The final World Championship F1 race in East London saw drivers from one country dominate a race like never before or since.
In the second part of BBC Sport Africa's special series examining the history of the South African Grand Prix, Ben Sutherland looks back at a unique New Year's Day race when Britain's best drivers set an unprecedented record.
And it ended with one of the most extraordinary statistics in the sport's history: five of the six points positions were taken by British drivers, a record that still stands and seems unlikely ever to change.Bernd Rosemeyer - one of the greatest pre-war drivers - took on the Prince George circuit in its early days
Bishop was so well-connected that once he started working up his contacts, what had been an idle notion was soon a national event called the Border 100 - and then an international one, attracting cars from abroad and going on to become the first South African Grand Prix in 1934. Just two years later - on a track shortened to avoid travelling through the township of West Bank and renamed the Prince George Circuit - the race was attracting the elite of European racers: Bernd Rosemeyer, Dick Seaman and Luigi Villoresi.
It was reflective of a wider picture of British success in the sport. This was the UK’s peak era; neither before nor since has such a variety of any country’s drivers and teams won so regularly.Hill had been champion in 1962, Clark in 1963 and John Surtees in 1964. No other nation has ever produced three different back-to-back champions.Well, the South African race gave a pretty strong indication.
Spence had no hope of keeping up with him but held solidly in second place until he spun, for the fourth time that weekend.
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