TheRace of Champions was a non-championshipFormula One motor race held at theBrands Hatchcircuit inKent,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 byMike Spence. The last running of the event was the last non-championship Formula One race (excluding theFormula One Indoor Trophy sprint event) and was won by reigning World ChampionKeke Rosberg in aWilliams-Cosworth after a tight battle with F1 rookie, American driverDanny Sullivan in aTyrrell-Cosworth.
The1968 Race of Champions was held on 17 March, and was notable for the close competition between leading teams and drivers.Bruce McLaren won the race, driving aMcLaren M7A powered by aCosworth DFV V8 engine.[1] The second-place finisher wasPedro Rodriguez, driving aBRM P133, followed byDenny Hulme in anotherMcLaren M7A. Notably,Graham Hill had to retire due to a driveshaft failure after just 10 laps in hisLotus 49.
The event also witnessed several retirements and non-starters, includingJohn Surtees, whoseLola T100 did not start due to an oil leak.Jo Siffert andAndrea de Adamich also failed to start after crashing during practice.[1]
By 1979, the relevance and prestige of theRace of Champions had diminished significantly due to the expanding calendar, which included 16 official Grand Prix events. As reported byMotor 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 theLong Beach Grand Prix inCalifornia. As a result, interest from the top-tier teams was limited, and many teams had already withdrawn before the official cancellation.[2]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.
†Formula 5000 car
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