In 1926, Edward Toleman established a company to deliver Ford cars from the Ford factory to dealers across the country. His son Albert took over in the 1950s, and Albert's sons Ted and Bob succeeded him in 1966. The Toleman brothers recruited Alex Hawkridge to expand the transportation business into Europe. The Toleman family were enthusiastic amateur drivers: Albert Toleman won several club-level rally championships; Ted Toleman participated in Formula Two, the Dakar Rally, and the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bob Toleman died in a racing accident in 1976.
Hawkridge encouraged the company to enter auto racing by sponsoring competitors. In 1976, Toleman began sponsoring Rad Dougall in the British Formula Ford Championship, though 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.
From 1978 to 1980, Toleman spent three seasons in the European Formula Two Championship under Hawkridge and Roger Silman. The team hired Royale Racing designer Rory Byrne, with an eye towards eventually building their own cars.
In 1978, Toleman ran a single customer March-BMW. 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.
In 1979, Toleman fielded a second car for Brian Henton, a customer Ralt-Hart. The Hart engines were less powerful than the BMWs but much lighter, with outstanding reliability. Henton finished second in the championship, losing the title to Marc Surer by two points; he would have won but for being disqualified from the Mediterranean Grand Prix despite finishing first on track.
In 1980, Derek Warwick arrived to replace Dougall, bringing financial support from sponsor BP. Byrne unveiled the Toleman TG280, which exploited a loophole to continue running a ground effect car after the regulations were revised. The team also switched from Goodyear to Pirelli tyres. Toleman dominated the F2 season: Henton and Warwick finished 1–2 in the championship, the lead was so large they skipped the final race, and Toleman cars won six of the twelve races.
Toleman entered Formula One for the 1981 season. Although Hawkridge admitted the team was not ready, he explained that the FISA–FOCA war had created a short window of opportunity. Toleman signed Pat Symonds for 1981 by promising to double his salary. The team innovated by sourcing the first fibre-optic engine management system, and commissioned Hart to produce turbocharged engines, recognising the growing dominance of turbo-powered cars in the sport.
Toleman suffered greatly from growing pains associated with the innovative turbo technology. The cars were mocked in the racing press as "The Pig" for their poor handling and "The Belgrano" for their oil leaks.
In 1981, Henton and Warwick drove the Toleman TG181, which qualified for just two races all season. Warwick remarked the car was "impossible to drive" and "we weren't just slow: we were seven seconds a lap off the back row." Warwick qualified for the final race, winning a £25,000 bet for doing so.
In 1982, Teo Fabi replaced Henton. The team began qualifying consistently but finished only two races all season due to engine reliability issues. The carbon-composite Toleman TG183 (skipping the TG182 designation) was introduced in late August and used in only two Grands Prix — Italy and Las Vegas. Warwick recorded the team's first fastest lap at the Dutch Grand Prix.
To satisfy sponsor Candy and retain their funding, the team employed a gimmick at the British Grand Prix: Warwick started on a half-tank of fuel, knowing he would not finish. After running out of fuel at 40 laps, the team falsely told the press he had suffered a mechanical failure. Candy, satisfied with the publicity, agreed to stay. For 1983, Candy's sponsorship was joined by Iveco brand Magirus and BP.
In 1983, the TG183B showed improved form. Warwick was retained while Bruno Giacomelli replaced Fabi. Warwick scored the team's first points with a fourth-place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix, kicking off four consecutive scoring finishes to close out the year. Toleman finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship with ten points.
In 1984, Warwick departed for the factory Renault team while Giacomelli left Formula One for CART. The team signed 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; Senna knew he had the talent for a top team and negotiated a relatively low £100,000 release clause. He was paired with Venezuelan F2 driver Johnny Cecotto, a former dual Grand Prix Motorcycle World Champion. Cecotto's season ended mid-year when he broke both legs during practice for the British Grand Prix; Stefan Johansson eventually filled the seat.
Toleman used the 1983 cars for the first four races of 1984. Senna made his Formula One debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Jacarepaguá, qualifying seventeenth and retiring with a blown turbo on lap 9 — Formula One's first retirement of the season. He scored his first point at round 2 in Kyalami, despite major front-wing damage on the opening lap.
The demanding Senna grew disillusioned with Pirelli tyres; no Pirelli driver scored points through round 5 except Senna. At Imola, the team sat out the first day of qualifying due to disputes with Pirelli, contributing to Senna's failure to qualify — the only time he failed to qualify in his entire career. Senna subsequently induced Toleman to break its Pirelli contract and sign with Michelin. The TG184 and new Michelin tyres were ready for the French Grand Prix.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, run in torrential rain, Senna finished second, closing on leader Alain Prost before Jacky Ickx controversially stopped the race after lap 31 of 77. At the British Grand Prix, Senna qualified fourth and took third place after hounding Elio de Angelis and picking up the position when de Angelis' engine faltered with two laps to go. Senna then announced his departure to Team Lotus, triggering his £100,000 release clause; Hawkridge suspended him for the Italian Grand Prix and Pierluigi Martini filled in. Senna returned for the final two races and finished the year with a third podium at the Portuguese Grand Prix. Toleman finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship with 16 points — 13 from Senna, 3 from Johansson's fourth place in Italy.
For 1985, Toleman retained Johansson and signed John Watson, and produced the TG185, the first carbon monocoque fabricated in-house at the Witney factory. However, the team nearly collapsed: Michelin had withdrawn from Formula One at the end of 1984, and both Pirelli and Goodyear refused to supply Toleman. The team was forced to sit out the first three races of the season, and both drivers departed.
Toleman returned at round 4 at Monaco after Italian fashion label United Colors of Benetton bought the team mid-season and secured a Pirelli supply contract from the defunct Spirit team. Benetton kept the Toleman name until the season's end. Piercarlo Ghinzani joined Teo Fabi, who had returned as sole driver for the first six races, for the final seven. The team finished only two races and scored no points. Fabi's pole position at the German Grand Prix was the team's final hurrah.
When Ted Toleman sold the team to Benetton, key engineers Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds remained. Benetton later hired Flavio Briatore and Ross Brawn and, led by Michael Schumacher, won two Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship in the 1990s. Byrne and Brawn followed Schumacher to Ferrari, contributing to Ferrari's turn-of-the-century dynasty. Symonds and Briatore remained with Benetton, which was later renamed Renault and colloquially known as Team Enstone after the team opened a new factory in Enstone, Oxfordshire; with Fernando Alonso, Renault won two Drivers' Championships and two Constructors' Championships in the 2000s.
Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge did not compete in Formula One again. Toleman left England in 1993 but intermittently remained involved in motor racing. Hawkridge eventually chaired a company that used racing simulators to coach aspiring drivers.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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