The 1975 Race of Champions was a non-championship

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

race held at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

on 16 March 1975. Weather conditions were inhospitable, with strong winds, heavy rain and even snow showers during the weekend. There was some pre-race controversy about the decision to top up the grid with

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...

cars-eventually a compromise was reached where only those drivers with Formula 1 experience would be permitted to start. Ironically the most vehement protester against the Formula 5000 drivers,

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former automobile racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the Indianapolis 500 twice each and the CART championship once. Moving up from Formula Two, Fittip ...

, qualified only 17th, some four rows behind the fastest Formula 5000 driver Tom Belsø. Druids Hill Bend 1975 Race of Champions

Roelof Wunderink made his début in the

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, whilst

Tony Trimmer Tony Trimmer (born 24 January 1943) is a British former racing driver from England, who won the Shell British Formula Three Championship and E.R. Hall Trophy in 1970. He was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Tony Trimmer also won the prestigious M ...

qualified well in the new

Safir Safir may refer to: *SAFIR, the Single Aperture Far-Infrared Observatory *Safir (Arthurian legend), a Saracen Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend *Safir (Belgian beer), a Belgian beer now owned by InBev *Safir (cycling team), a Belgia ...

car (previously known as a Token) and

Maurizio Flammini Maurizio Flammini (born 29 November 1949) is an Italian former racing driver. Flammini Racing Founded in 1975, Flammini racing was involved in managing sport's marketing and in particular cars/motorcycles sport events and motorshows. Between t ...

was a non-starter after crashing heavily in practice.

Tom Pryce Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (11 June 1949 – 5 March 1977) was a British racing driver from Wales known for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death ...

dominated in appalling weather conditions from

Jody Scheckter Jody David Scheckter (born 29 January 1950) is a South African business proprietor and former motor racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, winning the Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari. Scheckter remains the only Afri ...

, giving the crowd a home driver to cheer in the absence of

James Hunt James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) ''Autocourse Grand Prix Archive'', 14 October 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007. was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in . After retiring from racing in ...

. The start was delayed as snow fell and teams had to quickly decide which type of tyres to use, but when the flag fell,

Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times (second-highest of all time) and achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One. He greatly contributed ...

surged through from the second row to lead. In midfield, Belso was hit and spun taking out Jochen Mass, who retired despite having minimal damage to the car. As a result of this incident, the decision was taken to bar Formula 5000 cars from future Formula 1 races. Scheckter took the lead at the end of lap 1 on dry tyres and Pryce was soon catching him, having passed

Ronnie Peterson Bengt Ronnie Peterson (; 14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver. Known by the nickname 'SuperSwede', he was a two-time runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Peterson began his motor racing caree ...

and Ickx after a bad start on the damp side of the track. In second place, with a strong home following was John Watson in the

Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons (1970 to 1978) as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000. History The team was formed by John Surtees, a four-time 500cc motorcycle champion and the ...

who gained the place having taken Peterson when they were passing backmarkers at Druids Bend. Despite not being a Championship round, Pryce's win makes this the only Formula One race won by a Welshman.

Results

References

*http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1975/1975.html#roc *1976 John Player Grand Prix Year Book, Autocourse 1975

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1975 Race Of Champions Race of Champions (Brands Hatch)

Race of Champions The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event held at the end/start of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers. It is the only competition in the world where stars from Formula One, World Ral ...

Formula 5000 race reports

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...