Jim Clark

James Clark 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. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapolis 500, which he won in 1965.[2][3][4] He was particularly associated with Team Lotus and drove for them during 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 Hockenheim, West Germany.[5][6][7] At the time of his death, aged 32, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions (33) than any other driver.

Early years

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.[8]

Although his parents were opposed to the idea, Clark started his racing in local 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.

Then 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 GT race at Brands Hatch.[9] In 1959 he drove a Lotus Elite, finishing tenth at Le Mans partnered with John Whitmore, and the ex-Bruce Halford Lister Jaguar, winning the Bo'ness Hill Climb.[10] Chapman was sufficiently impressed to give Clark a ride in one of his Formula Junior cars.

"In March 1960, the first race for the newly introduced Formula Junior took place at Goodwood. The winner was J. Clark (Lotus Ford), from J. Surtees (Cooper B.M.C) with T. Taylor (Lotus Ford) third."[11]

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.[12]

Clark and Lotus

Jim Clark in German GP 1962

Clark made his F1 Grand Prix debut, part-way through the season, at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 6 June 1960. "Lotus had lost Surtees, as he had gone to the Isle of Man to do some serious motorcycle racing, so they had Ireland, Stacey and Clark, the last-named being an acceptable substitute."[13] 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 was later quoted as saying in a 1964 interview: "I was driving scared stiff pretty much all through the race", even though he finished 5th and scored his first points finish. The next year, Clark was involved in one of the worst accidents in the history of Formula 1 racing. In the 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September at Monza, Wolfgang von Trips in his Ferrari collided with Clark's Lotus. Von Trips's car became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips out of the car and killing fifteen spectators.[14]

His first Drivers' World Championship came driving the Lotus 25 in 1963,[15] winning seven out of the ten races and Lotus its first Constructors' World Championship. Clark's record of seven wins in a season was not equalled until 1984 when Frenchman Alain Prost won seven races for McLaren, and was not broken until Brazilian 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). However, Clark's record is favourable compared to Prost and Senna's as the 1963 championship only consisted of 10 rounds (giving Clark a 70% success rate), while 1984 and 1988 were run over 16 rounds giving Prost a success rate of 43.75% and Senna a 50% winning ratio.

In 1963, he raced in his first Indianapolis 500 and finished in second position behind Parnelli Jones and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours.[16] 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.

Clark in the Lotus pit at the German GP 1964

In 1964 Clark came within just a few laps of retaining his World Championship crown but, 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 Indianapolis 500.[17] He made amends and won the Championship again in 1965 and also the Indianapolis 500 in the Lotus 38.

He had to miss the prestigious 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 have also won both crowns, but not in the same year.

Clark outside the Lotus garage at the Nürburgring in 1966

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

During 1967 Lotus and Clark used three completely different cars and engines. The Lotus 43 performed poorly at the opening South African Grand Prix, so Clark used an old Lotus 33 at the following 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 Dutch Grand Prix, driven by Clark. He won with it again at the British, United States and Mexican Grands Prix; and, in January 1968, at the 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.

Performances

Clark at the Nürburgring 1965

Clark 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. This would be the first of seven victories for Clark and Team Lotus that year.

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, but his car had not been filled with enough fuel. It faltered, and finally coasted across the finish line in third place.

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), to become the first non-American in almost half a century to win the race.[2][3][4][18][19]

In 1963 and 1965, Clark equalled Alberto Ascari's record for the highest percentage of possible championship points in a season (100%). Leading 71.47% of the laps in 1963, Clark holds the record for the highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season. He also holds the record for most races taking pole, fastest lap, race win and leading every lap, achieving this eight times (1962 British Grand Prix, 1963 Dutch Grand Prix  which he won by more than a full lap, 1963 French Grand Prix, 1963 Mexican Grand Prix, 1964 British Grand Prix, 1965 South African Grand Prix, 1965 French Grand Prix, 1965 German Grand Prix).

Accident and death

On 7 April 1968, Clark died in a racing accident at the Hockenheimring in West Germany.[6] During the four-month gap between the first race (which Clark won) and second of the 1968 Formula One 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 characterised 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.[20] 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, but investigators concluded it was most likely due to a deflating rear tyre. Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow Formula One drivers and close friends Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, John Surtees, Chris Amon 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 his Lotus teammate Graham Hill, who pulled the heartbroken team together and held off Jackie Stewart for the crown, which he later dedicated to Clark.

Jim Clark memorial at the Hockenheimring
in Germany

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. According to 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."[20]

There is a large memorial to Clark at Hockenheim today, but 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.

Legacy

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[21]

1967 USGP at Watkins Glen, NY

Clark achieved 33 pole positions and won 25 races from his 72 Grands Prix starts in championship races. He is remembered for his ability to drive and win in all types of cars and series, including a Lotus-Cortina, with which he won the 1964 British Touring Car Championship; IndyCar; Rallying, where he took part in the 1966 RAC Rally of Great Britain in a Lotus Cortina; and sports cars. He competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour 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.[22]

He was also able to master difficult Lotus sportscar prototypes such as the Lotus 30 and 40. Clark 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.

