Formula 1
TeamsJ.B. Naylor: 1957 Formula One Season By Jeremy McMullen
In North West England, within the metropolitan borough of Manchester, lies the City of Salford. Home to the University of Salford, the city would be on the fore of many innovations and learning. Historically a major manufacturing city, Salford would be the home of cotton and silk production throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. It would be the first city in the world to offer an unconditionally free public library and it would also be the first to have a street lit by gas.
It would be here, amongst the bustling of industry, John Brian Naylor would be born in March of 1923. Like many other kids of his generation, just when the opportunities of life should have seemed the brightest, the realities of the world would seem to offer nothing but darkness. By the time Naylor was 20 years of age the Second World War would be going on its fifth year with only a glimmer of hope that it would all come to an end.
By the time the war did come to an end, Naylor would have to put away any childish fantasies and would have to look toward earning a living and paying the bills. At least that is what he probably thought.
It would be clear by his profession just what Naylor's interests really were. Having moved to Stockport, just to the southeast of Manchester's city center, J.B., as he would be called, would establish a dealership and would be quite successful in his endeavors.
Becoming a successful dealer just outside of Manchester, Naylor would have the time and the resources to allow himself thoughts of what he would really like to do. And so, at the age of 30, Naylor would begin to pursue a passion of his. Buying an MG TD, J.B. would head off to Snetterton to take part in the National Snetterton Handicap event. One of his first motor races, Naylor would come away with a 2nd place result.
This initial result would be followed up another couple of top five finishes, including a 2nd place again at Snetterton in 1954. Also, in that same year, Naylor would take his first victory in the National Snetterton Handicap S1.5, at that time driving a Cooper T29. Podium finishes kept coming throughout 1954. In October of '54 Naylor would win two races back-to-back and would encourage him that his passion might just pay off.
Purchasing a Lotus Mk VIII at the end of 1954, Naylor would continue his run of success scoring a victory at Oulton Park in 1955. Two more victories at Oulton Park would come later in July of that year. Multiple class wins at Silverstone suggested the circuit was ideally-suited to the gentleman driver. It was as if it had become he own personal playground. Even after he purchased a Lotus Eleven, victories and podium finishes in his class would continue flocking his way. Naylor had the confidence he needed to make one drastic step—Formula One.
Naylor had his Lotus 11 and its engine size made it able to compete in Formula 2. In 1956, J.B. would put his name and his Lotus on more than one Formula 2 entry list. However, he would not take part in any of the races apart from one.
On the 14th of July, Naylor would be reading himself to take part in the 1st RAC British Grand Prix Formula 2 race at Silverstone. Silverstone had proven to be something of his own personal playground in many of the sportscar, handicap and Formula Libre races in which he had contended. However, Formula 2 would not be so kind to Naylor and he would be out of the running after just one lap as a result of a camshaft failure. Unlike sportscars and other events, Naylor's introduction to grand prix racing would not be entirely successful and courteous. This was to be expected and he would look forward to attacking Formula 2 and Formula One anew in 1957.
By the beginning of the 1957 season Naylor still had his Lotus 11 but he had begun to play around with the car, especially when it came to the choice of engine used to power it. Before coming to own his Lotus 11 Naylor had owned and used a Maserati 150S. Then, when Naylor came to use the Lotus he would place the 4-cylinder Maserati engine inside. This would prove to be successful combination. He would use this same combination heading into the new season.
The 1957 season would start out much the same as it had over the previous couple of years for Naylor. He would start out by taking part in sportscar events with his Lotus 11 and would promptly return to his successful and winning ways.
A class victory in the Sussex Trophy race at Goodwood would get his season off to a good start. This would be followed by another class victory in the Grand Prix Spa on the 12th of May. This would be poignant since the World Championship would not travel to Spa that year as a result of a dispute over fees and money. Therefore, Naylor would be one of the few to win at Spa in 1957.
