The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 3rd World Championship of Drivers, which was contested over eight races between 18 May and 7 September 1952. The season also included several non-championship races and a separate East German Championship.
Royal Air Force Charterhall or more simply RAF Charterhall is a former Royal Air Force station located in the Scottish Borders and the historic county of Berwickshire between the village of Greenlaw and Duns. It was originally a First World War landing ground named Eccles Toft. The airfield was reconstructed in 1942 and was used mainly by No. 54 Operational Training Unit during Second World War. The RAF left in 1947 and the airfield was officially closed.
The 1st International Gold Cup was a non-championship Formula One motor race held on 7 August 1954 at the Oulton Park Circuit, Cheshire. The race was run over 36 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F. Reg Parnell was second in a Ferrari and Bob Gerard, who qualified on pole, third in his Cooper-Bristol.
Border Reivers was a motor racing team from Chirnside, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. The team was named after the raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. Its most successful achievement was third place at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is most notable for its involvement in the early racing career of Jim Clark, who was one of the drivers in the 1960 Le Mans entry.
The 3rd Daily Record Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 6 August 1955 at Charterhall Circuit, Berwickshire. The race was run over two heats of 15 laps and a final of 20 laps, and was won by British driver Bob Gerard in a Maserati 250F. Horace Gould and Louis Rosier were second and third, also in 250Fs. Gerard and Rosier shared fastest lap.
The 1st Newcastle Journal Trophy was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held at Charterhall on 11 October 1952. The race was won by Dennis Poore in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis, leading home his teammates Kenneth McAlpine and Mike Oliver. Tony Gaze set fastest lap in his HWM-Alta.
The 2nd Daily Mail Trophy was a non-championship motor race held for Formula One and Formula Two cars at Boreham Circuit on 2 August 1952. The race was won by Luigi Villoresi in a Ferrari 375, who also set pole and fastest lap. Chico Landi was second in another 375 and Mike Hawthorn was third in a Cooper T20-Bristol, and highest place Formula Two entrant.
The Cooper T23, formally called the Cooper Mk.II, is a Formula 2 racing car, built, designed, and developed by British manufacturer Cooper Cars in 1953. It also competed in Formula One, in 9 Grand Prix between 1953 and 1956. It was powered by the Bristol six-cylinder 2-litre engine.
The 5th Madgwick Cup was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held at Goodwood Circuit on 27 September 1952. The race was won by Ken Downing in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis. Teammate Dennis Poore was second, setting fastest lap in the process, and Alan Brown in a Cooper T20-Bristol was third.
The 2nd Newcastle Journal Trophy was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held at Charterhall on 15 August 1953. The race was won by Ken Wharton in a Cooper T20-Bristol. Roy Salvadori and Ron Flockhart were second and third in their Connaught A Type-Lea Francises All three shared fastest lap.
The 3rd Syracuse Grand Prix was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held in Syracuse, Sicily on 22 March 1953. The race was won by Emmanuel de Graffenried in a Maserati A6GCM. Louis Chiron was second in an O.S.C.A. Tipo 20 and Rodney Nuckey third in a Cooper T23-Bristol. Alberto Ascari started from pole and set fastest lap but retired with mechanical failure, as did every other works Ferrari, in contrast to last year's 1-2-3 walkover.
The 2nd Aston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race was a Formula Two motor race held on 18 April 1953 at Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk. The race was run over 10 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Eric Thompson in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis. Bob Gerard in a Cooper T23-Bristol was second and Peter Whitehead in a Cooper T24-Alta was third. Bobbie Baird in a Ferrari 500 set fastest lap.
The XV Eläintarhajot was a non-championship Formula One motor race held at Eläintarha, Helsinki on 10 May 1953. The race was won by Rodney Nuckey in a Cooper T23-Bristol, starting from pole position. Roger Laurent was second in a Talbot-Lago T26C and Gunnar Carlsson third in a Ford Special.
The 2nd United States Air Force Trophy was a Formula Two motor race held on 25 July 1953 at Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk. The race was run over 15 laps, and was won by British driver Tony Rolt in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis. Bob Gerard in a Cooper T23-Bristol was second and set fastest lap. Leslie Marr in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis was third. Earlier in the day of the meeting Ferrari driver Bobbie Baird was killed in a sports-car race.
The 7th Ulster Trophy was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held at the Dundrod Circuit on 16 May 1953. The race was held over two heats of 10 laps and a final of 14 laps. Mike Hawthorn driving a Ferrari 500 won the final from pole position ahead of the Cooper T23-Bristol of Ken Wharton and the Ferrari 500 of Bobbie Baird. Hawthorn also set fastest lap in the final, and overall fastest lap in the second heat which he also won, again from pole position. Stirling Moss in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis set pole and fastest lap in the first heat but finished second behind Duncan Hamilton's HWM-Alta. Moss failed to start the final, while Hamilton finished sixth.
The 1st Curtis Trophy was a Formula Two motor race held on 17 October 1953 at Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk. The race was run over 15 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Bob Gerard in a Cooper T23-Bristol, who also set fastest lap. Les Leston in a Cooper T26-JAP and Jimmy Somervail in a Cooper T20-Bristol were second and third.
The 2nd Joe Fry Memorial Trophy was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held at Castle Combe Circuit on 3 October 1953. The race was won by Bob Gerard in a Cooper T23-Bristol, setting fastest lap in the process. Horace Gould and Ken Wharton were second and third, also in Cooper T23s.
The 2nd West Essex CC Formula 2 Race was a Formula Two motor race held on 27 June 1953 at Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk. The race was run over 10 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Kenneth McAlpine in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis. McAlpine's teammate John Coombs was second and Rodney Nuckey in a Cooper T23-Bristol was third. Roy Salvadori in another Connaught set fastest lap but retired on the last lap with engine failure.
The 1st Bristol MC & LCC Formula 2 Race was a Formula Two motor race held on 3 August 1953 at Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire. The race was run over 20 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Tony Rolt in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis; Rolt also set fastest lap. Horace Gould in a Cooper T23-Bristol was second and Jack Walton was third in a Cooper T25-Bristol.
The 1st London Trophy was a Formula Two motor race held on 19 September 1953 at Crystal Palace Circuit, London. The race was run over two heats of 10 laps with the winner being decided by aggregate time.
