James Clark OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British racing driver from Scotland who won two Formula One World Championships in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars, and in the Indianapolis 500, which he won in 1965. He was particularly associated with Team Lotus, driving for the team his entire Formula One career between 1960 and 1968.

Jim Clark OBE
Clark in Zandvoort in 1965
BornJames Clark
(1936-03-04)4 March 1936
Kilmany, Fife, Scotland
Died7 April 1968(1968-04-07) (aged 32)
Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Championship titles
FIA World Drivers' Championship (1963, 1965)
British Saloon Car Championship (1964)
Tasman Series (1965, 1967, 1968)
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1965)
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years19601968
TeamsLotus
Entries73 (72 starts)
Championships2 (1963, 1965)
Wins25
Podiums32
Career points255 (274)[1]
Pole positions33
Fastest laps28
First entry1960 Dutch Grand Prix
First win1962 Belgian Grand Prix
Last win1968 South African Grand Prix
Last entry1968 South African Grand Prix
Champ Car career
9 races run over 5 years
Best finish6th (1963)
First race1963 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1967 Rex Mays 300 (Riverside)
First win1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee)
Last win1965 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
2 4 3
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1959–1961
TeamsBorder Reivers
Best finish3rd (1960)
Class wins0

Clark was killed in a Formula Two racing accident in April 1968 in Hockenheimring, West Germany. At the time of his death, aged 32, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more pole positions (33) than any other driver. Into the 21st century, he maintains several Formula One records, such as Grand Chelem and percentage-related ones. His record of highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season was only broken in 2023.

Early years edit

James Clark was born into a farming family at Kilmany House Farm, Fife, the youngest child of five, and the only boy. In 1942, the family moved to Edington Mains Farm, near Duns, Berwickshire, in the Borders. He was educated at primary schools in Kilmany and then in Chirnside. Following three years of preparatory schooling at Clifton Hall School in Edinburgh he was sent to Loretto School in Musselburgh, East Lothian.[2]

Although his parents were opposed to the idea, Clark started his racing in local road rally road rally and hill climb events driving his own Sunbeam-Talbot, and proved a fearsome competitor right from the start. On 16 June 1956, in his very first event, he was behind the wheel of a DKW sonderklasse at Crimond, Scotland. By 1958, Clark was driving for the local Border Reivers team for Ian Scott-Watson, racing Jaguar D-Types and Porsches in national events, and winning 18 races. On Boxing Day 1958, Clark raced against the man who would launch him to superstardom. Driving a Lotus Elite, he finished second to Colin Chapman in a ten-lap grand touring race at Brands Hatch.[3]

Driving a Lotus Elite, Clark finished tenth at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans; he partnered with John Whitmore and the ex-Bruce Halford Lister Jaguar, winning the Bo'ness Hill Climb.[4] Chapman was sufficiently impressed to give Clark a ride in one of his Formula Junior (FJ) cars. In March 1960, the first race for the newly introduced FJ took place at Goodwood. Clark finished first ahead John Surtees and Trevor Taylor.[5] Clark had made an earlier FJ appearance in a one-off race at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day, 1959, driving a Gemini-B.M.C. for Graham Warner of the Chequered Flag garage, Chiswick.[6]

Clark and Lotus edit

 
Clark at the 1962 German Grand Prix

Clark made his Formula One (F1) Grand Prix debut, part-way through the 1960 season, during the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 6 June. Lotus had lost Surtees, who took part to the Isle of Man TT series; alongside Innes Ireland and Alan Stacey, Clark was one of the acceptable substitute.[7] He retired on lap 49 with final drive failure. His second Formula One race was the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix, held at the extremely fast and dangerous Spa-Francorchamps circuit; there, he got a taste of reality when two fatal accidents occurred (Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey). Clark, who finished fifth and scored his first points finish, was later quoted as saying in a 1964 interview: "I was driving scared stiff pretty much all through the race."[8]

In 1961, Clark was involved in one of the worst accidents in the history of F1 racing. In the 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September at Monza, Wolfgang von Trips in his Ferrari collided with Clark's Lotus.[9][10] Von Trips's car became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips out of the car and killing fifteen spectators.[11][12] Clark and his car were subjectated to an investigation;[13] he was initially accused of manslaughter, before the charges were dropped.[14] At the time, Clark described the accident by saying: "Von Trips and I were racing along the straightaway and were nearing one of the banked curves, the one on the southern end. We were about 100 metres from the beginning of the curve. Von Trips was running close to the inside of the track. I was closely following him, keeping near the outside. At one point von Trips shifted sideways so that my front wheels collided with his back wheels. It was the fatal moment. Von Trips's car spun twice and went into the guardrail along the inside of the track. Then it bounced back, struck my own car and bounced down into the crowd."[15] In his later testimony, he recalled the collission had become unavoiable, saying: "Trips was head of me, driving on the center of the track. Suddenly he slowed down. Since my Lotus was faster than the Ferrari, I tried to overtake him. In the same instant the Ferrari surprisingly pulled to the left, and a collision became unavoidable..."[16]