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.[23]

Sir Jackie Stewart said of what made Clark such a good driver "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."[24] 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."[25][26]

Jim Clark's grave in Chirnside, listing him as farmer before racing driver as he had wished.
Jim Clark memorial sculpture in Kilmany

Clark is buried in the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire.[7] A memorial stone can be found at the Hockenheimring circuit, moved from the site of his crash to a location closer to the current track, 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. The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum [27] can be found in Duns.

The Jim Clark Trophy was introduced in the 1987 Formula One season 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 motor sport.[28] The Jim Clark Rally is an annual event held in Berwickshire.[29]

In 2020, The Economist ranked all champion drivers of Formula One history by the relative importance of car quality to driver skill,[30] based on a study by Andrew Bell of the University of Sheffield, UK. This ranking considers the relative statistical significance of the car maker's contributions. Jim Clark ranked second, behind Juan Manuel Fangio.

Clark was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Racing record

Career summary

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[lower-alpha 1]
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

Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1959 United Kingdom Border Reivers United Kingdom John Whitmore Lotus Elite Mk.14-Climax GT
1.5
257 10th 2nd
1960 United Kingdom Border Reivers United Kingdom Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DBR1/300 S
3.0
306 3rd 3rd
1961 United Kingdom Border Reivers United Kingdom Ron Flockhart Aston Martin DBR1/300 S
3.0
132 DNF DNF
Source:[31]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(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:[32]

Formula One records

Clark holds the following Formula One records:

Record Achieved
Most races with pole, win, fastest lap, and leading every lap 8
Highest percentage of possible championship points in a season 100% in 1963 and 1965[N 1]
Highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season 71.47% in 1963
Footnotes
  1. Record shared with Alberto Ascari in 1952

Non-championship Formula One results

(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:[32]
Notes
  • ^1 – After Clark was disqualified for a push start, he took over the car of Trevor Taylor.

American open-wheel racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car

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:[32]
Indianapolis 500
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

(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:[32]

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

Formula Two results

(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:[33]

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

(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:[34]

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

Awards

See also

References

Notes
  1. Up until 1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see list of points scoring systems for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  2. "Clark wins 500-mile race at Indianapolis". The Herald. Glasgow. 1 June 1965. p. 1.
  3. "Clark roars to record 500 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. 1 June 1965. p. 2, part 2.
  4. Ottum, Bob (7 June 1965). "Fiery 500 for a cool Scot". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  5. "Jim Clark killed in race in Germany". The Herald. Glasgow. 8 April 1968. p. 1.
  6. "Clark killed in German race". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. 8 April 1968. p. 1, part 2.
  7. Hill, Graham (22 April 1968). "A farewell to Jimmy Clark". Sports Illustrated. p. 63.
  8. "When Ayrton Senna visted [sic] Musselburgh to pay tribute to Jim Clark". The Scotsman. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  9. Motor Sport, February 1959, Page 111.
  10. Motor Sport, April 1960, Page 257.
  11. Goodwood Motor Circuit programme, 7 June 1965. See also: Motor Sport, April 1960, Page 231.
  12. Jim Clark, Jim Clark at the wheel, Pan Books Ltd., 1965, Pages 47–48, 175.
  13. D.S.J., Motor Sport, July 1960, Page 568.
  14. The Motorsport Memorial Team, info@motorsportmemorial.org. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  15. "Jim Clark Honored at 2013 Goodwood Revival". Sports Car Digest - The Sports, Racing and Vintage Car Journal. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  16. "Free meat for Clark". The Observer. 2 June 1953. p. 15. Retrieved 4 December 2022 via Newspapers.com open access.
  17. "The Scotsman at the Brickyard". Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  18. "The laps of a god". Scotland On Sunday. 27 February 2005. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
  19. "RACING HISTORY: The Great Races: 1965 Indianapolis 500". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  20. Andrew Marriott, "Return to Hockenheim: The memorial that matters", Motor Sport, July 2010
  21. Peter Windsor (21 September 2013). "Clark's Gold Cup". peterwindsor.com. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  22. "Jim Clark Does NASCAR". Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  23. "The power of Scotland: remembering Jim Clark in a Lotus Evora". Autocar. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  24. Video on YouTube
  25. "Jim Clark". Grandprix.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  26. "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.
  27. "The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum,". www.liveborders.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  28. "Rally doctor is honoured with 2014 Jim Clark Award". The Scotsman. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  29. "Jim Clark Rally". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  30. "Man v machine". The Economist. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  31. "All Results of Jim Clark". RacingSportCars. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  32. "Jim Clark – Biography". MotorSportMagazine. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  33. "Formula 2 Register – F2, Voiturettes, FJ, F3 and Le Mans Results". F2Register. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  34. de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  35. "Jim Clark". IMS Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  36. "James Clark Jr". International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  37. "Jim Clark". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  38. "JIM CLARK OBE". Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
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.
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
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