THE return

Incredibly, in his first race back – the final one of the season at Riverside in California – Moss qualified on pole but was beaten off the line by reigning world champion, Jack Brabham. Brabham’s lead, however, was cut after an onboard fire saw him scamper into the pits. The Australian would battle back to finish in fourth place and claim a second championship but no one could catch Moss, who finished ahead of Innes Ireland and Bruce Mclaren.

At the post-race celebrations, Moss was asked to cut the celebratory cake, baked in the shape of a racing car. He sliced off the left rear wheel and handed it to a distinctly unimpressed Colin Chapman.