A LAUNCHPAD FOR FUTURE STARS?

The value of beating a Formula 1 driver rested, of course, on who was beaten, the circumstances and the numbers encountered – 13 was the most in any race. Wins for non-f1 drivers were rare.

John Surtees's fourth at Aintree in 1960 amid those 13 gained him instant promotion to the top tier. Bruce Mclaren's win for Cooper in the F2 class of the 1958 German GP, after Phil Hill spun off in his Ferrari, also leaps out. Jack Brabham (Cooper) and Graham Hill (Lotus) failed to finish, but neither had headed Mclaren, and a 1959 works Cooper F1 drive was sealed.

But not all wanted an F1 career. In late 1958, Jim Russell beat Brabham, the lone F1 driver present, in a straight fight at Montlhery, followed in early 1959 with a win in the wet at Oulton Park against Brabham, Roy Salvadori and Mclaren.

But he was almost 40 years old and had a renowned racing school to run.

In the mid-1960s Alan Rees (above) regularly mixed it with top F1 opposition, winning over Brabham at Reims and Rindt at Enna-pergusa. But he felt his career had peaked and he retired aged 30 to create March, supplying the 'ar' in the marque's name.

Chronologically, head-to-heads with F1 stars helped give us the GP careers of Bruce Mclaren, Cliff Allison, Graham Hill, Innes Ireland, Chris

Bristow (sadly soon lost), John Surtees, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, Jochen Rindt, Jacky Ickx, Francois

Cevert, Emerson Fittipaldi, Clay Regazzoni, Niki

Lauda, James Hunt and Jody Scheckter. Ten became world champions.