Clark's first Drivers' World Championship came driving the Lotus 25 in 1963,[17] winning seven out of the ten races and Lotus its first Constructors' World Championship.[18][19] The 1963 Indianapolis 500 saw Clark's debut in the series; he finished in second position behind Parnelli Jones and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours.[20] The 1963 Indy 500 result remains controversial. Before the race, United States Auto Club (USAC) officials had told the drivers that they would black flag any car that was seen to be leaking oil onto the track. Late in the race, Jones' front-engined roadster developed a crack in the oil tank and began to leak oil. With the track surface already being slippery this resulted in a number of cars spinning and led to popular driver Eddie Sachs crashing into the outside wall. USAC officials were set to black flag Jones after the Sachs crash until his car owner J. C. Agajanian ran down pit lane and somehow convinced them that the oil leak was below the level of a known crack and would not leak any further. Colin Chapman later accused USAC officials of being biased because Clark and Lotus were a British team with a rear-engine car. Many, including journalist and author Brock Yates, believed that had it been an American driver and car in second place instead of Clark in the British built Lotus, officials would have black flagged Jones. Despite this, neither Lotus nor their engine supplier Ford protested the result, reasoning that winning as a result of a disqualification when Jones had led for 167 of the races 200 laps (Clark led for 28 laps) and had set the lap record speed of 151.541 mph (243.9 km/h) on lap 114, would not be well received by the public.[21][22][23]

 
Clark in the Lotus pit at the 1964 German Grand Prix

In 1964, Clark came within just a few laps of retaining his World Championship crown. Just as in 1962, an oil leak from the engine robbed him of the title, this time conceding to John Surtees. Tyre failure damaging the Lotus's suspension put paid to that year's attempt at the 1964 Indianapolis 500.[24] He made amends and won the Championship again in 1965, and also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 in the Lotus 38. He had to miss the prestigious 1965 Monaco Grand Prix to compete at Indianapolis but made history by driving the first mid-engined car to win at the fabled Brickyard, as well as becoming the only driver to date to win both the Indy 500 and the F1 title in the same year. Other drivers, including Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Jacques Villeneuve, also won both crowns but not in the same year.[25][26]

 
Clark outside the Lotus garage at the Nürburgring in 1966

The FIA decreed that from 1966 new 3-litre engine regulations would come into force, and Lotus were less competitive. Starting with a 2-litre Coventry-Climax engine in the Lotus 33, Clark did not score points until the 1966 British Grand Prix and a third place at the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix. From the 1966 Italian Grand Prix onwards, Lotus used the highly complex BRM H16 engine in the Lotus 43 car, with which Clark won the 1996 United States Grand Prix. He also picked up another second place at the 1966 Indianapolis 500, this time behind Hill.

During 1967, Lotus and Clark used three completely different cars and engines. The Lotus 43 performed poorly at the opening 1967 South African Grand Prix, so Clark used an old Lotus 33 at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring with suspension failure. Lotus then began its fruitful association with Ford-Cosworth. Their first car, the Lotus 49 featuring the most successful F1 engine in history, the Ford-Cosworth DFV, won its first race at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix, driven by Clark. He won with it again at the 1967 British, United States, and Mexican Grands Prix, and at the 1968 South African Grand Prix.

Concurrent with competing in the F1 World Drivers' Championship, Clark competed with Lotus in the Australasia-based Tasman Series, run for older F1 cars. He was series champion in 1965, 1967, and 1968. He won fourteen races in all, a record for the series. This included winning the 1968 Australian Grand Prix at the Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne, where he defeated the Ferrari 246T of Chris Amon by just 0.1 seconds after 55 laps of the 3.1 km (1.92 mi) circuit, the closest finish in the history of the Australian Grand Prix. The 1968 Tasman Series and Australian Grand Prix would prove to be his last major wins before his untimely death, which occurred on 8 April 1968.[27]

Performances edit

 
Clark at the Nürburgring in 1965

In what would be the first of seven victories for Clark and Team Lotus that year, he won the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in extremely foggy and rainy conditions. After starting eighth on the grid, he passed all of the cars in front of him, including early leader Graham Hill. About 17 laps into the race, with the rain coming down harder than ever, Clark had lapped the entire field except for Bruce McLaren, and was almost five minutes ahead of McLaren and his Cooper.[28][29] In the 1967 Italian Grand Prix at Monza after starting from pole, Clark was leading in his Lotus 49 (chassis R2), when a tyre punctured. He lost a lap while having the wheel changed in the pits. Rejoining sixteenth, he advanced through the field, progressively lowering the lap record and eventually equalling his pole time of 1m 28.5s, to regain the lost lap and the lead. He was narrowly ahead of Brabham and Surtees starting the last lap. As his car had not been filled with enough fuel, it faltered and finally coasted across the finish line in third place.[30]

