A German entrepreneur specializing in electrical equipment, Jörg Obermoser is also a fan of motor sports. In 1971 that he made his debut as a driver in a Formula 3 race at Kassen-Caden driving a Brabbham BT35 -BMW. At the same time, Obermoser also entered the German touring car championship at the wheel of a BMW 2002, where he obtained his first podiums.
The following year he created his own structure, called Obermoser Getriebemotoren and entered a Brabbham BT35C-BMW in Formula 3. His driver Philipp Gantner finished 15th in the championship after having competed in seven of the eight races of the season. At the Nürburgring Obermoser drove himself. Jorg also competed in the German DRM in division 2 at the wheel of a Ford Escort RS1600. He achieved several podiums. Also in 1972, Jörg Obermoser entered the 500 kilometres Nürburgring. Driving a Lola T290 Ford from the Bonnier team, he crossed the finish line in seventh position.
In 1973 he created Jörg Obermoser Eurorace. Two GRD S73 barquettes were entered, for Obermoser and for René Herzog in the European 2-litre sports car championship. Powered by a Ford block in the first part of the season, the GRDs were later equipped with a 4-cylinder of BMW origin from the Auvergne Trophy. The results were not great, and it was finally at Zeltweg during the seventh round of the championship that they obtained their best results with a fifth place for Obermoser and a seventh for Herzog.
In 1974 the adventure took a decisive turn when the entrepreneur-driver founded his own brand, which he named TOJ ( = Team Obermoser Jörg ). In order not to start from scratch for his first creation, Jo Marquet based himself on the GRD S73. The Switzerland-born designer (whose pedigree had carried him through McLaren, where he played a key role in the all-conquering M8 Can-Am car) had later left Lotus with a bunch of pals to form Group Racing Developments. He developed the Toj SS02 (SS for Super Sports) also powered by a 2.0-litre BMW Schnitzer block.
Two examples were built and entered in the 2L European Championship and the Interserie. The cars got the white and gold livery of the Warsteiner brewery. The first chassis was driven by Obermoser while the other car was shared between Dave Walker and Peter Scharmann.
In 1975, it was time for the TOJ SS02 to evolve. Jorg Obermoser asked Jo Marquart again. He took again the proven monocoque and did re-clothing in an adventurously styled body to aerodynamicist Achim Storz. The new car was called the TOJ SC03, again with a BMW engine. Warsteiner took on a more prominent role in the team which changed its name to Team Warsteiner Eurorace. In the colours of the German brewery, the two SC03s were entered in the European sports car 2L championship, with drivers Jörg Obermoser and Peter Keller. Both cars were active in the Interserie race in April. The chassis 004 was later entered in the 1000 km Nürburgring; a DNF (#21 clutch problems). The first meeting of the 2L championship at Brands-Hatch (- photos below-), Obermoser ( again chassis 004), wearing the number 35, won the race ahead of Guy Edwards' Lola T390 and Ian Grob's Chevron B31. Peter Keller had to retire on the ninth lap following an accident. Keller made up for it in the second round at Hockenheim by finishing second (Obermoser P11).The SC03s would not have the opportunity to confirm their good form, however, since the championship was cut short that year after only two races...
In the 1000 km Nurburgring in June, Obermoser teamed with Keller for the race. After 29 laps, the driveshaft failed. ( see #21 in two photos below).
Chassis 003 and 004 were seen at the Interserie event in Zandvoort.
Chassis 003 was bought by Ralf Walter; chassis 004 was raced a last time by Jorg in the Zolder interserie event 1976. The chassis, restored in 2015, was later sold to a privateer.
For the 1976 season, Jorg Obermoser decided to produce both a two-litre and three-litre car, and not just for himself to race but also offer them to customers. To distinguish the two cars, they were named the Toj SC204 and Toj SC304; the fourth sports car design respectively in two- and three-litre form.
