Race of Champions (Brands Hatch)

Last updated September 10, 2024

The Race of Champions was a non-championship Formula One motor race held at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, United Kingdom between 1965 and 1979, and again in 1983. It often attracted high quality entries from the Formula One World Championship. The first race was won by Mike Spence. The last running of the event was the last non-championship Formula One race (excluding the Formula One Indoor Trophy sprint event) and was won by reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg in a Williams-Cosworth after a tight battle with F1 rookie, American driver Danny Sullivan in a Tyrrell-Cosworth.

1968 Race of Champions

The 1968 Race of Champions was held at Brands Hatch on March 17, 1968, and was notable for the close competition between leading teams and drivers. Bruce McLaren won the race, driving a McLaren M7A , powered by a Cosworth DFV V8 engine, with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 53.4 seconds, completing 50 laps^[1]. The second-place finisher was Pedro Rodriguez , driving a BRM P133 , followed by Denny Hulme in another McLaren M7A . Notably, Graham Hill had to retire due to a driveshaft failure after just 10 laps in his Lotus 49 .

The event also witnessed several retirements and non-starters, including John Surtees , whose Lola T100 did not start due to an oil leak. Jo Siffert and Andrea de Adamich also failed to start after crashing during practice ^[1].

1979 Race of Champions

By 1979, the relevance and prestige of the Race of Champions had diminished significantly due to the expanding Formula One calendar, which included 16 official Grand Prix events. As reported by Motor Sport Magazine , the 1979 Race of Champions was initially scheduled for March 18, 1979, but it was cancelled due to heavy snow ^[2]. The snowfall, measuring up to six inches on the Friday before the event, forced the cancellation of the race, along with various support races.

The cancellation was a disappointment for fans, though many teams had already planned to send their number two drivers and older cars due to the proximity of the Long Beach Grand Prix in California. As a result, interest from the top-tier teams was limited, and many teams had already withdrawn before the official cancellation ^[2].

The cancellation marked a turning point for non-championship Formula One races, and by the early 1980s, it became increasingly difficult to attract major teams to these events. The Race of Champions was eventually discontinued in 1983, as Formula One's professional schedule left little room for non-championship events.

More information

The Race of Champions was part of a tradition that also included the International Trophy at Silverstone, with both races alternating as non-championship events in early-season calendars. However, as Formula One grew in scope and global importance, these non-championship races became obsolete.
The 1979 race was intended to benefit the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Fund, with £100,000 guaranteed from the event's profits. However, due to the cancellation, these funds were not generated ^[2].

Winners of the Race of Champions

By Year

Year	Driver	Constructor	Report
1965	Mike Spence	Lotus	Report
1966	Not held
1967	Dan Gurney	Eagle	Report
1968	Bruce McLaren	McLaren	Report
1969	Jackie Stewart	Matra	Report
1970	Jackie Stewart	March	Report
1971	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	Report
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	Report
1973	Peter Gethin	Chevron †	Report
1974	Jacky Ickx	Lotus	Report
1975	Tom Pryce	Shadow	Report
1976	James Hunt	McLaren	Report
1977	James Hunt	McLaren	Report
1978	Not held
1979	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report
1980 – 1982	Not held
1983	Keke Rosberg	Williams	Report
Sources:^[3]^[4]

† Formula 5000 car

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References

1 2 Brown, Allen. "Race of Champions 1968 « Non-Championship F1 (3-litre)". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
1 2 3 "The Race of Champions". Motor Sport Magazine. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
↑ "Race of Champions". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
↑ Higham, Peter (1995). "Racing Around the World – Great Britain – Race of Champions". The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing . London, England: Motorbooks International. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7603-0152-4 – via Internet Archive.

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[:0-1] 1 2 Brown, Allen. "Race of Champions 1968 « Non-Championship F1 (3-litre)". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.

[:1-2] 1 2 3 "The Race of Champions". Motor Sport Magazine. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2024-09-09.

[CF1GBR-3] "Race of Champions". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

[guinness-4] Higham, Peter (1995). "Racing Around the World – Great Britain – Race of Champions". The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing . London, England: Motorbooks International. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7603-0152-4 – via Internet Archive.

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