During the early years on the 1960s, it was traditional for the British international motor racing season to get underway at the Goodwood circuit in Sussex before it closed for safety reasons in 1966. It was the advent of new Formula 1 regulations, increasing the engine limit to 3-litres that led to considerably quicker lap times and Goodwood was requested to introduce chicanes to slow the cars.
Rather than ruin the track, the Duke of Richmond took the decision to close it as it was impractical to carry out all the necessary modifications. However, it remained open for testing purposes Including, ironically, early testing of the3-litre Cosworth DFV F1 engine. The loss of Goodwood led to the creation of a non-championship Formula 1 race being launched at Brands Hatch in Kent. It was titled ‘The Race of Champions’ even though the entry list often failed to include a number of the top drivers. Sponsorship came from the Daily Mail newspaper and the top prize was £500. In 1968 the race saw a wide variety of cars enter, among them three Ferraris for Chris Amon, Jacky Ickx and Andrea de Adamich, a new Gold Leaf Team Lotus 49 for Graham Hill, a Matra-Tyrrell with a Cosworth DFV engine for Jackie Stewart, a pair of BRM’s with V12 engines for Pedro Rodriguez and Mike Spence and finally an immaculate pair of new papaya-orange coloured McLaren M7A’s for Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme. Held in March, this was an early look at the cars that would contest the forthcoming grand prix season and it was Bruce McLaren that dominated the event, taking pole position from the BRM of Spence, Stewart’s Tyrrell and the Ferrari of Amon. The Ferrari team was reduced to two cars during practice when de Adamich went off at Paddock Bend, badly damaging the car while he escaped with concussion. McLaren’s team mate Denny Hulme struggled with his car and took fifth place on the grid. Fourteen cars lined up for the start of the 50-lap race and as the flag fell they set off in grid order although Hill moved up from sixth to fourth in his Lotus, despite its wayward handling. It was not to last as the Lotus broke a drive-shaft which in turn split the oil tank which gave Hill a few anxious moments as he tried to control the spinning car. Bruce McLaren controlled the race from start to finish as he left the field behind, the only opposition coming from Pedro Rodriguez who decided he liked the way his BRM was handling. A fired-up Pedro proceeded to pick off the cars ahead until he found himself in second place but that was as good as it got since the McLaren ahead was cruising and could counter the charge of the BRM without much effort. The race ended with Bruce McLaren winning by 14 seconds from the BRM, followed by the second McLaren of Denny Hulme.
The photograph shows Bruce McLaren driving to a comfortable victory in his new M7A. In 1968, Formula 1 cars were comparatively simple, uncomplicated racing cars, devoid of aerodynamic parts and computer-related impediments and looked all the better for it – but ‘progress’ never stops.
From ‘Moments in Motorsport’ by Trevor Legate.