Then came a string of victories in a number of different events held at Silverstone. Proving he absolutely owned the circuit, Naylor would take more than a couple of victories in the numerous events held over the course of the Maidstone & Mid-Kent M.C. Meeting. One of those events Naylor would not take part in would be the Formula 2 race. He would be having too much success driving his Lotus 11 to really pay attention. Another string of victories coming at Oulton Park and at Snetterton made it seem as though Naylor was a talent that needed to rise above the smaller sportscar scene.
Perhaps looking for a new challenge, or, wanting to test himself against a higher level of competitor, Naylor would turn to Cooper and would purchase one of their mid-engine T43s. Chassis F2-23-57 would be delivered to Naylor and he would make plans to take part in his first Formula 2 event of the season
The year before, Naylor had made his Formula 2 and Formula One debut but he would do so while driving his Maserati-powered Lotus. One year later, Naylor would use his success on the track to buy a proper Formula 2 car. By the time he would receive the car Naylor, it would just so happen, would have the opportunity to take part in a Formula 2 race, but also, take part in his first Formula One World Championship race. However, to be able to do it required that Naylor be willing to travel.
Naylor had been to the European continent before; that year in fact. It had been a successful journey when he traveled to Spa in May. However, where he was heading in early August of 1957 would be a daunting proposition. On the 4th of August, the German Grand Prix would take place and the organizers would make it a dual race allowing Formula 2 entries to run with the Formula One entries at the same time. The problem was, the race would be held on the infamous Nurburgring and this was certainly not a track to be trifled with, especially if someone had never been to the circuit before.
The small town of Nurburg is shrouded in mystery. Its exact origins are the result of speculation. Could it have started out as a Roman fort? Roman coins had been discovered around the town but the Roman Empire was vast and it wouldn't be uncommon to find their currency spread throughout Europe. And what about the famous castle resting upon the top of the hill? It too is the subject of debate. When was it commissioned to be built, and by whom? All of this serves as the perfect backdrop for one of the most hellish circuits in the world.
Throughout the 1920s, motor races throughout the area had been held on public roads and had become too dangerous. Many lives would be lost. Many others severely injured. It was time to build a purpose-built circuit. Italy had Monza, then there was Berlin and its Avus circuit. Both were extremely fast, but neither had the kind of character the planners had in mind. They wanted to maintain the feel of a true road course. So, starting in September of 1925, construction would begin on the ultimate road course.
Consisting of more than a thousand feet of elevation changes and in excess of 170 corners, the Nurburgring would become as much a grueling test for the mind and a driver's focus as it would be for a car. Measuring a little more than 14 miles in length, the Nordschleife would be just one element that would be constructed but it would be the one that would remain over time. Constantly changing direction up and down, left and right, the circuit provided very few moments of relaxation. And, just when the driver relaxed the circuit would change again leading to a potentially catastrophic end.
Being that the 1957 German Grand Prix welcomed Formula 2 entries in its own race the field would be absolutely filled. In total, 27 cars would be entered for the race. Naylor would be just one of nine Formula 2 entries but he would find the competition quite tough with Roy Salvadori and Jack Brabham. Then there would be the Porsche entries with Umberto Maglioli and Edgar Barth at the wheel. Then, of course, there would be the Formula One entries. The factory Maserati team would come out in full force with five cars. Scuderia Ferrari would have four cars. Then there would be the British Vandervell Products team. They would bring three of their fast Vanwalls to the race.
Unlike the previous year in which the days proceeding the race would be filled with heavy doses of rain, the weather would be beautiful leading up to the 1957 German Grand Prix. This, and the fact the circuit had been resurfaced prior to the race, meant everyone could expect the lap times to be easily pushing the lap record of the year before.
By the time the '56 German Grand Prix would be over, Fangio would reset the record lap time around the circuit with a time of 9:41.6. One year later, this time wouldn't just be approached, it would be blown away. Fangio would make his time the season before look generationally-old as he would post a time of 9:25.6 around the 14 mile circuit. In fact, the top six qualifiers would all break the lap record of a year ago. The front row, though, would consist of Fangio on pole and Mike Hawthorn in 2nd place. Jean Behra would start 3rd and Peter Collins would complete the front row in 4th.
