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Jim Clark
was born in Kilmany, (in the county of Fife), to a Scottish farming family.
These were roots
that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
He was the only
son in a family of four daughters.
His early racing
exploits were initially met by family disapproval.
He raced in rallies
and other local races under the guidance of his friend, Ian Scott- Watson.
Later, he joined
the Border Reivers, a team run by Jock McBain.
In one of these
races he drove a Lotus Elite against none other than Colin Chapman himself.
Chapman was very
impressed by the young Scotsman, and he kept an eye on this young driver.
.
It was
ironic that in 1959 the Border Reivers planned to buy a single- seater
Formula 2 Lotus for Clark, but after watching Graham Hill lose a wheel
in a similar car, Clark decided that the Lotus cars were not safe and that
he would stick to sports cars for the time being.
Eventually Jim
graduated to an Aston Martin, which brought him to the attention of Reg
Parnell, who was the factory team manager.
Aston Martin
was planning to enter Formula 1, and after a test he signed the young Scotsman.
Clark had by
this time also signed a Formula 2 contract with Colin Chapman's Team Lotus
.
Aston Martin's
Formula 1 car was a disaster, and the factory decided to abandon its efforts.
Clark enjoyed
immediate success In Formula 2, and Jim signed on with with Lotus for Formula
1 as well, when the Aston Martin drive failed to materialize.
.
His first
race for Lotus was at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1960, where he raced in place
of John Surtees, (who was still racing motorcycles at the time).
This race was
uneventful, and he worked his way up to fifth place before he retired with
a seized gearbox.
The next race
was at Spa in Belgium.
This was the
most dangerous course in Grand Prix racing, (it was a nine mile monster),
and in 1960 it took the lives of two drivers, including Alan Stacey, Clark's
teammate.
In spite
of this, Clark would manage to finish fifth in his second Grand Prix.
The next year
was met with limited success and some controversy.
At the Italian
Grand Prix, Clark's Lotus came into contact with the Ferrari of Wolfgang
von Trips.
The Ferrari was
propelled into the crowd killing several spectators as well as the German
driver, (who was Germany's best hope in decades).
1962 had to be
better, and it was.
In those days
the racing calendar included non- championship Formula 1 races, and this
season began with two which Clark promptly won.
Looking forward
to the championship opener in Holland, Clark's hopes were dashed by yet
another bad gearbox.
A week later
at Monaco, (a race that he would never fated to win), Clark was again let
down by his machinery, but this time it was an engine failure.
The year had
began with so much promise, but Lotus was struggling to find reliability.
The Lotus 25
was a beautiful race car, but it couldn't finish a race that counted.
The win finally
came in Belgium, at the track that Clark liked the least.
Denis
Jenkinson, (the legendary auto journalist), in discussing his disdain for
the World Championship and its bias towards reliability over wins, declared
that only one race should count, that race being Spa and whoever won it
should be declared the World Champion.
Storming to the
victory, Clark would win Spa four times in a row.
Clark, after
a season long battle, lost the championship to Graham Hill when his car
broke down while leading in the final race.
During
a break in action, Lotus took the Grand Prix car to Indianapolis and tested
it on the famous speedway while the track was closed.
He soon had the
car lapping at 140 mph.
The Americans
who were in attendance that day were catching a glimpse of the future of
racing.
In 1963 Clark
dominated the World Championship winning 7 out of 10 races, and garnering
7 pole positions in the process.
At his first
race at Indianapolis he finished second to Parnelli Jones.
The next year
was an up and down one, with the championship being fought between Graham
Hill, John Surtees, and Clark.
The final and
deciding race in Mexico saw Hill bow out due to a controversial collision
with Surtees' Ferrari teammate, Lorenzo Bandini.
Clark was leading
the race until the last lap when his engine seized and the title went to
Surtees and Ferrari.
The championship
in 1965 was again a duel between Clark, Hill and Surtees, but a fourth
driver rose to the challenge the leaders.
His name was
Jackie Stewart, he served notice that he would be a force to reckon with
in the future.
This year it
was Clark's turn at the top rung, and he included a win at Indianapolis
for good measure.
Leading the race
for 190 laps out of the 200, he left a lasting impression on his American
rivals.
The new
3- litre Formula introduced in 1966 led to a down year for Lotus, as they
did not have an engine that was competitive, (having decided to use the
BRM H- 16 engine in the Type 43 chassis).
It was not until
the arrival of the Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine in 1967 that Lotus went
back to the forefront in Formula One.
In the legendary
engine's first start, Clark won at Zandvoort, yet it was too late in the
season, and Clark had to settle for 3rd place in the World Championship.
1968 started
with a win in South Africa, which allowed Clark to surpass Juan- Manuel
Fangio in Grand Prix victories.
Sadly this was
to be his last win for he was killed in a Formula 2 race in Hockenheim
that year.
A shy
unassuming man, his legend lives on as one of the very best race drivers
that ever lived, and places him among the giants of the sport such as Tazio
Nuvolari, Juan- Manuel Fangio, Sterling Moss, and later, Ayrton Senna.
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