In his Indianapolis 500 win, Clark led for 190 of the 200 laps, with a then-record average speed of over 150 mph (240 km/h),[31][32] to become the first non-American in almost half a century to win the race.[33][34][35] In 1963 and 1965, Clark equalled Alberto Ascari's record for the highest percentage of possible championship points in a season (100%).[36] Leading 71.47% of the laps in 1963, Clark long held the record for the highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season and only lost it in 2023 to Max Verstappen.[37][38] He still holds the Grand Chelem record; as of July 2023, only 26 drivers had secured a Grand Chelem, of which there had been 66 in total. Clark's record is that he had the most races taking pole, fastest lap, race win, and leading every lap, achieving this eight times in a 32-race span over three years (the 1962 British Grand Prix, the 1963 Dutch Grand Prix that he won by more than a full lap, the 1963 French Grand Prix, the 1963 Mexican Grand Prix, the 1964 British Grand Prix, the 1965 South African Grand Prix, the 1965 French Grand Prix, and the 1965 German Grand Prix). Clark is also one of three drivers (the other being Ascari and Sebastian Vettel have achieved the feat in consecutive races. Alongside Vettel and Verstappen, Clark is the only drivers to achieve a Grand Chelem in three consecutive years, and is the sole driver to accomplish this feat for four consecutive years (1962–1965).[39] Clark finished his career with 274 total points.[40]

Accident and death edit

 
A Clark memorial at the Hockenheimring in Germany

On 7 April 1968, Clark died in a racing accident at the Hockenheimring in West Germany.[41] During the four-month gap between the first race, which Clark won, and second of the 1968 season, drivers would compete in other racing formulas. Clark was originally slated to drive in the BOAC 1000 km sportscar race at Brands Hatch but instead chose to drive in the Deutschland Trophäe, a Formula Two race, for Lotus at the Hockenheimring, primarily due to contractual obligations with Firestone. Although the race has sometimes been described as a "minor race meeting", the entry list was impressive with top-running Matras for the French drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo, Tecnos for Carlo Facetti and Clay Regazzoni, Team Brabhams for Derek Bell and Piers Courage, a Ferrari for Chris Amon, and McLarens for Graeme Lawrence and Robin Widdows. Team Lotus drivers Graham Hill and Clark were in Gold Leaf Team Lotuses and a young Max Mosley was also in the race, moving up from the Clubman series. The event was run in two heats.[42]

On the fifth lap of the first heat, Clark's Lotus 48 veered off the track and crashed into the trees. He suffered a broken neck and skull fracture, and died before reaching the hospital. The cause of the crash was never definitively identified; investigators concluded it was most likely due to a deflating rear tyre. Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow F1 drivers and close friends, such as Hill, Surtees, Amon, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, and Jack Brabham, all being personally affected by the tragedy. People came from all over the world to Clark's funeral. Colin Chapman was devastated and publicly stated that he had lost his best friend. The 1968 F1 Drivers' Championship was subsequently won by Hill, his Lotus teammate, who pulled the heartbroken team together and held off Stewart for the crown, which he later dedicated to Clark. There is also a large memorial to Clark at Hockenheim today; because the track has been reduced in length and the old course reforested, the actual location of the crash is in a heavily wooded area.[43] There was initial speculation as to whether the accident was caused by a driver error or a deflating rear tyre, and the Lotus was investigated thoroughly by aircraft crash investigators for three weeks. Many drivers including Surtees and Brabham were convinced that the crash was caused by a deflating rear tyre and were adamant that it was not a driver error—simply because they believed Clark was not capable of making such a mistake. In the words of Andrew Marriott of the classic journal Motor Sport who was covering the race as a young reporter, "Deaths in the sport were a regular occurrence in those days, but surely someone of Clark's sublime talent and skill? People reckoned that the rear tyre had deflated, and there is another theory that the mechanical metering unit on the Cosworth FVA engine had seized and caused Clark to crash."[42]

Legacy edit

There have been many stories about the tyres on Jim Clark's car lasting four races. This is true, but also the brake pads lasted three times longer than those of any other driver. Derek Wild used to say that you could put all the gearboxes on the bench in front of him in random order and he could tell which gearbox came out of Jim's car as it showed less signs of wear. The point is that the standard of preparation was no different between Jim's car and the number two car. It was just that the man was very "soft" on his car and so he tended to last the race distance as a result.

Cedric Selzer, If You Have Come Second You Have Lost, Winning the World Championship with Jim Clark[44]

 
Clark driving at the 1967 United States Grand Prix

At the time of his death in 1968, the 32-years-old Clark had achieved 33 pole positions and won 25 races from his 72 Grands Prix starts in championship races. He had more Grand Prix wins (25) and pole positions (33) than any other driver, including five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, despite winning three less World Championships; he also won most of the races he finished and was often winning, or in a podium position, when he had to retire due to mechanical failures, without which he could have equalled, if not beaten, Fangio's World Championship record. Fangio himself called Clark the greatest driver ever.[45]