As far as Naylor was concerned, his target would end up being Edgar Barth in his Porsche 550RS. His best lap in practice would be a time of 10:02.2. Barth would be on the fourth row of the grid in 12th place.
Naylor wouldn't be too far off. His best lap in practice would be a lap time of 10:15.0. This time would be just a little under 13 seconds slower than Barth. Still, Naylor would end up starting from the fifth row of the grid in the 17th stating spot.
As with the previous days, the day of the race would be beautiful with the skies a bright blue and the temperatures comfortable. A total of 22 laps awaited the field. Tens of thousands of race fans would file in all around the circuit. The Germans enjoyed their motor racing and looked forward to an absolute stormer.
Sitting in his Cooper T43 behind the Formula One cars on the grid, Naylor looked quite tiny. Still, he was about to take part in his first World Championship race, this was no time to get lost in deficiencies. The crowd would rise in excitement and then the flag would drop to start the race. The Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins would get the jump off the grid and would lead the way into the first turn. Fangio would be sitting comfortably in 3rd place. Naylor would lose out at the start and would be a couple of places behind his starting grid position by the time he reached the first turn.
Hawthorn and Collins would continue to lead the way over the course of the first lap. Fangio would remain in 3rd place while Behra sat in 4th place. Fighting for position behind Godin de Beaufort in his own Porsche 550RS, Naylor would find the racing close and exciting. At the end of the first lap it would be Hawthorn still in the lead with Collins and Fangio following along in 2nd and 3rd. Naylor would complete the first lap in 20th place.
Although Hawthorn and Collins led the way, Fangio had an advantage. Both Hawthorn and Collins had fueled to the maximum so that they would not have to stop over the course of the race. Fangio, however, would be filled with only half-full tanks and would have to make a pitstop in order to make it to the end. However, this meant Fangio would be lighter over the course of the whole race. If the stop went well he would be able to take the win based upon his faster pace. Fangio would be gaining on Hawthorn and Collins and would finally make his way past on the long straight leading to the start/finish line on the 3rd lap of the race.
Fangio would be in the lead of the race by the 3rd lap of the race. Fighting tooth and nail with Godin de Beaufort, Naylor would show his abilities getting by the Porsche and taking over the 19th position in the running order.
Fangio would continue in the lead of the race and would quickly pad his advantage over Hawthorn and Collins once he had made his way by the two Ferrari drivers. He would need every second he could get having a stop ahead of him.
At the same time Fangio was pulling away in the lead of the race there would be more than a couple of others that would find their races coming to an early end. Horace Gould would retire after just one lap. Dick Gibson would retire after 3 laps with suspension failure. Paul England's and Jack Brabham's retirements meant four cars would be out of the race before even 7 laps would be complete. This meant Naylor would be helped up the running order. By the 7th lap of the race he would be up to 18th, one position away from where he qualified.
Fangio continued to pull out an advantage and, by the 11th lap of the race, his lead would be nearly 30 seconds as a result of him resetting the fastest lap, and the lap record, with each passing lap. He would come into the pits for his one and only stop. Unfortunately, the stop would not go smoothly as the wheel hub would be lost underneath the car and many precious seconds would pass by before the tire would be replaced and secured. Collins was now ahead of Hawthorn and the two Ferrari drivers had already streaked by before the wheel had been tightened on Fangio's car. He was back in the race, but trailing by quite a distance.
At the same time Fangio would be forced to drive the race of his life, Naylor would find himself up to 15th place following the retirements of some of those ahead of him in the running order. Stuart Lewis-Evans would crash out of the race after 10 laps, then, Roy Salvadori and Chico Godia-Sales would drop out of the running mechanical problems. All of this enabled Naylor to move up the order as he circulated in his Cooper at a nice steady pace.
When Maglioli retired after 13 laps with engine failure Naylor would find himself in 2nd place within the Formula 2 category. Edgar Barth held onto the lead and he had just put Naylor a lap down. If Barth had problems, Naylor would be in position to take a truly important first Formula 2 victory.
