Ted Toleman: Senna’s former team boss dies aged 86 / Formula 1

Norman Edward “Ted” Toleman has died As the family of the South African-born businessman has confirmed, he closed his eyes forever in Manila, Philippines, after a long illness. He leaves behind his wife Maiti and son Michael.

Most Formula 1 fans of the Netflix generation don’t know: Today’s Alpine racing team was founded by Ted Toleman. Toleman became Benetton, Benetton became Renault, Renault, and a detour from Lotus, became Renault again, then Alpine.

For many GP fans, Toleman will always be remembered as the racing team that the unforgettable Ayrton Senna raced with in his first GP season, which was in 1984.

Ted and Robert Toleman were the heirs of a transport company founded in 1926 that worked mainly with Ford Great Britain – transporting cars from factories to dealers.

The Toleman brothers were also true athletes, but their careers ended with a fatal accident: Robert Toleman was killed at Snetterton in 1976, and in 1976 Ted had a fatal accident in an Osella sports car at Le Mans, which he survived with serious injuries. but his career was over as the racing driver was gone.

In 1978, Ted Toleman entered Formula 2 with Ralt racing cars. In 1979, his driver Brian Henton missed out on the European championship title against BMW driver Marc Surer.

Toleman then built his own F2 racing cars with South African Rory Byrne. The TG280 model dominated the 1980 season, with Henton and Derek Warwick finishing the European Championship in the top two positions.

Toleman felt the time had come for higher tasks: entering Formula 1.

In 1981, the entrepreneur appeared at the Grands Prix, but Brian Hart’s overweight car with a turbo engine managed only two qualifications. Henton won this obstacle for the first time in Monza and finished tenth in the race, while Warwick also managed to participate in only one Grand Prix, that of Las Vegas (failure).

Instability remained a problem in 1982 and Candy’s former major sponsor (Italian home appliances) left the company.

But Toleman’s racing cars got faster. Warwick was temporarily second to the home doctor, but it was later admitted that he was low on fuel in the tank. At Zandvoort, Derek had the best lap of the race.

World Championship points were only awarded in 1983, and the form curve was heading upwards with an improved race car: Warwick finished in four points at the last four Grands Prix of the year, including fourth place at Zandvoort (points for the first . ) and Kyalami.

1984 was Toleman’s best season: with a young Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian could have won the Monaco GP, but race director Jacky Ickx broke the rain early and Alain Prost won. Senna finished second and third in England and Portugal. Toleman reached 7th place in the constructors’ cup, Senna went to Lotus.

Toleman’s decline was evident in 1985: no contract with a tire manufacturer, the racing team only started in the third race after the Spirit team gave up. Toleman took their Pirelli deal. But Teo Fabi and Piercarlo Ghinzani could not get any points.

At the end of 1985, Ted Toleman sold the racing team to former sponsor Benetton, and the new team competed under the name Benetton Formula in 1986.

Toleman competed in a total of 57 Formula 1 GPs from Monza 1981 to Adelaide 1985, with Senna’s second place remaining the best result. Toleman achieved a pole position (Teo Fabi at the Nürburgring in 1985) and two top race laps (Senna at Monaco in 1984, Warwick at Zandvoort in 1982), all three podium positions were achieved by Senna.

Ted Toleman remained connected to speed as a yachtsman who briefly held two world records. He also competed in the famous Dakar Rally three times.

In 2003 he had to face the fate of burying his son Gary. 41-year-old Gary Toleman was robbed at a petrol station in Hazy View, South Africa, and shot dead in front of his girlfriend Marlett. His twin brother Michael said at the time: “What a senseless act! The robbers demanded the car and Gary wanted to give them the keys without resistance. They killed him anyway.”

In the fall of his business career, Ted Toleman moved his operations to Australia. He divided his time between the Gold Coast and Manila, where he met his second wife, Maiti.

The history of the Toleman racing team was presented in 2010 in a book worth reading “The Toleman Story: The Last Romantics of Formula 1” by Christopher Hilton. Ted Toleman attended the Australian Grand Prix and gave a copy to Ayrton Senna’s nephew Bruno Senna.

Ted Toleman died on April 10, 2024 from heart problems/kidney failure (so-called heart disease).