The overhaul of the Formula 3000 series in 1996 attracted a number of Formula 1 teams wishing to establish junior teams. The level of commitment to the series varied - some teams simply lent their name to an existing F3000 team, while others were factory-run programmes that ran parallel to their parent team's F1 activities. West Competition fell firmly into the latter category, run by former Williams race engineer David Brown, who had joined McLaren at the end of 1995 to become race engineer for David Coulthard. His work with the McLaren's F1 team lasted only a year, when he was placed in charge of the organisation's driver development programme.
