The 1982 season marked the separation between the Toleman team and its long-time driver Brian Henton, who had enjoyed much success in the lower British formulas with the Witney-based team in Oxfordshire, England. In his place came rookie Teo Fabi, an Italian building a career mainly in American racing, who was given the slightly updated TG181B from the previous year for the early races of the season.
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| TOLEMAN TG181C, Teo Fabi Long Beach, USA West GP 1982 |
Alongside him, returning lead driver Derek Warwick debuted the new Toleman TG181C, built on the same chassis as the previous car but extensively revised by designer Rory Byrne, most notably with a significant reduction in weight. The Hart 415T 4L Turbo engine was also lightened and significantly upgraded to better compete with more prestigious engines from Renault, Ferrari, and BMW.
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| TOLEMAN TG181C, Teo Fabi Brands Hatch, British GP 1982 |
Toleman’s first year in the top category had been something of a shakedown season, and although the team still operated on a tight budget, the 1982 season was notably better, at least in terms of qualifying, which they often managed to achieve. However, reliability remained a serious issue. The TG181C only managed to finish two races.
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| TOLEMAN TG181C, Derek Warwick Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1982 |
One particularly incredible race took place at Brands Hatch during the British Grand Prix, where Warwick, starting sixteenth on the grid, made a stunning start and found himself in ninth by the end of the first lap. He then pulled off an impressive series of overtakes and, by lap twenty-five, passed Pironi’s Ferrari to move into second place behind only Lauda’s McLaren. Unfortunately, the dream ended fifteen laps later when a typical mechanical failure forced the Englishman to retire. It was an incredible performance for a car widely considered one of the worst in the field, but perhaps there was a more pragmatic explanation.
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| TOLEMAN TG181C, Derek Warwick Österreichring, Austrian GP 1982 |
Paddock rumors suggested that Bob Toleman, facing financial woes and desperately seeking sponsors, had deliberately started the car with low fuel and qualifying tires, fully aware it wouldn’t finish the race but hoping to draw attention to the team. We’ll probably never know the truth…
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