Team story
Origins
Brian Naylor commissioned mechanic Fred Wilkinson to build the cars he wanted to race. The initials of John Brian and Wilkinson formed JBW. After sports cars and Formula 2 Coopers, a single-seater of its own arrived in 1959 with a Maserati engine, inspired by contemporary Coopers.
The project remained tied to its owner-driver, who was already in the motor trade after serving in the merchant navy.
The Formula 1 journey
At Aintree in the 1959 British Grand Prix, Naylor qualified but retired with a transmission problem. Thirteenth place at Silverstone in 1960 was his best World Championship result. At Monza he started seventh, before the gearbox ended his race.
The team also travelled to Riverside for the United States Grand Prix: a selective programme, but not one confined to British racing.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of JBW
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · British Grand Prix
Brian Naylor · British Grand Prix 1959. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · British Grand Prix
Brian Naylor · British Grand Prix 1960. The recorded position is P13; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Italian Grand Prix
Brian Naylor · Italian Grand Prix 1961. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
Wilkinson combined a Cooper-style chassis with a Maserati engine; the programme later also switched to Coventry Climax power. Such combinations were part of privateer practice, with teams seeking starting money in non-championship races as well as results. JBW was therefore not a works Cooper, although it took its architecture and Naylor’s experience in earlier categories as a reference.
What remains
Its World Championship activity ended in 1961, when Naylor retired from racing because of ill health. The constructor had no other drivers in the championship. Its history preserves the relationship between an owner and a mechanic, with international trips and recurring reliability problems: a form of participation possible before running a team required far greater resources.