Tom Walkinshaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Walkinshaw
Walkinshaw in 2007
Nationality	British
Born	(1946-08-14)14 August 1946 Mauldslie, Midlothian, Scotland
Died	12 December 2010(2010-12-12) (aged 64) Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England
Teams	MG Midget, Team Lotus, Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Championship titles
Scottish FF1600, European Touring Car Championship

Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (born August 14, 1946 – died December 12, 2010) was a famous British racing car driver from Scotland. He was also the person who started the well-known racing team called Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). Besides racing, he was involved in professional rugby union, owning the Gloucester Rugby team.

Racing Career Highlights

Tom Walkinshaw and Win Percy's Rover SD1 at the Nürburgring in 1985.

Tom Walkinshaw started his racing journey in 1968. He began with an MG Midget car and quickly moved to faster cars. The very next year, he won the Scottish FF1600 title, showing his talent early on.

In 1970, he raced in the British Formula Three championship. Even after breaking his ankle in an accident, he kept racing in different categories like Formula 5000 and Formula Two.

Winning Championships

Ford hired Tom in 1974 to drive a Ford Capri in the British Touring Car Championship. He won his class that year, proving he was a top driver. In 1976, he created his own team, Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), and continued to race for them.

A big moment came in 1984 when he won the European Touring Car Championship. He was driving a powerful 5.3-litre Jaguar XJS car with a V12 engine.

Racing in Australia

In 1984, Tom also raced in Australia's famous Bathurst 1000 race. He teamed up with Australian driver John Goss. Unfortunately, his car had a problem at the start and was hit by another car, causing a big crash. The race had to be restarted!

Tom returned to Bathurst in 1985 with his TWR Jaguars. He and his co-driver Win Percy led for most of the race and finished in third place. Another TWR car, driven by John Goss and Armin Hahne, actually won the race, even with a broken driver's seat!

Tom stopped driving full-time after the 1988 Tooheys 1000 race at Bathurst. He decided to focus on managing his growing TWR team.

Leading a Racing Team

Tom Walkinshaw (left) with Flavio Briatore at the 1993 British Grand Prix

In 1975, Tom Walkinshaw founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). This company designed and built racing and road cars. TWR became very successful in touring car races. In 1983, TWR won eleven out of eleven races in the British Saloon Car Championship with their Rover Vitesses.

TWR also ran a program for Jaguar XJ-S cars in the European Touring Car Championship. Later, they moved into the World Sportscar Championship. Over six years, TWR won the famous Le Mans race twice and the World Championships three times.

Formula One and Beyond

In 1991, Tom joined the Benetton Formula One (F1) team as their engineering director. He played a key role in bringing Michael Schumacher to Benetton, who later became a multiple F1 World Champion.

In 1995, Tom bought half of the Ligier F1 team. Later, he bought the Arrows team. For the 1997 Formula One season, he managed to sign the reigning world champion, Damon Hill, to his Arrows team.

By 1997, the TWR Group was a huge company with 1500 employees in several countries. Tom Walkinshaw was named "Autocar Man of the Year" for his achievements.

Challenges and Comeback

Sadly, his TWR racing group went out of business in 2002 because the Arrows F1 team ran out of money. The Australian part of his business was bought by Holden, a car manufacturer.

However, Tom Walkinshaw returned to Australian V8 Supercars in 2005. He helped his former teams, HSV Dealer Team and Holden Racing Team, win championships in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, he fully bought back the Holden Racing Team. In 2009, he launched Walkinshaw Racing, a new two-car team.

Personal Life and Legacy

Tom Walkinshaw passed away on December 12, 2010, at the age of 64, due to complications from cancer. He left behind his first wife, Elizabeth, and their son, Fergus, as well as his second wife, Martine, and their sons, Ryan and Sean.

His sons have continued his legacy in motorsport. Fergus Walkinshaw restarted TWR in October 2023. Ryan is a team principal for Walkinshaw Andretti United, a racing team that competes in the Australian Supercars Championship. Sean is a racing driver who races in GT racing series.

Career Summary

Images for kids

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  Tom Walkinshaw in 2007