Anyone Remember Jim Clark, the greatest car driver ever?

[BuffaloBob]

Jim Clark was the greatest, natural born race car driver ever. Died during a race at age 32, the mild mannered Scottish sheep farmer drove for Team LOTUS. He won the Indy 500 on his third try. He won that Indy race by a two lap lead. You heard right... Two Laps ahead of the field.

He was a natural. Effortlessly, smooth and faster than anyone else.

I ran across a six part BBC video of his life. Has some great race scenes .
BB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUm3JxdgpY

 

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[Dano Sverige]

Jim Clarke OBE (order of the British Empire)...Arguably one of the best ever. Always hard to compare "then & now".

Clark had a reputation as a versatile driver and he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapolis 500, which he won in 1965. He even competed in American NASCAR stock cars, driving a 7 litre Holman Moody Ford on the banked speedway at Rockingham, North Carolina on October 29, 1967.

He was killed in a Formula Two motor racing accident in Hockenheim, Germany in 1968. At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions (33) than any other driver. The Times recently placed Clark at the top of a list of the greatest Formula One drivers.

(Just remembered...you have me on "ignore" so won't see this! lol. )

 

[BuffaloBob]

(Just remembered...you have me on "ignore" so won't see this! lol. )

Not ignored on this post. Too important!

I grew up reading the sports car magazines in the '50s. And attended a few Road America races. Watched Bob Petersen of car magazine fame, the two Rathman brothers of Indy fame build a Can-Am racecar called the "Meister Brauser ".

At age 14 or so, the first stickshift auto I drove was a 1955 Porsche Speedster, which my brother's trusting friend allowed me to drive. And the neighborhood girls had a good look at me and I was on top of the world!

At one Road America, camping out there, one of the Lotus cars was racing around the local roads, at night, doing some carburation testing I believe.

Dark night, sleeping under the stars hearing the Lotus... what a great time for a kid.

I recall another tragedy, when Peter Snell, a talented driver crashed but his helmet cracked wide open, and he died of head injuries. Thus came the SNELL foundation which did helmet testing and saved many drivers lives.

Motorcycle flat track racing at a local clay track called Santa Fe near Chicago. Soldier field stock cars, and Indy races shown on big screens at the movie theaters. And the first televised Daytona Super Speedway race.

Back then F1 was an expensive ride but most other car racing were just a bunch of car guy's having fun.
BB

 

[truckinbutch]

(Just remembered...you have me on "ignore" so won't see this! lol. )

Not ignored on this post. Too important!

I grew up reading the sports car magazines in the '50s. And attended a few Road America races. Watched Bob Petersen of car magazine fame, the two Rathman brothers of Indy fame build a Can-Am racecar called the "Meister Brauser ".

At age 14 or so, the first stickshift auto I drove was a 1955 Porsche Speedster, which my brother's trusting friend allowed me to drive. And the neighborhood girls had a good look at me and I was on top of the world!

At one Road America, camping out there, one of the Lotus cars was racing around the local roads, at night, doing some carburation testing I believe.

Dark night, sleeping under the stars hearing the Lotus... what a great time for a kid.

I recall another tragedy, when Peter Snell, a talented driver crashed but his helmet cracked wide open, and he died of head injuries. Thus came the SNELL foundation which did helmet testing and saved many drivers lives.

Motorcycle flat track racing at a local clay track called Santa Fe near Chicago. Soldier field stock cars, and Indy races shown on big screens at the movie theaters. And the first televised Daytona Super Speedway race.

Back then F1 was an expensive ride but most other car racing were just a bunch of car guy's having fun.
BB

I beg to differ . The guys that started NASCAR weren't just 'having fun'. They were trying to make a living . When they didn't come in first place in the races they started out running they went to jail .

 

[Daedalus]

I remember when he got killed , it was all over the National News at the time.
Wow I can't believe it has been this long .
Jim Clark was the best , and I do not think there has been a driver that has matched him in driving skills yet .
He was one of those, One in a Million that come along every now and then that just can not be beat in there skills .

 

[BuffaloBob]

I beg to differ . The guys that started NASCAR weren't just 'having fun'. They were trying to make a living . When they didn't come in first place in the races they started out running they went to jail .

Didn't mean NASCAR in particular. I meant the Sportsmans class dirt track racing, affordable sports cars like the MG, Triumph, Austin Mini, Jags etc that anyone could afford. And went somewhere they could see what the car would do and have fun sliding around a parking lot or wherever. Those first cars were not fast usually and a driver had to learn the basics. They read about these techniques in the sports car magazines and tried them out. Maye a Gymkana or timed road course. Whatever they could afford. That's what I mean by Fun.

Double clutching, throttle and braking, using the emergency brake to help a drift, four wheel drifting, curve apexes, tires, suspension etc. Unsprung weight, radial tires, disk brakes, rack and pinion steering, torsion bars and so on. Carburator Venturis. These were all new terms for the average guy.

The local speed shop was the Granatelli Brothers. Parts were from JC Whitney or the junkyard.

The car that may have been blacklisted at the 500 was Andy Granatelli's four wheel drive Gas Turbine. It sailed around that track. With a whisper. Mechanical failure caused a DNF. But that car got everyones attention.

BB

 

[clovis97]

Jimmy Clark, Indy 500 champion.

The Henry Ford Museum owns his winning car. I've been to the museum numerous times, but I've never seen the car.

Last year's Indy 500 champion was Dario Franchitti. Dario got to drive the Jimmy Clark car at the famed Brickyard oval, or so I've heard. I'd like to see that footage...heck, I'd love to hear Clark's old car at full song at the track.

 

[clearblk]

Oh yes!! Every slot car I owned was driven by Jim Clark. I'm thinking there was a lot of video of him in the movie"Grand Prix".