Tony Brooks was taking a weekend off from the final year of his dental studies in Manchester when, in October 1955, he became the first British driver to win a postwar grand prix in a British car.
The Gran Premio di Siracusa was not a world championship race, and the field was not of the highest quality, but to beat the Italian teams – and particularly the mighty Maseratis – on their home ground with his humble Connaught was a noteworthy feat, particularly since he had never taken the wheel of a Formula One car before the previous day’s practice session.
