START OF RACE; EARLY STAGE OF RACE WITH HILL (NO.1) AND STEWART (NO. 7); STEWART IN LEAD; STEWART WIN; WINNER CELEBRATES.




Initials SW/VS/BOB/SGM


SPORT: CAR RACING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: JACKIE STEWART DRIVING A FRENCH-BUILT MATRA TODAY (SUNDAY) WON THE 132.5 MILE (213.2 KILOMETRES) FORMULA ONE "RACE OF CHAMPIONS" AT BRANDS HATCH. GRAHAM HILL, REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION, WAS SECOND, SEVEN SECONDS BEHIND. ONLY SIX OF THE TWELVE STARTERS FINISHED.

THE SECOND FORMULA ONE RACE OF THE MOTOR RACING SEASON WAS, LIKE THE FIRST, THE SOUTH AFRICAN GRAND PRIX, WON BY JACKIE STEWART OF BRITAIN. AT BRANDS HATCH THIS AFTERNOON HE LED FROM START TO FINISH TO WIN THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS, WHICH DOES NOT COUNT FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT WHICH SHOWS THAT WITH HIS MATRA FORD HE HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF BECOMING THE WORLD CHAMPION THIS YEAR.

GRAHAM HILL OF BRITAIN DROVE A LOTUS FORD INTO SECOND PLACE. THE CAR HE WAS DRIVING WAS NOT THE CAR HE WILL BE DRIVING IN THIS SEASON'S GRAND PRIX RACES, AND HE APPEARED TO BE CONTENT WITH GETTING SECOND PLACE BEHIND STEWART.

FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, BENNY HULME OF NEW ZEALAND WAS THIRD IN A MCLAREN FORD. ALMOST A MINUTE BEHIND HILL, THE THREE OTHER DRIVERS TO FINISH WERE JO SIFFERT OF SWITZERLAND IN A LOTUS FORD, JACKIE OLIVER IN A BRM AND THE YOUNG AMERICAN, PETE LOVELY, DRIVING A PRIVATELY ENTERED LOTUS IN HIS FIRST FORMULA ONE RACE.

THE TRACK RECORD WAS EQUALLED OR BROKEN EIGHT TIMES BEFORE JOCHEN RINDT OF AUSTRIA IN A LOTUS FORD COVERED THE CIRCUIT AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 109 M.P.H. (176.8 KPH).