Those who think that F1’s stars arrive at the top as if by magic are missing a trick, as the study of how they made it to the World Championship really adds to their story.
JUL 28th 2016
Revival Revealed: Chichester Cup
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In the 1950s, young hotshots would most likely have made their first forays in Formula Junior, the entry-level single-seater category initiated by Count ‘Johnny’ Lurani to give young drivers a step into the sport.
Powered by engines of 1,000ccc or 1,100cc according to chassis weight, fitted into the smallest possible chassis, Formula Junior meant that those beyond the very wealthiest could pit their skills against the best of their contemporaries. To add to their appeal, the cars even looked like baby F1 cars.
The roll call of the day lists future F1 stars Jim Clark, Wolfgang von Trips, John Surtees and Jochen Rindt among the top runners before Formula Junior segued into Formula 3, but even then some of the hot shoes couldn’t afford to climb the ladder to F1.
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The two countries that embraced Formula Junior were Italy then Great Britain, with a marked difference in the cars racing in each series. Italian Formula Junior was dominated by Stanguellinis, chased by Bandinis and Volpinis, almost all powered by Fiat motors, with the drivers offset to accommodate them. In England, the cars tended to be with the driver centrally mounted. Ford engines were the motors of choice, with some aiming for glory with BMC power. Chassis were from Lola, Elva, Gemini, Scorpion and assorted other small firms.
Before long, though, the front-engined Formula Juniors were superceded as Lotus showed that engines were best fitted at the rear of the car and so Formula Junior moved on a quantum leap. This race is for the early Formula Juniors, with engines up front, as raced from 1958 to 1962.
Photography by Jochen Van Cauwenberge
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