Although many of his records in total numbers were later eclipsed in part due to more races started and improved reliability, Clarke's percentage-related ones remain either unbeaten or near the top.[46] In 59 entries and 58 races (he missed a race weekend due to an injury), Clark achieved 33 poles (56.9%), 34 finishes (58.6%), 25 wins (43.1% wins to races, 73.5% wins to finishes), and 8 Grand Chelems (pole position, fastest lap, race win, and led every lap of the race); in those 34 races he finished, Clark led 70.3% of the laps and 68.0% of the distance. Some of his Grand Chelems and percentage records resist into the 21st century.[47] Clark's record of seven wins in a season was not equalled until 1984 when Alain Prost won seven races for McLaren, and was not broken until Ayrton Senna won eight races in the 1988 season, also for McLaren (Senna's teammate that year was Prost who again equalled the old record by winning seven races). Clark's record is favourable compared to Prost and Senna's as the 1963 season only consisted of 10 rounds while 1984 and 1988 were run over 16 rounds, giving Prost a success rate of 43.75% and Senna a 50% winning ratio compared to Clark's 70% success rate.[8] Clark's 71-year record of highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season was only broken in 2023 by the Red Bull RB19, the most dominant car in the history of the Formula One World Championship, driven by three-time World Champion Max Verstappen.[48][49][50] Despite his total numbers being eclipsed, Clark is considered among the greatest Formula One drivers, with fellow Scot and three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart still considering Clark and Fangio the greatest Formula One drivers ever.[51]

 
Clark's grave in Chirnside lists him as farmer before racing driver as he had wished.

Clark is remembered for his ability to drive and win in all types of cars and series,[52] including a Lotus-Cortina, with which he won the 1964 British Touring Car Championship, Champ Car World Series, rallying, where he took part in the 1966 RAC Rally of Great Britain in a Lotus Cortina, and sports cars. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1959, 1960, and 1961, finishing second in class in 1959 driving a Lotus Elite, and finishing third overall in 1960, driving an Aston Martin DBR1. He took part in a NASCAR event, driving a 7-litre Holman Moody Ford at the American 500 at the banked speedway at Rockingham on 29 October 1967. Qualifying in 25th place (out of 44), he worked his way up to 12th before retiring with engine failure.[53] Clark was able to master difficult Lotus sportscar prototypes, such as the Lotus 30 and 40. He also had an ability to adapt to whichever car he was driving. Whilst other drivers would struggle to find a good car setup, Clark would usually set competitive lap times with whatever setup was provided and ask for the car to be left as it was. At the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix, he won by nearly five minutes over the second-place finisher, the widest gap on record.[54] Clark wrote an autobiography, which was published just after his first world championship, titled Jim Clark at the Wheel. The book was updated after his Indy 500 victory.[55] Of what made Clark such a good driver, Stewart said: "He was so smooth, he was so clean, he drove with such finesse. He never bullied a racing car, he sort of caressed it into doing the things he wanted it to do."[56] When Clark died, fellow driver Chris Amon said: "If it could happen to him, what chance do the rest of us have? I think we all felt that. It seemed like we'd lost our leader."[57][58]

Clark is buried in the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire.[59] A memorial stone can be found at the Hockenheimring circuit, moved from the site of his crash to a location closer to the modern track,[43] and a life-size statue of him in racing overalls stands by the bridge over a small stream in the village of his birth, Kilmany in Fife.[60][61][62] The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum can be found in Duns.[63] The Jim Clark Trophy was introduced in the 1987 season and for drivers of cars with naturally aspirated engines but was discontinued after turbo-charged engines were restricted in 1988 and dropped for 1989. The Jim Clark Memorial Award is an annual award given by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers to Scots who have contributed significantly to transport and motorsport.[64] The Jim Clark Rally is an annual event held in Berwickshire.[65] Clark was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[66] In 2020, The Economist ranked all champion drivers of F1 history by the relative importance of car quality to driver skill, based on a study by Andrew Bell of the University of Sheffield. This ranking considers the relative statistical significance of the car maker's contributions. Clark ranked second, behind only Fangio.[67] Objective mathematical models,[68][69] such as Eichenberger and Stadelmann (2009, 2nd), original F1metrics (2014, 1st),[70] Bell et al. (2015, 2nd), FiveThirtyEight (2018, 12th), and updated F1metrics (2019, 6th), put Clark consistenly among the greatest Formula One drivers ever.[71][72][73]

Awards edit

 
Clark memorial sculpture in Kilmany

In 1965, Clark was awarded the American Broadcasting Company's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1988.[74] He was also inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.[75] That same year, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990.[76] He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, a member of their inaugural class.[66]

