JCB was founded in 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Current Chairman Lord Bamford joined the company in 1964 after completing his engineering apprenticeship and has been at the helm of the business since 1975. Lord Bamford is passionate about engineering and motorsport and was the inspiration behind the company’s sponsorship of the JCB Trophy Championship for Historic Cars in the early 1970s. It was also Lord Bamford’s brainchild to attempt a world diesel landspeed record in a car powered by two JCB engines to prove their power and performance credentials. The mission succeeded and the JCB Dieselmax car still holds the world diesel land speed record of 350.052mph, more than a decade after it was set on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said: “I am an engineer and a manufacturer and designing and engineering innovative products is at the core of what JCB does. We frequently combine our engineering expertise with some of the best automotive technologies which means our machines are very fuel efficient and intuitive to operate. Our partnership with Williams Martini Racing builds on that innovative and technological link and our company’s long association with motorsport.”