Tom Walkinshaw Racing

Not to be confused with Walkinshaw Performance, the business founded by Tom Walkinshaw following the collapse of TWR.

Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.

History

The TWR Rover Vitesse of Tom Walkinshaw and Win Percy at the Nürburgring in 1985

TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win Percy in the driving seat, won the title in both 1980 and 1981. Walkinshaw himself also took a win in the Spa 24 Hours.

After preparing the Dakar winning Range Rover for René Metge in 1982, TWR began an association with British Leyland, preparing the Jaguar XJS and Rover 3500 Vitesse for both the BTCC and European Touring Car Championship.

Success in the latter series (as well as the French championship) with both cars lead to an invitation to develop a Jaguar prototype for Group C racing, for use in both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA GT Championship. Jaguar cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1988 and 1990. The company also began a short but successful business venture with Jaguar, known as Jaguar Sports.

TWR in Formula One

Tom Walkinshaw Racing was involved in Formula One from 1992 to 2002. At first, Walkinshaw became Benetton's engineering director, and was instrumental in developing the car that took Michael Schumacher to his first World Championship title in 1994. A falling out with Benetton boss Flavio Briatore saw Walkinshaw move to a position as team manager at Ligier, which had been acquired by Briatore.

After a failed attempt at purchasing Ligier, Walkinshaw instead bought a majority stake in the Arrows in 1996. The following year, Arrows surprised the world by signing World Champion Damon Hill and introducing Bridgestone tyres to Formula 1. Although the team nearly won the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix, Arrows continued to have trouble attracting sponsorship, and following the liquidation of Arrows, TWR being the major shareholder of the outfit, followed suit, closing its doors in 2002. TWR Australia was quickly acquired by Holden. The TWR technical centre at Leafield was sold and would later become the headquarters of the now defunct Super Aguri F1 team.

Road going vehicles

TWR began producing road cars, designing and engineering the Jaguar XJ220 and Jaguar XJR-15 and building the Aston Martin DB7 and the Clio V6 , as well as establishing a partnership with General Motors' Australian division Holden, re-creating the former Holden Dealer Team performance and tuning division, Holden Special Vehicles.

In 1994, TWR returned to the BTCC, allied with Volvo. This partnership was responsible for the controversial 850 Estate racing car, which was only rendered uncompetitive when the FIA allowed the use of aerodynamic aids in 1995. TWR then built and ran the works 850 Saloon, six wins in 1995 and five wins in 1996, and S40, one win in 1997 in the BTCC.

TWR in MotoGP

In 1997, former motorcycle world champion Kenny Roberts formed his own racing team and manufactured a motorcycle. Basing his company in England to take advantage of the Formula 1 industry, Roberts enlisted Tom Walkinshaw Racing to help develop a three cylinder two-stroke engine. While the motorcycle was never able to win a Grand Prix race, it did manage to win a pole position with rider Jeremy McWilliams taking the top qualifying position at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix.

TWR in endurance racing

Tom Walkinshaw Racing also modified its Jaguar XJR-14 design (which had been used by Mazda in the final years of the World Endurance Championship as the rebadged Mazda MXR-01) into the TWR WSC-95 for Porsche. Porsche decided against using it in 1995, but in 1996 it was entered at Le Mans by Joest Racing and won the race, a feat it repeated the following year at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Also in 1997, Nissan Motorsports turned to Tom Walkinshaw Racing to help them develop the Nissan R390 GT1 race car to compete in sports car racing. In the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nissan was able to achieve considerable success with all four of their cars finishing the race, placing 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 10th overall.

British Touring Car Championships

In 1998, TWR Volvo won the British Touring Car Championship with Rickard Rydell driving the S40R. TWR also designed and built the road-going Volvo C70 coupe and convertible. TWR were involved in MG Rover's attempt to build a replacement for the elderly Rover 45/MG ZS; they were re-engineering the Rover 75/MG ZT into a smaller car. However, the demise of Arrows and TWR, and MG Rover's inability to pay its bills meant that RD/X60, as this product was known, never reached production.

Tom Walkinshaw returned to Holden's motorsports division, although purely in a managerial role rather than an ownership role, which was the case earlier. Additionally, the Tom Walkinshaw Performance Group has also taken on ownership of the Australian production sports and racing car manufacturer, Elfin and has overseen Elfin's return to the Australian marketplace with a series of clubman inspired vehicles.

TWR in V8 Supercars

Main articles: Holden Racing Team, HSV Dealer Team, and Walkinshaw Racing

Returning to the motorsport with a new company, Walkinshaw Performance oversees the preparation of both the HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team in the V8 Supercar championship, and is part owner of HRT. HSVDT won the 2006 and 2007 team and drivers' titles, while HRT are the most successful team in the history of V8 Supercars. At the end of 2008, after the severing of the business relationship between Walkinshaw and the owners of the licences used to run the cars, the HSV Dealer Team was effectively disbanded, and reformed as Walkinshaw Racing (Bundaberg Red Racing) for the 2009 season.