Racing record edit

Career summary edit

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/laps Podiums Points Position
1959 24 Hours of Le Mans Border Reivers 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th
1960 Formula One Team Lotus 6 0 0 0 1 8 10th
Formula Junior 4 2 1 2 4 0 1st
Formula Two 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans Border Reivers 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
1961 Formula One Team Lotus 8 0 0 1 2 11 7th
24 Hours of Le Mans Border Reivers 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1962 Formula One Team Lotus 9 3 6 5 3 30 2nd
1963 Formula One Team Lotus 10 7 7 6 9 54 1st
USAC Championship Car 3 1 2 0 2 1200 6th
British Saloon Car Championship – Class D 2 1 0 1 2 18 12th
British Saloon Car Championship – Class B 1 1 1 1 1 9 9th
1964 Formula One Team Lotus 10 3 5 4 3 32 3rd
British Saloon Car Championship – Class B 8 8 8 6 8 48 1st
British Formula Two 4 2 0 2 3 0 NC
USAC Championship Car 2 0 1 0 0 N/A NC
1965 Formula One Team Lotus 9 6 6 6 6 54 1st
Tasman Series 8 5 3 4 6 35 1st
British Saloon Car Championship – Class C 6 3 3 5 4 30 3rd
Trophées de France 4 3 0 1 4 31 1st
British Formula Two 4 2 0 3 3 23 1st
Australian Drivers' Championship 2 1 0 1 1 0 NC
USAC Championship Car 1 1 0 0 1 1000 10th[a]
1966 Formula One Team Lotus 8 1 2 0 2 16 6th
Tasman Series 8 1 2 1 4 25 3rd
British Saloon Car Championship – Class C 6 5 4 6 5 34 2nd
Trophées de France 4 0 0 2 1 6 6th
British Formula Two 2 0 1 0 1 4 5th
USAC Championship Car 1 0 0 0 1 N/A NC
British Sports Car Championship Felday Engineering Ltd. 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1967 Formula One Team Lotus 11 4 6 5 5 41 3rd
Tasman Series 8 5 2 4 8 45 1st
European Formula Two 4 1 2 1 1 0 NC
USAC Championship Car 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Vollstedt Enterprises 1 0 0 0 0
1968 Formula One Team Lotus 1 1 1 1 1 9 11th
Tasman Series 2 0 2 0 0 44 1st
Gold Leaf Team Lotus 6 4 3 2 5
European Formula Two 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
  1. ^ Clark won the 1965 Indianapolis 500.

Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results edit

Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1959   Border Reivers   John Whitmore Lotus Elite Mk.14-Climax GT
1.5
257 10th 2nd
1960   Border Reivers   Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DBR1/300 S
3.0
306 3rd 3rd
1961   Border Reivers   Ron Flockhart Aston Martin DBR1/300 S
3.0
132 DNF DNF
Source:[77]

Complete Formula One World Championship results edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 WDC Pts[1]
1960 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 ARG MON 500 NED
Ret
BEL
5
FRA
5
GBR
16
POR
3
ITA USA
16
10th 8
1961 Team Lotus Lotus 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 MON
10
NED
3
BEL
12
FRA
3
GBR
Ret
GER
4
ITA
Ret
USA
7
7th 11
1962 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 NED
9
MON
Ret
BEL
1
FRA
Ret
GBR
1
GER
4
ITA
Ret
USA
1
RSA
Ret
2nd 30
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON
8
BEL
1
NED
1
FRA
1
GBR
1
GER
2
ITA
1
USA
3
MEX
1
RSA
1
1st 54 (73)
1964 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON
4
NED
1
BEL
1
FRA
Ret
GBR
1
ITA
Ret
3rd 32
Lotus 33 GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
USA
7
MEX
5
1965 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 RSA
1
MON BEL
1
GBR
1
NED
1
GER
1
ITA
10
USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
1st 54
Lotus 25 FRA
1
1966 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 MON
Ret
BEL
Ret
FRA
DNS
GBR
4
NED
3
GER
Ret
6th 16
Lotus 43 BRM P75 3.0 H16 ITA
Ret
USA
1
MEX
Ret
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 43 BRM P75 3.0 H16 RSA
Ret
3rd 41
Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 MON
Ret
Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 NED
1
BEL
6
FRA
Ret
GBR
1
GER
Ret
CAN
Ret
ITA
3
USA
1
MEX
1
1968 Team Lotus Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
1
ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX 11th 9
Source:[78]

Formula One records edit

Clark holds the following Formula One records:

Record Achieved Ref
Most grand slams 8 1965 German Grand Prix [79]
Most grand slams in a season 3[N 1] 1963 [79]
Most consecutive grand slams 2[N 2] 1963 Dutch Grand Prix1963 French Grand Prix [79]
Highest percentage of possible championship points in a season 100%[N 3] 1963, 1965
Footnotes
  1. ^ Record shared with Alberto Ascari (1952), Nigel Mansell (1992), and Lewis Hamilton (2017)
  2. ^ Record shared with Ascari and Sebastian Vettel
  3. ^ In 1963 and 1965, only the best six of ten scores counted towards the World Championship. The record is shared with Ascari (1952).

