Leo Geoghegan had also found a time in the 1:35s to take the inside of the third row from Palmer in the 1965 Clark Lotus and Spencer Martin, not happy with a 1:36.1, but ahead of Bartlett (1.5 Brabham) and John McDonald (Patterson Cooper 2.5) on row five.

Gardner had tried the V12 Brabham in the unofficial Friday practice, its first appearance in the series after a fraught December conversion from Climax power, but boiled its oil after doing a 1:35.8. It was never seen again, this was the car’s sole public appearance.

At the back of the grid was a disappointed John Harvey. He was new to this openwheeler lark, but had acquitted himself well at his first outing at Lakeside a few months earlier, but engine problems had beset the team and even at this meeting there was a cross-threaded spark plug to prevent him making it out early in the sessions. Even when he made it to the track he had a gearbox problem! But he wasn’t alone. Roly Levis was further back than expected on 1:40.7 alongside Mel McEwin’s Elfin Mono. Andy Buchanan’s 2.5 Brabham broke its crank and couldn’t be fixed for the race. Smallest car in the field was the McGuire Elfin Imp, with Peter Williamson at the wheel since Bartlett joined the Mildren team.

Ron Hodgson’s generosity put 75 bottles of champagne into the Team Lotus party and gave 25 to Cusack’s little outfit and so was born the idea of a really good party on Sunday night.

But race day had to come first. The meeting was a full one, with nine races supporting the main event. During the preparation for one of these races, a number of cars were taken out of the running because of oil leaks. But when similar leaks were noted in some of the cars of the International stars there was consternation. They weren’t able to be fixed in time, they were the main stars of the day, yet they were competitors just like the local Minis and MGs. The matter was swept under the carpet. The show went on as arranged.

The start of one of these races was electric to those who only saw this calibre of racing once a year. All around the circuit there were thousands clamouring for a view of the cars as they came into view. All ears were tuned to the public address system, which featured the well-known voice of Keith Regan, assisted by a youthful Will Hagon. At Creek Corner the duties would fall to Bruce Redhouse. In the stands it was standing room only. The place was packed, the beaches forsaken by this crowd despite the heat of the summer’s day. All was in readiness for the start. More than ready on the outside of the front row, Gardner parked his car three feet ahead of all the others, but nobody moved him back. It all came to a crescendo with the raising of the flag, the V8 bellow of the BRMs, the gentler roar of the Climax fours, the screams of the twin-cam Fords escaping all at once and then being released as the flag came down.

Clark got the jump and Stewart nearly followed him through from the second row as Hill got held back with wheelspin. But the Londoner was in the wake of the Scot as the field streamed through Paddock Bend, across the Western Crossing and into the view of the Hume Straight crowd. Hill unleashed a great run down the straight and went to the lead, but he had too much speed as he turned into Creek and ran wide, letting Clark back into the lead as Stewart also got crossed up in the hairpin.

Clark had a good lead at the end of that lap, while Hill had Stewart on his heels and Gardner was narrowly ahead of Palmer. The order behind them was Cusack and Geoghegan, inches apart, Martin, Bartlett, McDonald, Glynn Scott, Levis, Les Howard and Bob Jane, with Harvey already clear of McEwin, Denis Marwood (2.5 Cooper), Don O’Sullivan and Williamson.

On the second lap Stewart tried too hard coming off the Causeway and clanged a wheel on the Armco that had recently been added at that point. The impact caused him to spin past the end of the fence, costing him seven places and a chunk of alloy rim section. Stewart’s charge back towards the front was to become a key point in the progress of the race for some time, he quickly passed Bartlett, then a few laps later took Geoghegan, then Cusack slowed and he went by the little green Brabham.

Cusack was having difficulty with his gearchange and decided to take it easy rather than race Geoghegan and go for a finish. Stewart’s next quarry, however, was Martin, who had also passed the hapless Cusack. While this pursuit was in progress, Don O’Sullivan put his old Cooper into the fence in the Esses and was out of the race.

By the ninth lap Clark was four seconds ahead of a dogged Hill, who was in turn increasing his lead over Gardner. Out of the blue there was a mild shower, which caused a flurry of activity in the pits, particularly among the Firestone people, who rushed some heavily grooved tyres to Clark’s pit in case the rain continued. It didn’t, but it caught some out, naturally.

Levis was worst hit, losing almost a lap with a spin at Paddock, while Glynn Scott did a neat pirouette at Polo which let Harvey past him. Scott had already lost some places and even Jane had got ahead of him, so this left Harvey a clear shot at his future boss. This dice was to enliven things down the field as the circuit dried out again.

Clark, however, was continuing to extend his lead, being ten seconds ahead at half distance, lapping in the low 34s while Hill stopped the clocks around the high 34s each time. Gardner had no answer for this pace and merely consolidated his hold on third, almost half a minute back from Hill.

Stewart, however, hadn’t given up on scoring as many points as he could to consolidate his lead in the series. He had Martin firmly in his sights and was closing mercilessly. Martin, for his part, was unable to match his usual pace, so the outcome was inevitable. But it was lap 32 before Stewart finally pounced on the Scuderia Veloce Brabham driven the previous year by his team mate, with Palmer falling to his charge just three laps further on.

Clark, meanwhile, was casually striding away in the lead, stroking along about twenty seconds ahead of Hill with Gardner another half a minute or so further back.

Stewart’s charge had enlivened the race, but he was just too far behind the Alec Mildren entry to make any impact. The race ran its closing laps with no further changes.

Highlights of the supporting events were the sideways efforts of Bartlett in the Alfa Giulia TI in the Series Production event, Ian Geoghegan squeezing himself into the little Lola sports car that he’d traded on his former mount, the 23B, and then squeezing the very best out of the Lola to chase that 23B through the sports car even. That race, as it transpired, turned out to be a rare win for Greg Cusack’s 23. Bob Jane’s lightweight E-type looked out of place in this company.