Unfortunately, all of the attention would be focused toward the front of the leaderboard as Fangio would be busy putting together the performance of a lifetime in an effort to catch and pass the two Ferraris for the win. By the time he had rejoined the race after the flawed pitstop he would be some 45 seconds behind. There was still half a race left but the Ferraris were becoming lighter and lighter on fuel. It would not be an easy task, even for Fangio.
Hans Herrmann would retire after 14 laps prompting Naylor to cross the start/finish line in 13th place. A top ten certainly didn't seem out of the question if any other suffered before the end. Naylor was by no means suffering as he continued to push as hard as he felt comfortable. This was keeping him in 2nd place in Formula 2 and within striking distance if Barth encountered any kind of problem.
Fangio would focus and would push each and every lap. Resetting the lap record nearly every time around, it would be the Ferraris that seemed to be under all the pressure. Knocking seconds off of the lead, the Argentinean would be making up ground despite having to brace himself in the car after his seat broke.
It would be an incredible performance to behold. Fangio would be gaining ground. There was no question of that. The only question was whether or not he had enough time. While he was taking seconds out of the lead, each time around meant there was one fewer lap remaining.
Hawthorn would now be in the lead over Collins. The two drivers would be signaled to pick up the pace but it would be Fangio that would pick up his pace even more. Absolutely destroying the lap record, Fangio would look to have exceeded consciousness. Hyper-focused, he would clip each apex nearly perfectly each and every lap.
At the conclusion of the 20th lap, Fangio would be in the slip-stream of Collins' Ferrari along the long straight. Flashing by the start/finish line, the Argentinean would lining up Collins for a pass. Before the three drivers headed off into the woods one more time, Fangio would be in 2nd place and about to pass Hawthorn for the lead.
By the Adenauer Bridge, Fangio would be in the lead and building up and advantage already. Hawthorn would be fighting hard but would be losing the battle with tires that were worn and brakes that were certainly fading. Collins had given up the fight as soon as Fangio had gotten by. He would ease off the pace a little and would switch his focus to finishing the race on the podium.
It would be an incredible performance by Fangio. Admittedly, it would be the best performance of his life as he would cross the finish line a little more than 3 seconds ahead of Hawthorn. Collins would finish in 3rd place but he would be 30 seconds by the end.
Naylor had himself in position should anything happen to Barth over the last couple of laps. Unfortunately for him, Barth would soldier on to the end and would take the win in Formula 2 finishing in 12th position nearly a lap and a half behind Fangio. Naylor would be impressive finishing the race 13th overall. He would be passed by Fangio just prior to the checkered flag and would end up 2 laps down overall. In his fight with Barth, Naylor would finish around a lap and a half behind but would still come through in 2nd place.
The 2nd place in class would be no small achievement for Naylor. Finishing just outside the top ten amongst many of the best Formula One had to offer was also like a small victory. In spite of starting his racing career later on in life, Naylor was proving to be a talented individual.
Confidence would be running high for Naylor after the German Grand Prix. Following the race, Naylor would return to England and would look forward to the next race on his calendar. He still had his Lotus 11 in which he could use to take part in some sportscar races. However, as he had decided to do with racing in Formula 2 and Formula One, J.B. would look to a more powerful sportscar so that he could compete in the higher categories in sportscar races. He would purchase one of the best at that time, a Jaguar D-Type.
Armed with the D-Type Jaguar, Naylor would head back across the Channel toward the end of August. Once on the mainland, he would carry on and would head back to Spa to take part in the Grand Prix des Ancetres. This trip would prove to be successful as well as Naylor would come away with a 5th place result. In the race he would defeat Aston Martins, Ferrari 500 TRCs an many other capable sportscars.
Naylor would return to England. He would put aside his D-Type and would grab his Cooper T43 and would head off to Snetterton to take part in another Formula 2 race and a Formula Libre event.
The Formula Libre event would be the National Snetterton Formula Libre race. Driving his Formula 2 Cooper against an Aston Martin DB3S, Coopers and other cars Naylor would come through to finish the race in 2nd place behind George Wicken in another Cooper.