Non-championship Formula One results edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1960 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 GLV INT SIL
Ret
LOM
2
OUL
Ret
1961 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 LOM
6
GLV PAU
1
BRX
Ret
VIE AIN
9
SYR
6
NAP LON DAN
7
Lotus 21 SIL
2
SOL
7
KAN
Ret
MOD
4
FLG
4
OUL
Ret
LEW VAL RAN
1
NAT
1
RSA
1
1962 Team Lotus Lotus 21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 CAP
2
Lotus 24 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 BRX
Ret
LOM
1
LAV GLV PAU
Ret
AIN
1
INT
2
NAP
Lotus 25 MAL
Ret
CPL RMS
Ret
SOL
Ret
KAN MED DAN OUL
1
MEX
11
RAN
1
NAT
2
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 LOM
2
GLV PAU
1
IMO
1
SYR AIN
3
INT
1
ROM SOL
NC
KAN
1
MED AUT
Ret
OUL
1
RAN
16
1964 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 DMT
Ret
NWT
1
SYR
INT
Ret
MED
2
RAN
Lotus 33 AIN
Ret
SOL
1
1965 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 ROC
Ret
SYR
1
Lotus 25 SMT
1
INT MED
2
RAN
1966 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 RSA SYR INT OUL
3
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC SPR INT SYR OUL ESP
1
Source:[78]
Notes
  • ^1 – After Clark was disqualified for a push start, he took over the car of Trevor Taylor.

American open-wheel racing edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car edit

USAC Championship Car results
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos. Pts
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 29 Ford 255 ci V8 TRE INDY
2
MIL LAN TRE ISF MIL
1
DSF INF TRE
21
SAC PHX 6th 1200
1964 Team Lotus Lotus 34 Ford 255 ci V8 PHX TRE INDY
24
MIL LAN TRE ISF MIL DSF INF TRE
18
SAC PHX NC 0
1965 Team Lotus Lotus 38 Ford 255 ci V8 PHX TRE INDY
1
MIL LAN PPR TRE IRP ATL LAN MIL ISF MIL DSF INF TRE SAC PHX 10th 1000
1966 STP Gas Treatment Lotus 38 Ford 255 ci V8 PHX TRE INDY
2
MIL LAN ATL PPR IRP LAN ISF MIL DSF INF TRE SAC PHX NC 0
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 38 Ford 255 ci V8 PHX TRE INDY
31
MIL LAN PPR MOS MOS IRP LAN MTR MTR ISF MIL DSF INF TRE SAC HAN PHX NC 0
Vollstedt Enterprises Vollstedt 67 RSD
22
Source:[78]
Indianapolis 500 edit
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1963 Lotus Ford 5 2 Team Lotus
1964 Lotus Ford 1 24 Team Lotus
1965 Lotus Ford 2 1 Team Lotus
1966 Lotus Ford 2 2 STP Gas Treatment
1967 Lotus Ford 16 31 Team Lotus
  • Clark's starting positions from 1964, 1965, and 1966 represent the best 3-race starting streak of the 1960s.
  • Clark's 1965 win was the first win for a rear-engined car at the Indianapolis 500. No front-engined car has won the race since.

Complete Tasman Series results edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos. Pts
1965 Team Lotus Lotus 32B Climax FPF 2.5 L4 PUK
Ret
LEV
1
WIG
1
TER
1
WAR
1
SAN
2
LON
5
LAK1
1
1st 35 (44)
1966 Team Lotus Lotus 39 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 PUK
Ret
LEV
2
WIG
Ret
TER
Ret
WAR
1
LAK
3
SAN
2
LON
7
3rd 25
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 PUK
2
LEV1
1
WIG
1
TER1
1
LAK
1
WAR
2
SAN
1
LON
2
1st 45
1968 Team Lotus Lotus 49T Ford Cosworth DFW 2.5 V8 PUK
Ret
LEV
Ret
1st 44
Gold Leaf Team Lotus WIG
1
TER
2
SUR
1
WAR
1
SAN
1
LON
5
Source:[78]

1Lakeside in 1965 and Levin and Teretonga in 1967 did not count towards Tasman Cup points.

Formula Two results edit

(Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italic indicate fastest lap.)

For reasons of space, only those Formula Two events which Clark attended are shown.

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1960 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax FPF BRX
Ret
AIN
Ret1
SOL
8
BRH
1
1964 Ron Harris Team Lotus Lotus 32 Cosworth SCA PAU
1
NÜR
1
MAL
1
PAL
10
RMS
4
BRH
1
KAN
2
ALB
Ret
OUL
2
1965 Ron Harris Team Lotus Lotus 35 Cosworth SCA MAL
DNS2
SNE
3
PAU
1
LON
1
RMS
3
ROU
1
KAN
Ret
BRH
1
OUL
6
ALB
1
1966 Ron Harris Team Lotus Lotus 35 Cosworth SCA OUL
DNS2
SMT
Ret
PAU
7
Lotus 44 BAR
Ret
KAN
3
FIN
3
MNT
2
BUG
6
ALB
NC
BRH
3
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 48 Cosworth FVA PAU
4
BAR
1
NÜR
Ret
ZOL
2
RMS
Ret
ROU
Ret
TUL
Ret
JAR
1
KAN
3
PER
Ret
FIN
1
HÄM
3
ALB
3
1968 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Lotus 48 Cosworth FVA BAR
Ret
HOC
Ret
Source:[80]

