Jim clark had a relationship with sally swart, sally stokes. Jim clark prints posters and paintings historic car art. Jim clark grew up in a farming community in the borders town but had a need for speed and started racing locally before teaming up with colin chapman and the lotus team. Many auto racing historians consider jim clark one of the greatest drivers of all time. I only have golden memories of jimmy in every shape and form. It must have been the sixth lap when i saw on the left an ambulance and a police. Jim clarks stock car experiment page 2 of 2 speed sport. He never intended to make racing a way of life, let alone become the best in the world in a sport that for him began as farm boys hobby. Don huntersmyle media photo fellow f1 driver jochen rindt was also on hand at rockingham that weekend.
Obe 4 march 1936 7 april 1968 was a british formula one racing driver from scotland, who won two world championships, in 1963 and. Clark, 32, was at the wheel of his lotuscosworth which left the track at 170mph 274kmh, somersaulted through the air and collided with a tree on a remote part of the german track. The announcer on the radio suggested that all those listening who were mourning the death of the great racing driver jim clark should turn on their headlights. That is the world jim clark lived and drove inone where a driver s first concern when he stopped in the pit lane after a race might not be whether he won or lost, but whether his friends and. Jim clark, farmer and twotime f1 world motor racing champion, was killed while driving in.
Your say should jim clark be higher or lower in f1s greatest drivers. Five months after the american 500, jim clark died during a race in hockenheim, germany. When jim clark died, we realised that, if the unthinkable could happen to him, it could happen to anyone. Clark won 25 of the 72 formula 1 races he contested before he was killed at age 32 during a formula 2 race at hockenheim, germany. Sport motor racing formula 1 jim clark was peerless in life, both on and off the track, and remains so half a century after his death. If juan manuel fangio says that you are the best racing driver in history than you must. Today, the veteran mechanic and team manager is better known as the silverhaired man behind risi competiziones illustrious sports car operation, and at. Until jacques villenueves debut in 2007, clarks race was the only time a former f1 champion ran a cup series race. Dave beaky sims was 27 years old when his driver, twotime formula 1 world champion jim clark, died in the formula 2 car he prepared. Clark, who is still considered by some as the most natural racing driver of all time, won the world championship twice first in 1963 and then in 1965. The son of a sheep farmer and brother to four older sisters, jims family moved south edington mains farm just outside chirnside, berwickshire in the scottish borders and became very much a borderer. The championship in 1965 was again a duel between clark, hill and surtees, but a fourth driver rose to the challenge the leading trio. The 1967 united states grand prix was a formula one motor race held on october 1, 1967, at the watkins glen grand prix race course in watkins glen, new york. Loretto school, musselburgh, near edinburgh, scotland.
Of course i was devastated when jim died and i still have race programs and his bio magazine that was published back in the day. Jochen rindt died at monza in september 1970 without another stock car race. See more ideas about race cars, racing and lotus car. In 1956, he drove his first event and by 1958, driving for the border reivers team, he had won 18 national events. The lotus 49 and clark made for an awesome combination and the 1968 title would surely have fallen to the scot had he not been killed at hockenheim in a formula 2 race. Maurice hamilton recalls the day he heard the great jim clark, a racer he considered indestructible, had been killed in a crash and the agonising wait to confirm the news was true. Jim clark, the former world motor racing champion was killed when his lotuscosworth skidded off the track and somersaulted into a wood at about 170mph during a formula two race here today. Jim clark was peerless in life, both on and off the track. The only south african driver to win the south african grand prix was jody scheckter in 1975. Jim clark died after a 150mph crash in one of british. Find how tall is your favorite star racer jim clark along with hisher height chart. Jim clark race car driver stock pictures, royaltyfree.
For many formula one fans, the date april 7, 1968, is the day the music died. He was a world class driver, regarded as one of the finest formula 1 race car drivers of all time. Mystery of jim clarks fatal crash lingers 50 years on. Jim clark will forever be a formula 1 legend, his fatal accident 50 years ago on 7 april 1968 robbed the sport of a driver many regard him as the greatest of all time. One such driver was jim clark, the legendary twotime formula one world champion, and as an admirer of his for many years now, it came as a pleasant surprise to find out that much like myself, clark seemed to have a small though impressive collection of welldesigned chronographs. The driver of the overtaken car, ian scottwatson, thought clark was an idiot for driving as if he was a racing driver and, upon arriving at the young farmers. Racing champion jackie stewart presents mrs james clark with the first medal commemorating her son, racing driver jim clark, at the rac in london, 23rd april 1970. No relationship in motor sport today begins to come close. In march 1960, he drove his first race in the newly introduced formula i and went on to.
Jim clarks mechanic sims recalls the scots final race. On this day in 1968, scottish racer jim clark died after a crash during a formula 2 race at hockenheim. Motor racing world champion jim clark has been killed in a car crash during a formula two race at hockenheim. The iconic scot was killed by a puncture during the wet.
Jim is also the first driver to win the indianapolis 500 with a rearengine race car. Chapman and clark were indeed like father and son, chapman worshipping the ground his driver walked on. The exact cause of this accident of the worlds best driver was never clearly established. Clarks lotus 48 veered off the track and crashed into the trees. The most naturally gifted formula one driver of all time. Race leader at the time of clarks crash was kurt ahrens, who recalled, i was ahead. Jim clark was born into a farming family and considered himself a farmer first and foremost he is listed as such on his gravestone.
