Jim Clark, Formula 1 Legend
40th Anniversary of the Death of Jimmy Clark, Grand Prix Great
It is now four decades since double Formula 1 World Champion Jim Clark perished at Hockenheim. Racing fans everywhere will be remembering one of the greatest ever.
On April 7th, 2008, it will be precisely 40 years since Formula 1 and the motor racing community lost one of its most beloved sons. It was a miserable, wet day in Germany when Jim Clark lined up in his Lotus 48 for a minor Formula 2 race at Hockenheim. On the fifth lap the little car plunged off the treacherous circuit at near maximum speed and slammed broadside into an unprotected tree. Although never proved, tyre failure was the most probable cause of the accident.
Statistics alone do not do justice to Jim Clark. Impressive as they are, they may have been even more remarkable were it not for the unreliability of his cars. Clark retired from 29 of the 72 Grands Prix he started. In the ones he finished he stood on the top step of the podium 25 times, eclipsing the record of Juan-Manuel Fangio.
Unlike many of his peers, Clark was a natural introvert. Rather than indulge in the jet set lifestyle favoured by his contemporaries he preferred to return home to Scotland between races and tend to his sheep farm in the Scottish Borders. Despite this his extraordinary talent ensured that he was never far from the spotlight.
Clark had the rare ability to transfer his talent seamlessly between different racing disciplines. He was just as successful in a Lotus Formula 1 car as he was in a Cortina touring car, or, as in 1965, winning the Indianapolis 500. His partnership with Lotus founder and design genius Colin Chapman was perhaps the most remarkable the sport has witnessed.
Although not the most outgoing of people, Jim was not averse to having fun. For many racing drivers of the era one of the highlights of the year was the Tasman Series, held in Australia and New Zealand during the European winter. Unlike today’s stars the drivers of the sixties often travelled and partied together. Once on track the racing was deadly serious but away from it there was room for friendships to develop.
Jackie Stewart, then a young driver making his way in the sport, became good friends with Jim and gained much useful advice. It held him in good stead as he went on to win three world titles. It was fitting that it should be Stewart who beat Clark’s record for Grand Prix victories.
Whether Clark was the greatest ever is an impossible question to answer. What is certain is that, in an era where Formula 1 is increasingly becoming more a business than a sport, it is doubtful the likes of the mild-mannered Scot will be seen again.
Today he is remembered in the Scottish Border town of Duns where there is a Jim Clark Room, containing many of his trophies and his final signature, on a programme for the dreadful Hockenheim race. Nearby, Jim is buried in the village of Chirnside in an unimposing plot. There is also a statue of him in his birthplace of Kilmany which is in the region of Fife, close to the Tay Road Bridge.
