The race would be for both Formula One and Formula 2 cars. The total race distance would be 50 laps, or about 145 miles. For the Formula One cars in the field it would be a great testing session leading up to the British Grand Prix a couple of months away. For the Formula 2 cars in the field, it would be a tougher test as the high speeds and long distance of the race would put serious strain on the Coopers and Lotuses.
Known during the war as RAF Silverstone, the Silverstone Circuit was, very simply, an abandoned Royal Air Force bomber training base. Its three runways and perimeter roads sat amongst the wide-open countryside mere yards from the village from whence it drew its name. The abandoned airfield would host the British Grand Prix for the first time in 1948 and would make use of a couple of runways as part of the course. But then, with the first International Trophy race the year later, the circuit would change to the 2.92 mile perimeter road circuit that would become so iconic with Silverstone.
Unlike the race in Syracuse, the International Trophy race would be replete with Formula 2 cars and the Formula One versions of the mid-engined Coopers. The future of Formula One was all over the entry list and would be at the top of the timesheets at the conclusion of practice.
The fastest-qualifier would be Roy Salvadori in one of the factory Coopers. His lap time of 1:40.8 would be six-tenths of a second quicker than Jack Brabham in another Cooper. Stirling Moss would keep the Cooper train coming as he would end up 3rd on the grid while Peter Collins would provide the first front-engined car in the field when he qualified 4th, the final spot on the front row, with a Ferrari Dino 246.
The pace of the Coopers and the factory cars, like the Ferrari Dino 246, meant trouble for Scarlatti and the other privateers in the field. Despite having a newer generation of 250F, the best Scarlatti could do in practice would be a lap time of 1:51.2. This was nine seconds off of Salvadori’s pace and would result in the Italian starting the race from the sixth row of the grid, 20th overall.
A total of 33 cars would prepare for the 50 lap race. The immense field meant plenty of action for the tens of thousands that would assemble to watch the race. It also meant plenty of opportunities for Scarlatti to move forward and backward over the course of the race.
In something of a break from tradition, the conditions for the race would be beautiful as the mighty field formed up on the grid. The flag would wave to start the race, but Moss would be caught off guard. His timing would be off just slightly and when the flag did wave he would end up stalling on the grid. The result would be that he would have to wait until the entire field left before he could be restarted and on his way. Collins, on the other hand, would have a fantastic start and would lead the way over Behra and Flockhart. The Coopers of Brabham and Salvadori had also made terrible getaways and followed even Masten Gregory around for the first lap of the race.
Scarlatti was stuck right in the middle of the field with Moss soon to be coming up fast. Flockhart’s fast start would come to a fast end as he would crash out of the race. Maurice Trintignant would suffer from overheating and would also be an early retiree. Tony Brooks and Jo Bonnier would also be early departures from the race.
Meanwhile, up at the front, Collins and Behra would be locked in a tremendous battle. Behra had won the race with the vastly improved BRM the year before and looked just as fast this time around. But there was the matter of the Englishman at the front that Behra would have to contend with.
Scarlatti continued to run in the race, albeit well back of the front-runners. In such an immense crowd, his endurance nature would take over and he would settle in instead of trying to attack each and every lap like Moss was forced to do after his stalled start.
Unfortunately for Moss, the stalled start would put tremendous strain on his Rob Walker Cooper. Not only would the gearbox go through tremendous strain in the balked effort but his pace afterward would only make matters worse. As a result, he would be out of the race after 18 laps with gearbox failure.
By this point in time Behra had made his way by Collins and was pulling away in the lead. The Frenchman had looked tremendous in his dominate performance the year before and it seemed as though nothing could stop him from repeating the performance in 1958. However, perhaps the unlikeliest of events would seriously hinder Behra’s chances of a repeat.
Behra was pulling away in the lead when suddenly a rock hit his goggles. The rock had been thrown up by another car he was in the process of lapping at the time. The shattered goggles made it very difficult for Behra to see clearly. As a result, he would enter the pits to receive a new pair of goggles. He would take the goggles off and it would become apparent he had a nasty cut over his eye. However, he would take the new pair of goggles and would set off in the hopes of recapturing what he had once held in his hands.
Collins was now in control of the race. Scarlatti would seemingly be lost in all of the chaos and confusion all around the circuit. Unfortunately a rear suspension failure in the latter-half of the race meant he also departed the scene rather quietly as well. It was his second retirement in a row. He was still without a finish despite having Fangio’s famed Maserati for his own personal mount. Being a privateer entry, Scarlatti needed to finish some races and earn some prize money or this going alone was going to come to a swift end.
Speaking of swift, Collins would be in a league of his own once Behra’s vision had been hampered. Heading into the final 10 laps of the race, it was the Englishman leading by a large margin in the new Ferrari. Roy Salvadori had overcome his poor start to run in 2nd place. He was running well but could not match the pace of the Ferrari. The best of the Maserati entries would be found in 3rd place with Masten Gregory. He hard started the race from the third row of the grid, but a strong start and a strong pace throughout meant he would be on course for a podium finish if his Maserati could make the distance.
