BRDC International Trophy explained

The International Trophy is a prize awarded annually by the British Racing Drivers' Club to the winner of a motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit, England. For many years it formed the premier non-championship Formula One event in Britain, alongside the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

The event was instituted by the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) in August 1949, sponsored by the Daily Express newspaper, for cars meeting contemporary Grand Prix motor racing regulations. The BRDC drew the name from that of an extinct event formerly held at the Brooklands circuit in the early 1930s. The first Silverstone event was noteworthy as it was the first to use the former airfield's perimeter roadways rather than the main runways; a circuit layout that persisted for over forty years.

With the introduction of the new World Championship, in 1950 the International Trophy became a non-championship race held to Formula One rules. The 1950 event was again held in August, but from 1951 onwards – apart from 1957 – the International Trophy was contested in April or May, near the beginning of the World Championship season. The timing of the event often attracted many top teams and drivers, allowing them to practise in racing conditions before the season became too serious. From 1952 the trophy was also sporadically opened to drivers in the Formula Two category, as well as being run to F2 regulations in those years that the World Championship was also. 1978 saw the 30th running of the International Trophy, and the last under these rules; with the increasing complexity of F1 cars it simply became too expensive for teams to contest non-championship events.

From 1979, the trophy continued as a Formula Two-only event. When F2 was replaced at the end of 1984, the trophy switched to the new Formula 3000 rules from 1985. In turn, it was replacement of F3000 by GP2 in 2005 that ended the International Trophy as an event for cutting-edge racing cars.

Since 2005 the trophy has been awarded to the winner of a race for historic F1 cars at the annual Silverstone Classic race meeting.

Winners of the International Trophy

1949–1980: Formula One years

YearDriver ConstructorReport
1949 Alberto AscariFerrariReport
Giuseppe FarinaAlfa RomeoReport
Reg ParnellFerrariReport
Lance MacklinHWM-AltaReport
Mike HawthornFerrariReport
José Froilán GonzálezFerrariReport
Peter CollinsMaseratiReport
Stirling MossVanwallReport
Jean BehraBRMReport
Peter CollinsFerrariReport
Jack BrabhamCooper-ClimaxReport
Innes IrelandLotus-ClimaxReport
Stirling MossCooper-ClimaxReport
Graham HillBRMReport
Jim ClarkLotus-ClimaxReport
Jack BrabhamBrabham-ClimaxReport
Jackie StewartBRMReport
Jack BrabhamBrabham-RepcoReport
Mike ParkesFerrariReport
Denny HulmeMcLaren-FordReport
Jack BrabhamBrabham-FordReport
Chris AmonMarch-CosworthReport
Graham HillBrabham-CosworthReport
Emerson FittipaldiLotus-FordReport
Jackie StewartTyrrell-FordReport
James HuntHesketh-CosworthReport
Niki LaudaFerrariReport
James HuntMcLaren-FordReport
Keke RosbergTheodore-CosworthReport
1980 Eliseo SalazarWilliams-CosworthReport
Note that in 1952 and 1953, the race was run to Formula Two, while the 1961 race was held for the short lived Intercontinental Formula. The 1980 event formed a round of the 1980 British Formula One Championship.

1977–1984: Formula Two years

YearDriver ConstructorReport
René ArnouxRenault-GordiniReport
Eddie CheeverOsella-BMWReport
Mike ThackwellRalt-HondaReport
Stefan BellofMaurer-BMW/HeideggerReport
Beppe GabbianiMarch-BMW/RoscheReport
Mike ThackwellRalt-Honda/MugenReport

1985–2004: Formula 3000 years

YearDriver ConstructorReport
1985 Mike ThackwellRalt-CosworthReport
1986 Pascal FabreLola-CosworthReport
1987 Maurício GugelminRalt-HondaReport
1988 Roberto MorenoReynard-CosworthReport
1989 Thomas DanielssonReynard-CosworthReport
1990 Allan McNishLola-Mugen HondaReport
1991Not held, due to track refurbishment
1992 Jordi GenéReynard-Mugen HondaReport
1993 Gil de FerranReynard-CosworthReport
1994 Franck LagorceReynard-CosworthReport
1995 Ricardo RossetReynard-CosworthReport
1996 Kenny BräckLola-ZytekReport
1997 Tom KristensenLola-ZytekReport
1998 Juan Pablo MontoyaLola-ZytekReport
1999 Nicolas MinassianLola-ZytekReport
2000 Mark WebberLola-ZytekReport
2001 Sébastien BourdaisLola-ZytekReport
2002 Tomáš EngeLola-Zytek JuddReport
2003 Björn WirdheimLola-Zytek JuddReport
2004 Vitantonio LiuzziLola-Zytek JuddReport

2005 onward: Historic F1 years

YearDriver ConstructorReport
2005 Duncan DaytonWilliams-CosworthReport
2006 Manfredo RossiBrabham-RepcoReport
2007 Peter DunnMarch-CosworthReport
2008 Peter SowerbyWilliams-CosworthReport
2012 Bill CoombsTyrrell-CosworthReport
2005: Thoroughbred Grand Prix2006–2007, 2012: Masters Series
2008: FIA Historic F1

References