1982 Theodore TY02

Millionaire Theodore 'Teddy' Yip of Hong Kong founded Theodore Racing with the intent of competing in Formula One competition. Yip was an amateur racer during the early 1970s. He met Sid Taylor and soon became the sponsor of South Australian driver Vern Schuppan in Formula 5000 and Formula 1 Competition. In Formula One Competition, Schuppan drove mostly for Ensign, a British constructor.

In 1976, Theodore Racing was established and run by Sid Taylor. Their entrant was an Ensign driven by Patrick Tambay in Formula 1 competition. The 1977 season was not very prosperous for the team so Yip commissioned Ron Tauranac to construct an F1 racer for the team. Tauranac was of Brabham fame and later went on to establish the Ralt marque.

The Tauranc car with Eddie Cheever at the helm was unsuccessful in competition. Cheever failed to qualify for the Brazilian and Argentian Grand Prix. In the hands of Keke Rosbeg, the Tauranc car won the International Trophy at Silverstone. The car was used for only part of the season.

In the early 1980s, Yip withdrew most of his financial support to racing to concentrate on Formula 1. Theodore Racing Ltd. recruited designer Tony Southgate and manager Jo Ramirez. Their first car was dubbed the TY01 and driven by Tambay during the early part of the 1981 season. Tambay went to race for Ligier mid-season. Marc Surer was recruited as a replacement to drive the TY01.

The second car came in 1982. The Theodore TY02 was designed by Tony Southgate and driven by Tommy Byrne, Derek Daly, Jan Lammers, and Lees Geoff. The engines used were Ford Cosworth units mated to a Hewland FGA 400 gearbox. Goodyear tires and disc brakes could be found at all four corners. The chassis was aluminum monocoque.

Small teams were having a difficult time competing in the ever-increasing world of Formula 1 racing. Yip merged the Theodore company with the Ensign and used the Ensign N183, which had been designed by Nigel Bennett, as a Theodore. The team lasted for only a short time, shutting down its involvement in F1 competition at the end of the season.

A Theodore TY02 with a Chevrolet powerplant raced in the CanAm series In 1984, driven by Bill Tempero of the US. He managed a 17th-place finish after completing only twelve laps at Mosport. At the second race of the CanAm series, held at the Dallas Grand Prix Circuit, it finished 21 laps and was in 15th place. At Road America, the car finished in 10th place. It was raced at rounds 6 and 7 of the CanAm series, Trois-Rivieres and Mosport, respectively.

During the Theodore Racing team career, they participated in 51 Grand Prixs and entered a total of 64 cars. The fruits of their labor were two championship points.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2007