Brian Newton Shawe-Taylor (28 January 1915 – 1 May 1999) was a British racing driver. He participated in 3 World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

races. He scored no World Championship points.

Early life and education

Shawe-Taylor was born in Dublin, Ireland, the younger of two sons of Francis Manley Shawe-Taylor (1869–1920), magistrate and high sheriff for the county of

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, and his wife, Agnes Mary Eleanor ''née'' Ussher (1874–1939).Warrack, John
"Taylor, Desmond Christopher Shawe- (1907–1995)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edition, May 2009, accessed 30 May 2010 (requires subscription) His parents were members of the Anglo-Irish ruling classes; he was related to the playwright and co-founder of the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...

and a cousin of

Sir Hugh Lane Sir Hugh Percy Lane (9 November 1875 – 7 May 1915) was an Irish art dealer, collector and gallery director. He is best known for establishing Dublin's Municipal Gallery of Modern Art (the first known public gallery of modern art in the ...

who founded Dublin's gallery of modern art."Desmond Shawe-Taylor – Obituary", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 3 November 1995 Following the murder of the father in 1920 by Irish nationalists, the family moved to England, where Shawe-Taylor attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

Career

Shawe-Taylor started racing before the war, winning the Nuffield Trophy in 1939. After the war he raced an

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

, with which he tried to enter the

1950 British Grand Prix The 1950 British Grand Prix, formally known as The Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d'Europe Incorporating The British Grand Prix, was a Formula One auto racing, motor race held on 13 May 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, England ...

. The organisers deemed his car to be too old, but he managed to take part in the race anyway, by sharing the Maserati 4CL of

Joe Fry Joseph Gibson Fry (26 October 1915, Chipping Sodbury – 29 July 1950, Blandford Motor Racing Circuit) was a British racing driver and distant member of the Fry's Chocolate family. He became the primary driver for the highly successful Shels ...

. The following year, he practiced a

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

entered by

Tony Vandervell Guy Anthony "Tony" Vandervell (8 September 1898 – 10 March 1967) was a British industrialist, motor racing financier, and founder of the Vanwall Formula One racing team. Motorsport Vandervell was the son of Charles Vandervell, founder of CAV ...

at the 1951 French Grand Prix, but ultimately Reg Parnell drove the car during the race. His entry was accepted for the 1951 British Grand Prix, despite the fact that he was still campaigning his old ERA, and he finished the race in 8th position as the top privateer, albeit six laps down on the winner. He also raced in the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

that year, sharing an Aston Martin DB2 with George Abecassis, finishing 5th. He was later seriously injured in an accident at Goodwood, when he spun the ERA and was hit by Toni Branca. Shawe-Taylor recovered but his career was ended.

Family

Shawe-Taylor was the younger brother of the music critic Desmond Shawe-Taylor, and the father of the art historian and

Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of pictures owned by ...

, the younger Desmond Shawe-Taylor, LVO."Shawe-Taylor, Desmond Philip"
''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2009; online edition, November 2009, accessed 1 June 2010 (requires subscription)

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) :''* Indicates shared drive with

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shawe Taylor, Brian English racing drivers English Formula One drivers 1915 births 1999 deaths 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

Sportspeople from Dublin (city) 20th-century English sportsmen