Former Formula 1 team principal and founder Ted Toleman has died, aged 86, his family has confirmed.
A family statement said Toleman, who had been suffering from a long illness, died overnight on April 10 in Manila, the Philippines. He is survived by his wife Maiti and son Michael. His other son, Gary, was murdered in 2003 in a car-jacking in South Africa.
Toleman was born in South Africa but the family later settled in Suffolk. The original Toleman company had been formed by his grandfather Edward Toleman in 1926, who passed the reins to his son Albert and then, later, to Ted who became chairman.
In 1980, he announced Toleman Motorsport's entry into the F1 championship the following season. It was slow going at first - they only qualified for two races in 1981 - but things began to click into gear two years later as British driver Derek Warwick scored a run of points.
But 1984 brought the peak of the team's success, when Toleman convinced a young man named Ayrton Senna to ignore the advances of Bernie Ecclestone, who ran the rival Brabham team at the time, and sign for his squad.
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The future triple F1 champion raced for Toleman in that one season, but secured three podiums. He might have won that year's Monaco Grand Prix, had it not been for a controversial red flag finish in a downpour which was ended prematurely over Alain Prost's complaints about the conditions.
Senna had charged from 13th on the grid to second place, but when it was stopped Prost was in the lead and the Frenchman was declared the winner. Toleman himself was furious with that outcome and it proved to be the catalyst for the team's exit from F1 the following year.
Ayrton Senna drives a Toleman F1 car at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix (Getty Images)Toleman also took part in powerboat racing and held two Class 1 world records. In 1985, backed financially by Richard Branson, he attempted to become the fastest man to cross the Atlantic - but that ended in near-disaster and sparked a dramatic rescue effort just 138 miles from the finish line.
He went to live in Manila many years ago where his health declined due to a cardiorenal syndrome. Announcing his death, the Toleman family released a statement: "Toleman Motorsport was the little team that could.
"It gave birth to the careers of some of the great innovators in Formula 1, man who still have a strong presence in the sport today, including Rory Byrne, Alex Hawkridge, Pat Symonds, Ann Bradshaw, David Clare and the late Brian Hart.
Ted Toleman attempted an ambitious Atlantic crossing with Richard Branson in 1985 (EX)"Toleman's driving talent possessed some of the greats of Formula 1 in the '80s, including Senna, Derek Warwick, Piercarlo Ghinzani, Pierluigi Martini, Teo Fabi, Stefan Johansson, Bruno Giacomelli, Johnny Cecotto and Brian Henton. Ted sold out of Formula 1 to Benetton in 1985 after the disappointment of Monaco in 1984.
"Aside from Formula 1, Ted was an avid adventurer, winning a number of championships as an offshore powerboat racer of note. He was named as the greatest British offshore powerboat Class 1 driver of all time and held two world records. He undertook a cross-Atlantic sail with Virgin founder Richard Branson in an attempt to break the world record, entered the Le Mans 24 Hour with Tom Walkinshaw and did three Dakar Rallies.
"After selling the F1 team and his transport business in the UK, Toleman spent his time in multiple locations around the world, ultimately ending up between the Gold Coast in Australia and Manila in the Philippines with his wife, Maiti. Toleman has been suffering from a long-term illness and ultimately succumbed to complications from cardiorenal syndrome."
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