Had ford had their way jim clark would have been driving in the. I have three of graham gaulds book including jim clark, jim clark remembered and jim clark. In the 1960s formula one was not regularly televised and frankly there is a dearth of footage of this two time world champion and indy 500 winner. A man who had won two formula one world championships and the indianapolis 500, and demonstrated. He achieved some amazing results and was the first foreign race driver in nearly 50 years that won the indianapolis 500 in 1965. Jims car broke out, said chris irwin, another british entry, who was driving. I only have golden memories of jimmy motor sport magazine. Legendary f1 driver jim clark had excellent taste in watches. The supreme attraction of motor racing to me is driving a car. That was, until i got a chance to sit in and drive an f2 car.
During a recent conversation with a friend of mine about great historic racing cars and the drivers that made them great we came upon the legend that is jim. A crash in a formula two race at the hockenheimring 50 years ago today claimed the life of jim clark the motor racing world lost one of its greatest talents. He had joined clark with the intention of sharing driver duties with his friend during the 500 mile event. Our marshall pruett spoke to his race mechanic, dave sims, to learn more about one of the all time greats. It was race 10 of 11 in both the 1967 world championship of drivers and the 1967 international cup for formula one manufacturers. And when the sport took jim clark s life the racing world mourned the loss of one of its bestloved champions, the unassuming scottish driving genius whose personal integrity and admirable human qualities endeared him to fans and rivals alike. The driver of the overtaken car, ian scottwatson, thought clark was an idiot for driving as if he was a racing driver and, upon arriving at the. On this day jim clark the motor racing champion was killed in a car. Twice world champion and winner of the 1965 indianapolis 500, this quietly spoken and reserved scot was revered on both sides of the atlantic. Clark actually competed in the le mans 24hour race, in.
Obe 4 march 1936 7 april 1968 was a british formula one racing driver from scotland, who won two world championships, in 1963 and 1965. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. The remains of jim clarks lotus after his fatal crash. Jim clark obe was born james clark jr on the 4th march 1936 in kilmany, fife. The remains of jim clarks car after his fatal crash photo. The death of jim clark shock the motor racing world to the core, just as the tragedies of 1955 and 1994. He provided further interesting insights in his biography jim clark at the wheel. A native of scotland, clark started racing sports cars when he was 20 years old and soon graduated to single seaters. Clark was killed in a formula two crash in 1968 and the limited edition medals will be sold to benefit the jim clark foundation. Jim clark was on the pole for the italian and european grand prix with his works lotus 49ford cosworth, and for a while out there seemed to have the highspeed race. And when the sport took jim clarks life the racing world mourned the loss of one of its bestloved champions, the unassuming scottish driving genius whose. How tall is jim clark racer jim clark height comparison. In his toobrief career, he displayed prodigious natural talent, collecting two formula 1.
Indy car racing, gilles villeneuve, race engines, automotive art, car and driver, car. Our jim clark art collection celebrates the drives of this acclaimed racing driver with limited edition prints and original paintings from top motoring artists. Jim clark might be the best ever formula 1 driver that ever competed in f1. The saturday of the bahrain grand prix earlier this month marked 50 years since jim clark one of f1s greatest ever champions was killed in an f2 crash at hockenheim. British driver jim clark won it 4 times and austrian driver niki lauda won 3 times. Jim clark after winning the 1964 british grand prix. The legendary scottish racing driver jimmy clark is often overlooked when people list their greatest formula one drivers of all time. And when the sport took jim clarks life the racing world mourned the loss of one of its bestloved champions, the unassuming scottish driving genius whose personal integrity and admirable human qualities endeared him to fans and rivals alike. For contributor david tremayne and many others, the scot remains the greatest driver to have ever pulled on a helmet and climbed into a racing car. Jim clark was one of more than 100 international racing drivers killed in action between 1958 and 1968. The 108lap race was won by lotus driver jim clark after he started from second position. Jim clark is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, admired for his remarkable achievements and famous for his humility. Clark was an allrounder of note, quite comfortable hurling a cortina on two wheels around the tight confines of the brands hatch indy circuit as he was power sliding his. Clark was a versatile driver who competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the indianapolis 500, which he won in 1965.
On 7 april 1968, clark died in a racing accident at the hockenheimring in germany. Motorsport was left in disbelief when jim clark died 52. This gentle scottish sheep farmer, twice formula 1 world champion and winner of the 1965 indianapolis 500, was undoubtedly the outstanding driver of his era. Rare original race posters often feature in our collections as we source them for enthusiasts, investors and collectors. Clark was leading the race until the last lap when his engine seized and the title fell to surtees and ferrari. Formula 1 lost its benchmark driver of the era when double world champion jim clark was killed in a formula 2 race at hockenheim on 7 april 1968. Visit the new jim clark motorsport museum and discover the incredible story of jim clarks life and racing career with an exciting interactive museum experience. Jackie stewart starts a chapter of his autobiography with a simple sentence. Famous race car driver deaths due to blunt force trauma. Find highquality jim clark race car driver stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Clark made his f1 debut with lotus and grew up with chapman, each feeding off the others genius to. He was particularly associated with the lotus marque clark was killed in a formula two racing accident in 1968 in. I told mum and dad clark about that and they were deeply moved.