Following the Formula Libre race Naylor would take his Cooper and would prepare for the 2nd Snetterton M.R.C. Formula 2 race. This would be a 10 lap race around the 2.70 mile circuit.
The field would consist of such drivers as Innes Ireland, Richard Stoop and one Ann Lacy. Graham Hill had been on the entry list but he would not arrive to take part in the event. A total of 22 cars would line up to take part in the race. Out of those 22 starters only a total of 5 would actually make it to the end. One of those to make the entire race distance would be Naylor and his Cooper T43.
As with the Formula Libre race, George Wicken would take the victory completing the race distance in just a little more than 20 minutes. Richard Stoop would finish the race in 2nd place. There in 3rd place would be Naylor.
Though he had only taken part in a few Formula 2 races, Naylor's record in those races would be most impressive as they would include a large number of top five and top three results compared to very few retirements. Most important would be the fact his momentum and confidence remained high and this would greatly encourage him heading into the final couple of races on the season.
Naylor would remain around England following the busy weekend at Snetterton. While the World Championship would draw to a close at Monza on the 8th of September, J.B. would be back in Stockport preparing for his next race of the season.
This next race would be an important one for Naylor as it would be another opportunity for him to take to the track at the same time as Formula One cars and pit his skills against some of the best in the world. The race would be on the 14th of September at Silverstone and it would be the 9th BRDC International Trophy race.
International events would make it possible for Naylor to take part in the International Trophy race. The Suez Crisis would have many ramifications when it took place over the course of 1956 and 1957. One of the effects suffered by the crisis would be the delay of fuel shipments to England. Suffering from the situation, England would be looking to stem the tide. A motor race seemed to go against the efforts. Unfortunately, the International Trophy race would come up on the calendar too soon and the situation would cause the race's organizers to choose to postpone the race until after the end of the World Championship. Therefore, the race would take place in September instead of its usual May date.
Primarily a village based around timber production throughout the Middle Ages, the tiny village of Silverstone would have very humble origins. By the 20th century, however, Silverstone would become well-known all throughout England and Europe.
Though just a small village in Northamptonshiire, Silverstone would take on a bigger identity during the Second World War when a bomber training base opened nearby sharing its name. Following the end of the war, it would seem strange that an abandoned airfield in the East Midlands would become the home of British motor racing, but that is exactly what would happen.
In the case of J.B. Naylor, Silverstone would seem like his home away from home as he would absolutely dominate in the smaller sportscar races. Returning to the circuit to take part in a Formula 2 race running concurrently with Formula One cars would be another big leap. He had already done it with great success at the Nurburgring so there was very little reason to think he wouldn't be able to have a repeat performance.
Measuring a little more than 2.9 miles in length, Silverstone had become the home of the British Grand Prix and served as the site for the inaugural round of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. However, there was another race, a non-championship event, that usually attracted the best teams and drivers and that was the International Trophy race. In 1957, the non-championship event would be the only race to take place at Silverstone demonstrating the best Formula One had to offer. The reason for this was simple. The British Grand Prix had been held at Aintree in 1957. It would return to Silverstone the following year.
Unlike the previous few years of the International Trophy race, the format for its running would revert back to its original design whereby there would be two heat races followed by a final. Each of the heat races would be 15 laps in length. The final would be 35.
A total of 34 cars would be in the field for the race. This would necessitate the double heat format as there would be a slew of Formula 2 cars in each heat. Naylor would be listed in the first heat.
The first heat would have a very competitive lineup. Jean Behra would be driving for Owen Racing. He and Ron Flockhart would be driving BRMs in the heat. Masten Gregory, Horace Gould and Bruce Halford would make up the rest of the Formula One entries in the first heat.
Although the BRM would be fast around the circuit it would be Tony Brooks in a Cooper T43 that would actually set the fastest time in practice and grab the pole. His best time would be a 1:43.0. Behra would start from the 2nd spot on the grid. Flockhart would line up 3rd while Gregory would complete the front row in 4th place.
Naylor's best effort in practice against Brooks in another Formula 2 car would demonstrate just the different level of talent. Naylor was good, but his 10 second slower lap time would speak volumes. As a result, J.B. would start from the fourth row of the grid in the 13th position.