1 Innes Ireland took over Clark's car and finished in 9th place.
2 Races cancelled due to bad weather.

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Pts Class
1963 Alan Brown Racing Ltd Ford Galaxie D SNE OUL GOO AIN SIL CRY SIL BRH
1
BRH OUL 12th 18 6th
Team Lotus Ford Cortina Lotus B SNE
2
9th
1964 Team Lotus Ford Cortina Lotus B SNE
2
GOO
2
OUL
1
AIN
3
SIL
3
CRY
1†
BRH
2
OUL
1
1st 48 1st
1965 Team Lotus Ford Cortina Lotus C BRH
Ret
OUL SNE
5
GOO
1
SIL CRY
2†
BRH
DSQ
OUL
1
7th 30 3rd
1966 Team Lotus Ford Cortina Lotus C SNE
3
GOO
4
SIL CRY BRH BRH
1
OUL
1†
BRH
?
5th 34 2nd
Source:[81]

† Events with two races staged for the different classes.

See also edit

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ a b Up until 1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  2. ^ "When Ayrton Senna visted [sic] Musselburgh to pay tribute to Jim Clark". The Scotsman. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  3. ^ Motor Sport, February 1959, Page 111.
  4. ^ Motor Sport, April 1960, Page 257.
  5. ^ Goodwood Motor Circuit programme, 7 June 1965. See also: Motor Sport, April 1960, Page 231.
  6. ^ Jim Clark, Jim Clark at the wheel, Pan Books Ltd., 1965, Pages 47–48, 175.
  7. ^ D.S.J., Motor Sport, July 1960, Page 568.
  8. ^ a b Cooper, Jamie (7 April 2021). "Jim Clark". EverythingF1. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ "1961 Italian Grand Prix race report: von Trips suffers fatal accident whilst Hill wins title". Motor Sport. No. 44. October 1961. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  10. ^ Collantine, Keith (9 September 2011). "50 years ago today: F1's worst tragedy at Monza". RaceFans. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Von Trips, 11 Monza Fans Killed; Hill Wins". Los Angeles Times. 11 September 1961. pp. C1. ISSN 0458-3035.
  12. ^ "Albino Albertini". Motorsport Memorial. 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  13. ^ Schneider, Jürgen (10 September 2021). "On the death of Count Trips: Clark mechanic recounts". Speedweek.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ "L'ultima corsa di Wolfgang von Trips". Il Post (in Italian). 10 September 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Von Trips, 11 Monza Fans Killed; Hill Wins". Los Angeles Times. 11 September 1961. pp. C1. ISSN 0458-3035.
  16. ^ "1961 Italian Grand Prix – The Crash Photos Database". The Fastlane. 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Jim Clark Honored at 2013 Goodwood Revival". Sports Car Digest. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Champion Clark sets new wins record". ESPN UK. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  19. ^ "The 71-year-old record Verstappen broke in the Sao Paulo GP". Formula 1. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Free meat for Clark". The Observer. 2 June 1963. p. 15. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
  21. ^ Kurt, Kurt (18 May 2015). "What really happened in the closing laps of the 1963 Indianapolis 500?". Hemmings. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  22. ^ O'Hare, Mick (14 March 2020). "F1: The race that sent motorsport back to the future". The New European. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  23. ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (27 April 2023). "1963 Indy 500: When Jones beat Clark and paused a revolution". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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  26. ^ Jeffries, Tom; Malsher, David (25 May 2022). "F1 drivers who won the Indy 500". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Jim Clark killed in race in Germany". The Herald. Glasgow. 8 April 1968. p. 1.
  28. ^ "1963 Belgian Grand Prix | Motorsport Database". Motor Sport. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  29. ^ Tremayne, David (10 April 2019). "F1's Best Drives #2 − Jim Clark's 1963 victory at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix". Formula 1. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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  31. ^ "The laps of a god". Scotland On Sunday. 27 February 2005. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  32. ^ "Racing History: The Great Races: 1965 Indianapolis 500". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  33. ^ "Clark wins 500-mile race at Indianapolis". The Herald. Glasgow. 1 June 1965. p. 1.
  34. ^ "Clark roars to record 500 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. 1 June 1965. p. 2, part 2.[permanent dead link]
  35. ^ Ottum, Bob (7 June 1965). "Fiery 500 for a cool Scot". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  36. ^ Masefield, Fraser (26 September 2013). "The 10 Hottest Winning Streaks in F1 History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  37. ^ Wood, Ida (6 November 2023). "The 71-year-old record Verstappen broke − and celebrated by singing Tom Jones". RaceFans. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  38. ^ Smyth, Richard (21 December 2023). "Max Verstappen: Record-breaker". The Apex Motorsport. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  39. ^ "F1 Grand Slams". Salracing. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  40. ^ Jeffries, Tom (26 November 2023). "The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Senna & more". Autosport. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Clark killed in German race". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. 8 April 1968. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
