
From now on, closed loops of roads – circuits – would become the norm. This aspect was to prove decisive in the evolution of racing, because in 1903, city-to-city events were outlawed due to unmanageable public safety concerns. The Gordon Bennett Cup raced on a route that started and ended at the same place, further building excitement and making it easier for the press to capture the stories and photographs that they needed to fill their pages. † x/y: Competed in x races of the season total y.It all started when American newspaper baron, James Gordon Bennett, seized upon the excitement that new city-to-city racing fostered and through his newspapers, the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune, and established the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1900 as a new European event. Formula Two cars were also present on the grid to make up the numbers. In 1977 the series was opened up to allow Formula One cars to race and the BRSCC upgraded it to a full Formula One championship a year later. The British Formula One Championship was a successor to the older Group 8 Shellsport Championship, which had previously run for Formula 5000 cars. In 1980 Desiré Wilson became the only woman to win a Formula One race.

As in the South African Formula One Championship a decade or so before, second hand cars from manufacturers like Lotus and Fittipaldi Automotive were run by many entrants, although some, such as the March 781, were built specifically for the series. The long established Cosworth DFV engine helped make the series possible between 19. It was often referred to as the Aurora AFX Formula One series due to the Aurora company's sponsorship of the series for three of the four seasons. The British Formula One Championship, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. British Formula One Championship Category Not to be confused with British Grand Prix.
