1960 United States Grand Prix facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1960 United States Grand Prix
Race 10 of 10 in the 1960 Formula One season
Race details
Date	November 20, 1960
Official name	III Grand Prix of the U.S.
Location	Riverside International Raceway Riverside, California
Course	Permanent road course
Course length	5.271 km (3.275 mi)
Distance	75 laps, 395.325 km (245.643 mi)
Weather	Temperatures up to 75.9 °F (24.4 °C); Wind speeds up to 11.39 mph (18.33 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax
Time	1:54.4
Fastest lap
Driver	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax
Time	1:56.3 on lap 71
Podium
First	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax
Second	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax
Third	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax
Lap leaders

The 1960 United States Grand Prix was an exciting Formula One car race. It took place on November 20, 1960, at the Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. This race was the final event of the 1960 World Championship of Drivers. It was also the ninth race for the 1960 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

Race Highlights: What Happened?

The 1960 United States Grand Prix faced some challenges. The race promoter, Alec Ulmann, had trouble getting many people to come. This was similar to the year before in Sebring, Florida. People in California were not very familiar with open-wheeled race cars or the European drivers. Also, local news media did not promote the event much.

The Riverside Track and Top Drivers

The race was held near Box Springs Mountain in the desert, east of Los Angeles. The Riverside International Raceway track was known for a tough uphill section right after the start line. Local driver Dan Gurney was a favorite among the 25,000 fans who came to watch.

Jack Brabham had already won his second World Championship before this race. He was there with his teammate Bruce McLaren. They both drove for the factory Cooper team, using Climax engines. Team Lotus had cars for Jim Clark, Innes Ireland, and John Surtees. Another Lotus car, painted Scottish blue, was driven by Stirling Moss for the Rob Walker team. BRM had three cars for Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill, and Dan Gurney.

Ferrari's Decision and Qualifying

The famous Enzo Ferrari decided not to bring his cars to this race. The championship was already decided. He felt it was better to prepare for the new 1.5-liter Formula rules coming in 1961. However, Ferrari's drivers, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, were allowed to race with other teams. Phil Hill especially wanted to keep his third-place spot in the championship.

Stirling Moss was the fastest in qualifying, earning the pole position. Jack Brabham and Dan Gurney started right behind him on the front row. Phil Hill was surprised by how different the Cooper car felt compared to his usual Ferrari. Even so, he managed to qualify in thirteenth place.

The Race Begins: Early Drama

On race day, the weather was almost perfect. When the race started, Jack Brabham took the lead into the first turn. Dan Gurney and Stirling Moss followed closely. The crowd was amazed by the speed of the F1 cars.

Some cars had trouble right at the start. The Coopers of Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien stalled but were restarted. On lap 4, John Surtees spun his Lotus car. This caused damage to his teammate Jim Clark's car, which needed a new nosecone.

Brabham's Troubles and Moss Takes the Lead

Jack Brabham had a problem with his car. He had put too much fuel in the tank to avoid running out, like he did in a previous race. This caused extra fuel to spill and catch fire from the hot exhaust. He made two pit stops to try and fix it, but the problem continued.

With Brabham having issues, Stirling Moss moved far into the lead. Then, Dan Gurney's BRM car had an engine problem and had to stop. Moss's teammate, Jo Bonnier, moved into second place. Innes Ireland, Graham Hill, and Jim Hall (who was in his first Grand Prix) were also doing well.

Before the halfway point of the 75-lap race, Graham Hill had to stop because of a broken gearbox. Jo Bonnier also started to slow down due to an engine problem. Meanwhile, Jack Brabham was pushing hard after his pit stops. He managed to finish in fourth place, right behind his teammate Bruce McLaren. Phil Hill was running fifth for a while, but a spin dropped him behind Bonnier. Bonnier still managed to finish and earn two points.

Moss Wins and Championship Results

Stirling Moss won the race easily. This was the last race for the 2.5-liter engine rules. His victory helped him finish third in the championship for the second year in a row. It was his fourteenth win under those rules.

After the race, promoter Alec Ulmann used his own money to pay the prize money and fees. Stirling Moss received $7,500, which was a lot of money back then. Even though some suppliers had to wait, everyone was paid in full. The next year, in 1961, the United States Grand Prix found a permanent home in Watkins Glen, New York, with many loyal fans. Formula One racing would eventually return to California in 1976, with the United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach.

