It was organised by the circuit owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club, as a "curtain raiser" for the European portion of the 1975 Formula One season.

[3] James Hunt, driving for the small Hesketh Racing team, set the fastest lap time in practice and took pole position for the start.

However, Hunt's engine failed at the start of lap 26 and the lead was inherited by second-place runner Niki Lauda in his Ferrari.

Lauda held the lead for the remainder of the race, despite Fittipaldi "pull[ing] out the stops"[2] to try and pass him.

At the finishing flag, Fittipaldi was only one-tenth of a second behind Lauda, with Mario Andretti in a Parnelli taking the last podium position in third.