| CPL

!rowspan="3"| 0

!rowspan="3"| NC

|align="left"| Brian Henton

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNPQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 10

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

|align="left"| Derek Warwick

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNPQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

! rowspan="3"|

| rowspan="3"| TG181B TG181C TG183

| rowspan="3"| Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t

| rowspan="3"|

| RSA

| BRA

| USW

| SMR

| BEL

| MON

| DET

| CAN

| NED

| GBR

| FRA

| GER

| AUT

| SUI

| ITA

| CPL

!rowspan="3"| 0

!rowspan="3"| NC

|align="left"| Derek Warwick

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNPQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"|

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 15

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 10

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="left"| Teo Fabi

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| NC

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNPQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

! rowspan="3"|

| rowspan="3"| TG183 TG183B

| rowspan="3"| Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t

| rowspan="3"|

| BRA

| USW

| FRA

| SMR

| MON

| BEL

| DET

| CAN

| GBR

| GER

| AUT

| NED

| ITA

| EUR

| RSA

!rowspan="3"| 10

!rowspan="3"| 9th

|align="left"| Derek Warwick

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 5

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4

|align="left"| Bruno Giacomelli

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13†

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 8

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 9

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 13

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

! rowspan="5"|

| rowspan="5"| TG183B TG184

| rowspan="5"| Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t

| rowspan="5"|

| BRA

| RSA

| BEL

| SMR

| FRA

| MON

| CAN

| DET

| DAL

| GBR

| GER

| AUT

| NED

| ITA

| EUR

| POR

!rowspan="5"| 16

!rowspan="5"| 7th

|align="left"| Ayrton Senna

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 6

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#dfdfdf;"| ‡

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 7

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3

|align="left"| Stefan Johansson

| style="background:#dfffdf;"| 4

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 11

|align="left"| Johnny Cecotto

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| NC

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 9

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

|align="left"| Pierluigi Martini

| style="background:#ffcfcf;"| DNQ

! rowspan="3"|

| rowspan="3"| TG185

| rowspan="3"| Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t

| rowspan="3"|

| BRA

| POR

| SMR

| MON

| CAN

| DET

| FRA

| GBR

| GER

| AUT

| NED

| ITA

| BEL

| EUR

| RSA

| AUS

!rowspan="3"| 0

!rowspan="3"| NC

|align="left"| Teo Fabi

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 14†

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#efcfff;"|

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:#cfcfff;"| 12

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

|align="left"|

| style="background:white;"| DNS

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

| style="background:white;"| DNS

| style="background:#efcfff;"| Ret

! colspan="23" | Sources:

;Notes

† – The driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified, as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
‡ – Half points awarded as less than 75% of the race distance was completed.

References

External links

MCZ.com
Grandprix.com
Forix.autosport.com
Toleman - At IMDb