The SC204 was equipped with a 2.0-litre ROC Simca engine combined with a five-speed Hewland FG400 gearbox. Two chassis were assembled, numbered SC204 #12 and SC204#13. The chassis 12, originally intended to be Obermoser’s personal car, began its competition career in May in a race in Mainz. Driven by Klaus Oestreich, it showed a multicoloured white, blue and red livery of the Lucky Star Jeans brand. For this first outing, SC204/12 finished second in the (S2.0 litres) category and sixth overall. From the records it seems that this is the only race in which this chassis participated during 1976. Klaus Oestreich entered the car in some Interserie championship events in 1977 and 1978. After passing by different owners, the car is still racing in historic events with a French owner. In 2019, SC204/12 competed in the historic 24 Hours of Daytona, which it finished in sixth position in the hands of two French drivers, Romain Belleteste and Christopher Gadais.
Chassis SC204 #13 was initially ordered by TOJ's Swiss distributor, Hans Schulthess. He wanted to enter two cars for the 1976 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to the SC204, he also bought a SC304 (chassis 11) with a 3L DFV engine. Both cars were registered in Group 6, the SC304 in the 3.0-litre category and the SC204 in the under 2.0-litre category. Unfortunately the Le Mans adventure was to turn into a disaster. Both cars were too late race-ready and they were seriously lacking testing time. The SC304 ( for Schulthess) suffered from numerous engine leaks; the SC204, with the all French team Jacques Marquet, Corinne Koppenhague and Jacky Haran was too slow and lacked top speed (gearbox ratios) on the Mulsanne straight. So neither Team Schulthess cars would race in Le Mans.
Klaus Walz entered the SC304 car in the Hockenheim Interserie in august, but did not start and the car was not qualified either for the 200 miles Salzburgring. A little later after this episode, the car was fitted with a BMW F2 engine (Schnitzer), the headlights were removed and the car only participated in shorter endurance races or hillclimb events (Ollon Villars, Rangiers) to then be stored afterwards. The car has been completely restored in 2012 and took part in several meetings of the Peter Auto championship in the CER2 category. In 2018, the chassis and the bodywork were redone. The car was seen at the Espiritu Montjuich – Gipimotors – C.van Riet.
The SC304 was designed by former Porsche engineers Kurt Chabek and Dieter Baatz. It featured an aluminium monocoque with four-wheel independent suspension. In total there were three SC304 chassis built. Chassis 11 was the Schulthess Team car; Chassis 9 was bought by Kurt Hild; Chassis 10 was for Jorg Obermoser and he entered this car in the 1976 Interserie.
About SC304 chassis 11
The car went to the collection of Swiss historic racer Jean Marc Luco. Through Jean Guikas, it was acquired for the current owner by Yvan Mahé. It was complete but required a complete restoration, carried out by Mahé's Equipe Europe. From 2015 it has been raced with great success by a Swiss enthusiast in the Classic Endurance Racing 2 championship.
About SC304 chassis 10
This example was the first Cosworth-powered SC304 and would qualify in pole position of the naturally aspirated vehicles on its World Endurance Championship debut at the Dijon 500 Kilometres, driven by Rolf Stommelen and Jörg Obermoser scoring a DNF due to a suspension issue (photo below #62). Obermoser would claim his first victory in the car on 24 October 1976 at Mainz-Fithen, sporting number "9" on the iconic gold anodised Warsteiner livery. The following week, the car would finish in second place at Hockenheim in the Südwest-Pokal-Rennen. Under Obermoser’s ownership, the car would race once more in 1977, at the Monza 500 Kilometres, driven by himself and Rolf Stommelen (photo below left #6). The car would finish in 12th place. The car has had several owners since Obermoser sold it in 1977 and was acquired by its incumbent owner in 2013 following a refurbishment by Foxcraft Racing. Shortly after acquiring the car, a full inspection of all magnesium and aluminium components were carried out and the car was declared to be in top running order. The current owner entered and raced this TOJ at the Dix Mille Tours in 2015 and 2016 at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the South of France.
In addition to the Sports car, TOJ also developed single-seaters. In 1975 a Super Vé and in 1976 the F201, a Formula 2 car with a 4-cylinder BMW M12 engine. The car was equipped with a front wing positioned above the nose, which gave it a certain resemblance to the Ferrari 312 T. In Warsteiner colours, the car was entered in European championship with at the wheel:Keke Rosberg and Hans Heyer. With a P04 in Rouen and a P05 at Hockenheim, Rosberg finished tenth in the championship. A TOJ F301 formula 3 car was also constructed. With that car, Peter Scharmann became F3 Champion of Germany in 1978.