Heading to the start of the race, Naylor would have a lot of work to do to get around the Formula 2 starters ahead of him on the grid, especially Brooks starting from pole. Brooks, however, would help everyone out as he would end up pulling to the side of the track having failed to complete even the first lap of the race. Wheel problems would be the reason for the retirement.
The problem with Brooks' car enabled Behra to sail into the lead and absolutely run amuck over everyone else. This also seemed to present a perfect opportunity for Naylor to move up the leaderboard. He had experienced so little misfortune that it seemed he would be able to really convert the situation to his advantage. Unfortunately, Naylor wouldn't make it much further as his car would suffer a mechanical problem and would be out of the running after just a lap or two as well. This would be, quite obviously, very disappointing.
There would be very little anyone, not even the Formula One entries, could have done to tame Behra. Posting a fastest lap time more than two and a half seconds faster than his own qualifying effort, Behra would be absolutely running away with the lead of the race. Flockhart would give chase but it would seem as if the two men were driving two different cars as Ron could do nothing to catch up to the Frenchman.
Completing the race distance in just under 26 minutes, Behra would take an easy victory having 44 seconds in hand over Flockhart. Gregory would finish the race in 3rd place nearly a full minute behind.
Although he failed to finish the heat race, there was still an opportunity for Naylor to take part in the final. Of course that was if the problem could be rectified in time and if he even really wanted to. There would be practically no chance of him finishing inside the top five in the final since he would already be laps down before the start of the final.
The second heat race would consist of Harry Schell in a third BRM going up against two Maserati 250Fs driven by Jo Bonnier and Ivor Bueb and then a fleet of Formula 2 cars. Schell would start the heat race from the pole while Keith Hall would start in 2nd place. Ivor Bueb would be in the 3rd position and George Wicken would complete the front row starting in 4th place.
Schell would have the lead right from the start and would totally in control throughout. He would not be pushing as hard as what Behra had been in the first heat race but he certainly had things well in hand as Jack Brabham would constitute the greatest threat; and he was driving from the back of the field.
Brabham would be impressive over the course of the second heat race. Having set no time, the Aussie would start the race from the fifth, and final, row of the grid in the 15th position. However, a strong start and some great driving throughout would lead him to making it all the way up to 2nd place ahead of Bonnier and Bueb.
Schell would be in control. Finishing the race a minute slower than Behra, Schell would take an easy victory crossing the line 7 seconds ahead of Brabham. Bonnier would complete the top three finishing 3 seconds behind Brabham.
The starting grid for the 35 lap final would be determined by finishing time in each respective heat race. Therefore, Behra's time of 25:58.8 would be faster than anybody in either of the two heats. Therefore, the Frenchman would start from the pole. Ron Flockhart would start alongside in 2nd place. Masten Gregory would line up 3rd. Being a minute slower than Behra, but fast enough, Schell would complete the front row starting in the 4th position.
Had he started the final, Naylor would have started the race from the tail-end of the field. Unfortunately, the problems encountered would make it impossible to think about taking part in the final. Additionally, it was really not worth the effort and the possibility of having even more damage occur. Therefore, Naylor would not take part in the final. Out of the 34 original entries, just 26 would line up for the final.
There would be three BRMs starting from the front row and, when the race got underway, all three would be up front leading the way. Ahead of them all would be Behra. Schell would get the better start and would be ahead of Flockhart. Bonnier would get away from the grid well and would be challenging for a higher ranking. Brabham was also starting from the second row of the grid and seemed to be someone everyone needed to watch.
Behra would be the only one that people needed to pay attention, or didn't, need to pay attention to. He would be out front and building up a comfortable margin over Schell. Schell would be pushing in the BRM but it just wouldn't be enough to draw in Behra.
