On this present day 68 years in the past, Mike Hawthorn turned Method 1’s first British World Champion, beating one other hopeful achieve the distinguished accolade.
Yorkshire-born Hawthorn led the Drivers’ standings by eight factors going into the ultimate spherical in Morocco – the one time the nation has staged a World Championship Grand Prix.
Ferrari driver Hawthorn had already seen two of his teammates – Luigi Musso and Peter Collins – perish over the course of the season, and was now locked right into a final-race decider with Vanwall’s Stirling Moss.
On the Ain-Diab circuit in Casablanca, Hawthorn took pole place by a tenth of a second from Moss, with teammates Phil Hill [a World Champion himself just three years later] and Olivier Bendebien fifth and sixth respectively.
Hawthorn, nevertheless, fell away at first, within the hope of a conservative method enabling him to seize the title, his intention purely to remain forward of Moss’ teammates.
Moss streaked off into the gap, with Hill second. Hawthorn was behind the second Vanwall of Stuart Lewis-Evans who was in second place. Nonetheless, Lewis-Evans’ engine expired on Lap 41, sending the automotive off the highway and right into a fiery accident.
Lewis-Evans escaped the blaze, however after being airlifted again to the UK, he would die six days later.
Hill, below the instruction of Ferrari, would gradual dramatically to permit Hawthorn to shut in. The American would let Hawthorn by way of to take the second place he wanted to take the title by only one level from Moss.
Hawthorn instantly retired from Grand Prix racing, his place in motor-racing historical past safe, however he would additionally die simply three months later, in a highway accident.
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