For 1977, there were new chassis produced : the TOJ SC205, 2 cars constructed, and the TOJ SC 302, 3 chassis produced. The engines remained the BMW M12/7 and the Cosworth DFV.
Kurt Lotterschmid entered a white coloured SC205 in the interserie championship in 1979 and 1980. Rolf Götz and Helmut Bross raced a SC205 in some endurance races in 1981 ( 6h Silverstone, 1000 km Nürburgring); “Pierre Chauvet”( Friedrich Glatz raced this type in 1982 together with Edgar Dören and Jo Gartner in the 1982 season. Up to 1991, sometimes a Toj SC205 could be seen in the British Thundersport races (photo below).
The SC302 chassis 16 was raced by Jorg Obermoser himself. He did the interserie Championship in 1977 and won two races. The last races was with Leopold von Bayern behind the wheel. Sharing with Pierre-Francois Rousselot, Obermoser also came close to a victory in the Le Castellet World Championship round, eventually finishing second behind a works Alfa Romeo of Merzario-Jarier ( 2 photos below #3). In 1978 with the support of Team Matter, who looked after the Toj production, Obermoser did some Interserie races with this car. For 1979, the car was sold to Norbert Przybilla, who continued to campaign the car through to the end of the 1981 season. During the late 2000s, the car was meticulously restored for its British owner Kevin Wilkins.
Another SC302 chassis was owned by Eugen Grupp, who raced it also in the Interserie in 1977.
In 1978, Toj used the same type engines again, but new chassis were made without too many changes from the 1977 models. The Toj SC206, five chassis and the Toj SC303, 2 chassis.
Like the previous years' TOJs, the SC206 benefitted from the input of former Porsche engineer Kurt Chabek and Dieter Baatz. The latter penned the aluminium monocoque, while Chabek was responsible for the suspension. Compared to the earlier cars, the new-for-1978 SC206 was lower and narrower. This also allowed the fibreglass body to be cleaner and smoother than ever before. Incorporated in the engine cover was a full-width rear wing.
Jörg Obermeiser, for his part, put aside his driving activity after the Interseries race in August 1978 in Ulm. After the 1978 season was over, the Toj company closed his gates.
Again a Toj car tried to enter the 24h Le Mans race. Toj SC 303 was used by H.Striebig for the 320 km Monza (DNF) and 24h Le Mans. With BP backing, one SC303 (chassis 78-23) was entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Herbert Striebig, Guy Chasseuil and Kirschenhoffer. During qualifying, the engine failed and with no spare available, the car could not start the race.
This car races in Historics: Dominique GUENAT (Estoril classics 2024)
Chassis SC206-24 was the last TOJ chassis built prior to the factory closure. It was initially raced by Mario Kettener. The car competed in 15 races in 1978 in the German Championship and international races. It won twice at Hockenheim, once at the Nurburgring, and was eighth at the Vellelunga 400K. Ralf Walter owned the car for one season, using it in race and hill climb events. It was then purchased by Hartwig Seitz, who raced it in 1980 and 1981. It has a more successful race history than any TOJ.
All Toj material was sold to Klaus Walz, who already raced a SC206 in the 1978 Interserie and in 1979. However after criminal affairs, he fleed abroad.
The stock was then bought by Hubert Striebig. Together with Mössinger, ex-mechanic at TOJ, Striebig tried to continue the production. 2 TOJ 206 "SM" (Streibig/Mössinger), later 2 "Sthemo" (STriebig/HEuclin/MOessinger) were constructed.
The Toj cars were racing on circuits and in Hill climbs. Even in the 1979 and 1980 24 h LeMans a Toj car was entered:
TOJ SC206 (#32) 24h LM 1979: A.Cudini - H.Striebig - H.Kirschoffer
DNF Oil pump failure
TOJ SM01 (#22) 24hLM 1980 : M. Pignard – M. Ketterer- H. Striebig (F)
DNF Ignition in the 7th hour.