The greater battles would be behind the two leading BRMs. Flockhart would be in 3rd place but would be under pressure from Bonnier in a Maserati. Further back, attrition would play a big part in the battle in Formula 2. Brooks would be out of the race again. Innes Ireland and Cliff Allison would all be out of the running. This left Roy Salvadori in the lead with a comfortable margin in hand over George Wicken and others. Still, Salvadori had been leading in Formula 2 at the German Grand Prix and would end up coming up short as a result of mechanical problems. The race was far from over.
Brabham had been impressive in the second heat race. He seemed someone to watch in the final. However, his final would last 22 laps before engine problems would cause him to retire. Brabham had been the most interesting driver to watch in the Monaco Grand Prix and he seemed to have a lot of promise heading into the final of this race. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
Behra would absolutely dominate the whole event. In spite of Brooks taking the pole for the first heat race, Behra looked to be in utter control at every moment. What's more, the BRM seemed bullet-proof, something that it had proved more than once to not be. Over the course of the race, he would increase his lead over Schell and would not be harassed at any time. Posting the fastest lap time at an average speed of more than 102mph there was little question as to why he wasn't under more assault.
It wasn't a question of whether or not a BRM would take the win. The question toward the end of the race would be whether or not the three drivers could hold on to bring home a one-two-three sweep? Behra seemed a lock, as did Schell. The only questionable one of the three would be Flockhart. Even by the last lap of the race he would be under threat from Bonnier and would have no room for a mistake.
About the time Flockhart headed around on one more tense, nail-biting lap, Behra was just about to come into view out of Woodcote. Crossing the line in one hour, one minute and 30 seconds exactly, it had been a straight-forward performance by Behra. A minute and 30 seconds later, Schell would come into view and across the line to finish 2nd. That made it two BRMs. Could they achieve the hat-trick? Rounding Woodcote, Flockhart would be ahead, but only just. However, it would be enough. Flockhart would take 3rd place by just a second over Bonnier but it meant Owen Racing had swept the podium.
Unlike at the Nurburgring, Roy Salvadori would make it through and would take the victory in Formula 2. George Wicken would end up finishing 2nd while Tony Marsh would finish in 3rd place.
All of this action, and yet, Naylor, who normally comes out near the top in his events, wouldn't be a part of even a quarter of it. This would be one trip to Silverstone that would end up very disappointing.
Although Naylor's attempt in the International Trophy race would not be worth retelling, his attempt in the 9th Annual International Daily Express Trophy sportscar race would be another thing entirely. Competing with his Lotus 11, Naylor would finish a respectable 7th place overall and would come away with yet another class victory. So while the circuit had been rather cruel to him in the non-championship grand prix, he would still come away with success at the former bomber training base.
Leaving Silverstone with positives and negatives, Naylor would have one last race to contend with before the season came to an end. The race would come on the 28th of September at a place usually hosting some of the first races of the season—Goodwood.
At Goodwood at the end of September there would be a number of events held on the 2.39 mile circuit. One of those would be the Formula 2 9th Woodcote Cup race. Starting on pole for the race would be Tony Brooks in the Rob Walker Cooper T41.
In the race, a battle would develop between Roy Salvadori and Jack Brabham in a couple of Cooper factory T43s. Brabham would turn in the fastest lap of the race, Salvadori would end up taking the victory. Brabham would finish in 2nd place while Cliff Allison would finish in 3rd place.
Naylor would make it through the entire 10 laps without incident but he would not be in the running for a top five finish. Instead, he would finish in the 8th position behind Tony Marsh and ahead of Keith Hall.
While the season didn't finish with Naylor stepping up onto the podium, it still resulted in a positive race result and would serve to encapsulate what had been yet another successful season.
Looking beyond the disappointing result at Silverstone in the International Trophy race, Naylor's season could not have gone much better and certainly offered the man from Salford a great deal of confidence moving forward. Though he started his racing career later on in life the results he was achieving at a consistent rate certainly seemed to suggest big things were on the horizon. Unfortunately, the incredible consistency he would experience throughout the early part of his racing career would suddenly go into hiding over the next few years.
The 1957 season seemed to offer a lot of promise. The reality would be, however, the next few years would see that promise go right out the window. What's more, the true divide between the gentleman driver and the talented professional would never be more obvious.