Race Results: Who Finished Where?

Qualifying Times

This table shows how fast each driver was in qualifying to decide their starting position.

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	5	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	1:54.4	—
2	2	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	1:55.0	+0.6
3	16	Dan Gurney	BRM	1:55.2	+0.8
4	15	Jo Bonnier	BRM	1:55.6	+1.2
5	12	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	1:55.6	+1.2
6	11	John Surtees	Lotus-Climax	1:56.6	+2.2
7	10	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	1:57.0	+2.6
8	7	Olivier Gendebien	Cooper-Climax	1:57.2	+2.8
9	6	Tony Brooks	Cooper-Climax	1:57.2	+2.8
10	3	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	1:57.4	+3.0
11	17	Graham Hill	BRM	1:57.6	+3.2
12	24	Jim Hall	Lotus-Climax	1:58.2	+3.8
13	9	Phil Hill	Cooper-Climax	1:58.8	+4.4
14	8	Henry Taylor	Cooper-Climax	1:59.0	+4.6
15	14	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	1:59.6	+5.2
16	26	Wolfgang von Trips	Cooper-Maserati	2:01.4	+7.0
17	21	Brian Naylor	JBW-Maserati	2:02.2	+7.8
18	23	Chuck Daigh	Scarab	2:02.6	+8.2
19	18	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper-Maserati	2:03.2	+8.8
20	25	Pete Lovely	Cooper-Ferrari	2:03.4	+9.0
21	4	Ron Flockhart	Cooper-Climax	2:04.4	+10.0
22	20	Robert Drake	Maserati	2:05.4	+11.0
23	19	Ian Burgess	Cooper-Maserati	2:06.6	+12.2
Source:

Final Race Standings

This table shows the results of the main race.

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	5	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	75	2:28:52.2	1	8
2	10	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	75	+ 38.0	7	6
3	3	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax	75	+ 52.0	10	4
4	2	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	74	+ 1 Lap	2	3
5	15	Jo Bonnier	BRM	74	+ 1 Lap	4	2
6	9	Phil Hill	Cooper-Climax	74	+ 1 Lap	13	1
7	24	Jim Hall	Lotus-Climax	73	+ 1 Lap	12
8	14	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	73	+ 2 Laps	15
9	26	Wolfgang von Trips	Cooper-Maserati	72	+ 3 Laps	16
10	23	Chuck Daigh	Scarab	70	+ 5 Laps	18
11	25	Pete Lovely	Cooper-Ferrari	69	+ 6 Laps	20
12	7	Olivier Gendebien	Cooper-Climax	69	+ 6 Laps	8
13	20	Robert Drake	Maserati	68	+ 7 Laps	22
14	8	Henry Taylor	Cooper-Climax	68	+ 7 Laps	14
15	18	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper-Maserati	66	+ 9 Laps	19
16	12	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	61	+ 14 Laps	5
Ret	17	Graham Hill	BRM	34	Gearbox	11
Ret	19	Ian Burgess	Cooper-Maserati	29	Ignition	23
Ret	21	Brian Naylor	JBW-Maserati	20	Engine	17
Ret	16	Dan Gurney	BRM	18	Blown core plug	3
Ret	4	Ron Flockhart	Cooper-Climax	11	Transmission	21
Ret	6	Tony Brooks	Cooper-Climax	6	Spun Off	9
Ret	11	John Surtees	Lotus-Climax	3	Accident	6
Source:

Championship Standings After the Race

These tables show how the drivers and constructors ranked after the 1960 United States Grand Prix.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Jack Brabham 43 2 Bruce McLaren 34 (37) 2 3 Stirling Moss 19 4 Innes Ireland 18 2 5 Phil Hill 16 Source:

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Cooper-Climax 48 (58) 2 Lotus-Climax 34 (37) 3 Ferrari 26 (27) 4 BRM 8 5 Cooper-Maserati 3

• Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Only the best 6 results counted towards each Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

Images for kids

• 

  A view of the Riverside International Raceway track.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Gran Premio de los Estados Unidos de 1960 para niños