  42. ^ a b Marriott, Andrew (July 2010). "Return to Hockenheim: The memorial that matters". Motor Sport. No. 50. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  43. ^ a b Evans, Mike (3 October 2018). "Jim Clark: A quest to find the original memorial at Hockenheimring". Macfilos. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  44. ^ Windsor, Peter (21 September 2013). "Clark's Gold Cup". Peter Windsor. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  45. ^ Rencken, Keith Collantine, Dieter (7 April 2018). "'Fangio said he was the greatest ever': Jim Clark remembered, 50 years on". RaceFans. Retrieved 16 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "Top 10: The drivers with the highest win percentages in F1 history". PlanetF1. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  47. ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (7 April 2023). "How Jim Clark's F1 stats still hold up, over 50 years on". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  48. ^ Cooper, Sam (19 November 2023). "Max Verstappen beats incredible 60-year record at Las Vegas Grand Prix". PlanetF1. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  49. ^ Hardy, Ed (26 November 2023). "F1 records broken by Max Verstappen in 2023". Autosport. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  50. ^ Chiu, Nigel (27 November 2023). "Max Verstappen: Every record Red Bull driver has broken in 2023 on his way to third F1 title". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  51. ^ Van Leeuwen, Andrew (6 October 2020). "Stewart: F1 titles and wins don't put Hamilton on level of Clark, Fangio". Autosport. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  52. ^ Turner, Kevin (7 April 2023). "Ranked! Jim Clark's top 10 performances in F1, Indy and more". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  53. ^ "Jim Clark Does NASCAR". Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  54. ^ Tafà, Riccardo (6 December 2023). "The best Formula 1 drivers ever". RTR Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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  56. ^ Video on YouTube[dead link]
  57. ^ "Jim Clark". Grandprix.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  58. ^ "History of Formula 1 – Grand Prix Hall of Fame – Jimmy Clark – Images". Ddavid.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  59. ^ Hill, Graham (22 April 1968). "A farewell to Jimmy Clark". Sports Illustrated. p. 63.
  60. ^ "Clark memorial". Motor Sport. No. 79. July 1993. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  61. ^ "Tribute to a supreme Scottish sportsman Statue will honour twice world champion Jim Clark's place in history". The Herald. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  62. ^ "The enigmatic, complex and superfast Jim Clark". The Herald. 30 May 1997. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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  65. ^ "Jim Clark Rally". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
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  67. ^ "Man v machine". The Economist. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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Bibliography
  • Clark, Jim. Jim Clark at the Wheel. London: Arthur Barker, 1964.
  • Darley, Peter. Jim Clark: Life at Team Lotus. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Coterie Press Ltd., 2007, ISBN 978-1-902351-28-5.
  • Dymock, Eric. Jim Clark: Racing Legend. London: J.H. Haynes & Co. Ltd., 1997, ISBN 0-85429-982-3.
  • Gavin, Bill. The Jim Clark Story. London: Leslie Frewin Publishers Ltd., 1967.
  • Gauld, Graham. Jim Clark, Portrait of a Great Driver. London: Hamlyn, 1968, ISBN 0-668-01842-9.
  • Gauld, Graham. Jim Clark, The Legend Lives On. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Inc., 1994, ISBN 1-85260-144-2.
  • Gauld, Graham. Jim Clark Remembered. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Inc., 1984, ISBN 0-85059-730-7.
  • Gauld, Graham. Jim Clark: Racing Hero. Cologne, Germany: McKlein Publishing, 2014, ISBN 978-3-927458-75-8
  • Nye, Doug. Autocourse Driver Profile: Jim Clark. Richmond, Surrey, UK: Hazleton, 1991, ISBN 0-905138-77-5.
  • Nye, Doug. Jim Clark And His Most Successful Lotus. London: J.H. Haynes & Co. Ltd., 2004, ISBN 1-84425-029-6.
  • Spurring, Quentin and Peter Windsor. Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait. Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84425-501-6.
  • Taylor, William. 1965: Jim Clark & Team Lotus, The UK Races. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Coterie Press Ltd., 2009, ISBN 978-1-902351-36-0.
  • Tulloch, Andrew. Jim Clark: Grand Prix Legend. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2008, ISBN 978-0-297-85440-1.

External links edit

Sporting positions
Preceded by BRDC International Trophy
Winner

1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Indianapolis 500
Rookie of the Year

1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Formula One World Champion
1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by British Touring Car
Champion

1964
Succeeded by
Preceded by Indianapolis 500
Winner

1965
Succeeded by
Preceded by Formula One World Champion
1965
Succeeded by
Preceded by Tasman Series
Champion

1965
Succeeded by
Preceded by Tasman Series
Champion

1967–1968
Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
1965
Succeeded by
Records
Preceded by
Mike Hawthorn
29 years, 192 days
(1958 season)
Youngest Formula One
World Drivers' Champion

27 years, 188 days
(1963 season)
Succeeded by
Emerson Fittipaldi
25 years, 273 days
(1972 season)
Preceded by Most Grand Prix wins
25 wins,

25th at the 1968 South African GP
Succeeded by
Jackie Stewart
27 wins,
26th at the 1973 Dutch GP