When the chequered flag falls at the end of this year’s Japanese Grand Prix, it will also signal the conclusion of the great motor racing adventure on which Ken Tyrrell and his fledgling team embarked 30 years ago. Four hundred and fifty-one Grands Prix later and the list of accomplishments is great.

Including 1968 and 1969, when it ran Matra chassis, and 1970, when it fielded a March-Ford for much of the season, the Tyrrell Racing Organisation and its drivers have scored 33 victories, taken 19 pole positions, set 27 fastest laps and secured three Formula One World Drivers’ Championships (Jackie Stewart in 1969, 1971 and 1973). As a Constructor in its own right, Tyrrell also won the World Championship in 1971, and finished second or third on four other occasions.

Over the years, Tyrrell has played a part in the careers of many of Formula One’s best-known drivers (see accompanying list). It also gained a reputation as one of the sport’s great technical innovators, the team pioneering such concepts as the "high-nose" (Tyrrell-Ford 019), Hydrolink suspension (Tyrrell-Yamaha 023) and "X-wings" (Tyrrell-Ford 025) in recent years. Tyrrell’s most dramatic innovation, though, was undoubtedly the six-wheeled Tyrrell-Ford 034 that stunned the Grand Prix world at its unveiling in 1976.

Time and Formula One moves on, however, and next year, the famous team’s places on the grid will be taken by the entries of British American Racing, the new organisation that purchased Tyrrell last November.

"It is sad that a famous name in Formula One will disappear after this race," says Tyrrell Managing Director, Dr Harvey Postlethwaite, "but to be honest, there’s very little room for nostalgia in Grand Prix racing these days. This is a straight business deal – Tyrrell has been sold, and life in the Formula One paddock will move on. In that respect, Grand Prix motor racing is simply following the lead of other modern professional sports where teams are regularly bought and sold.

"This is not in any way to detract from the efforts of Ken Tyrrell or the people who have worked for the team over the years. In fact, it is a measure of the professionalism and dedication of the Tyrrell staff that they have remained focussed and motivated throughout this year despite the uncertainty resulting from the sale of the team. The Tyrrell Racing Organisation’s achievements are significant and will remain indelibly etched on the fabric of Formula One. Undoubtedly, they will continue to be of interest to those who have a passion for the sport and its history."

The doors at Tyrrell’s Ockham factory will close officially on November 15. There is currently no word on future use of the site.