Intercontinental Formula

Intercontinental Formula

Category	Single-seater
Country	International (effectively United Kingdom)
Inaugural season	1961
Folded	1961
Last Drivers' champion	Stirling Moss (unofficial)

Intercontinental Formula was an open wheel, single-seater motor-racing formula introduced in 1961. Originally conceived as an alternative to the new 1.5-litre Formula One regulations, the series failed to establish itself globally. The attempt to run it as a long-term championship collapsed after just half a season, with all races taking place in the United Kingdom.

History

Background

The introduction of the Intercontinental Formula stemmed from a regulatory change in Formula One. Until the 1960 season, regulations allowed engines with a maximum displacement of 2.5 litres. In late 1958, the CSI, the regulatory body for motorsport, announced that starting from the 1961 season, regulations would align with the existing Formula 2: only naturally aspirated engines between 1.3 and 1.5 litres would be permitted, with a minimum car weight of 450 kg.

British constructors, often referred to as the "Garagistes", were unhappy with these changes and initially threatened to boycott the 1961 World Championship. They felt the new rules favoured manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche, who had dominated the 1.5-litre Formula 2 class.

Anticipating a failure of the "new" 1.5-litre Formula One, British manufacturers developed plans for an alternative series that effectively continued the existing regulations. The main proponents were Cooper, Lotus, and BRM, supported by engine supplier Coventry Climax. Initially, Ferrari also expressed interest. The plan was to hold races in the UK, Italy, and eventually the United States; this international scope gave rise to the name Intercontinental Formula.

Collapse of the project

However, interest waned rapidly. At the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari surprisingly announced that for 1961 they would commit fully to the new Formula One regulations, following promising tests of their new 1.5-litre V6 engine. Shortly after, Coventry Climax also withdrew support for the project to concentrate manufacturing capacity on new F1 engines. Negotiations with Italian circuits subsequently failed, effectively confining the series to British tracks.

Only five races were run under the formula between March and August 1961. BRM and Lotus entered official works cars, while other competitors were privateer entrants. All races were won by the Cooper T53-Climax model; two by Jack Brabham and three by Stirling Moss.

With the success of the new Formula One series, Intercontinental Formula was abandoned at the end of the year. Some of the cars were sold to drivers in Australia and New Zealand, where they competed under similar regulations, serving as precursors to the Tasman Series established in 1964.

Regulations

The technical regulations largely mirrored those of Formula One prior to 1961. The main difference was the maximum engine displacement, which was increased to 3.0 litres. This allowed teams to enlarge their existing 2.5-litre engines, although it theoretically opened the door for American stock-block derived engines, a concept that did not materialize during the short life of the series.

Race results

The inaugural race at Snetterton featured a mixed grid: alongside Intercontinental cars, new 1.5-litre Formula One cars were also admitted. Although the top two finishers (Jack Brabham and Cliff Allison) were driving Intercontinental cars, the rest of the field consisted of F1 machinery. The second race at Goodwood was the first exclusive to the class.

The table below details the results. The rows in pink indicate races that were not valid for the championship points.

Round	Race Name	Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	II Lombank Trophy1	Snetterton	26 March 1961	Innes Ireland	Innes Ireland	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report
2	XIII Lavant Cup	Goodwood	3 April 1961	Bruce McLaren	Bruce McLaren	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	Report
3	XIII BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	6 May 1961	Not available	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	Report
4	XXIII British Empire Trophy	Silverstone	8 July 1961	John Surtees	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Climax	Report
5	Guards Trophy	Brands Hatch	7 August 1961	Stirling Moss	Bruce McLaren	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report

¹  Run in conjunction with Formula One entries.

Championship standings (Unofficial)

The championship was discontinued after the Guards Trophy and no official drivers' trophy was awarded. Based on the points system used at the time (excluding the first two non-championship rounds), Stirling Moss would have won the series.

Points System
Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
Points	9	6	4	3	2	1

Pos.	Driver	INT	EMP	GUA	Points
1	Stirling Moss	9	9	-	18
2	Jack Brabham	6	0	9	15
3	Graham Hill	0	4	4	8
=	John Surtees	2	6	0	8
=	Jim Clark	0	2	6	8
6	Bruce McLaren	0	3	3	6
=	Roy Salvadori	4	0	2	6
8	Henry Taylor	3	0	0	3
9	Tony Brooks	1	0	0	1
10	Lex Davison	0	0	1	1

Bibliography

• Aston, Beverley; Mark Williams (1996). Playing to win: The success of UK motorsport Engineering. Institute for Public Policy Research. ISBN 1-86030-031-6.
• Cimarosti, Adriano (1997). Das Jahrhundert des Rennsports (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-01848-9.
• Hodges, David (1993). Rennwagen von A–Z nach 1945 (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-01477-7.
• Lawrence, Mike (1998). Grand Prix Cars 1945–1965. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 1-899870-39-3.