Jim Clark

[naetype]

He died when I was a wee boy but he was my 1st ever living hero...

I'm so glad he's not being forgotten

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotl...

If anyone on here had anything to do with this then thanks a lot.

[deevlash]

Thats good, he was way before my time but its not often we have a scotsman who is widly respected as the best ever at his chosen sport Its a shame that the tracks been changed so much, the original memorial has been moved from the site of his crash, which is now overgrown to the edge of the new track.
http://pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&f...

[forsure]

naetype said:

He died when I was a wee boy but he was my 1st ever living hero...

I'm so glad he's not being forgotten

Agreed, I was 14 when he died and it was my first experience of mourning a public figure.
He still regularly appears in the 'top five' (sometimes the 'top three') of F1 greats.

[jbudgie]

In my eyes he's in the top 'one'.

[superkartracer]

Prob best ever. The way he died was horific and very sad

SKR
Racer

[Derek Smith]

One wet bank holiday meeting at Brands Hatch on the international circuit, Clark was driving a Ford Galaxie or similar in a saloon car race. It was teeming with rain and the circuit was very slippery. The racing went ahead and by the time the second placed car came through Clearways on its first lap, our Jimmy was approaching Druids. He was a breed apart.

I've not seen anyone since who was so much faster than everyone else despite having similar machinery. Senna came close but no coconut.

Edited by Derek Smith on Friday 7th March 13:57

[Dunit]

Jimmy just loved to race cars,No matter what or where.Every week he would out either in F1,F2,sportscars,saloons,indycars and in the winter he would go down under and do the Tasman series. He was even leading the RAC rally untill he ripped the front of his Lotus Cortina.
I can still remember that day in April 68,We were racing at Rye House and I came into the pits after my race to hear the news from my dad. None of us felt like continuing and in near silence packed up and went home.
A Legend.

[Derek Smith]

Dunit said:

Jimmy just loved to race cars,No matter what or where.Every week he would out either in F1,F2,sportscars,saloons,indycars and in the winter he would go down under and do the Tasman series. He was even leading the RAC rally untill he ripped the front of his Lotus Cortina.
I can still remember that day in April 68,We were racing at Rye House and I came into the pits after my race to hear the news from my dad. None of us felt like continuing and in near silence packed up and went home.
A Legend.

I was at Brands spectating. When the news came over the tannoy we all just drifted away, not even talking.

[gtr-gaz]

The biography of him by Eric Dymock is well worth a read!

They were real "Gentlemen" drivers in those days.

[aeropilot]

jbudgie said:

In my eyes he's in the top 'one'.

[profstoff]

aeropilot said:

jbudgie said:

In my eyes he's in the top 'one'.

Another vote for that here. As well as superlative car control, he was a gentleman who loved his racing. He never resorted to tactics like the "Schumacher swerve", apart from those manoeuvres not being employed in those days, he did not need to. He was equally at home and could win with equal ease in a F1 car, Lotus Cortina, sports car or at Indianapolis and his mistakes were notable for their scarceness.

There have been many great drivers, including Fangio, Senna, Prost and Schumacher but in my opinion Jim Clark tops the lot.

[jbudgie]

Schumacher would not be fit to tie his boots.

[tvrgit]

If any of you are in the area, try to vist the Jim Clark Memorial Room in Duns in the Scottish Borders. It's a very small museum in his home town, containing a surprising amount of silverware that he collected during his driving career, in addition to other mementos, photographs etc.

I haven't been for years - I went along one day last year when out for a run in the TVR but I was too early (it was outside the summer season) and it was shut. Must drop in again.

[RedexR]

Jim was a legend to all us "Fordies" a true gentleman and a natural racer , I,ll never tire of watching the 1960s footage of him 3 wheeling those Lotus Cortinas around , such a talent sadly taken from us all too early.

[Dunit]

Hi Redex i have seen Jimmy get all 3 Wheels of the deck at some circuits,leaving just the o/s/rear in contact for a moment.I sure their are some photoes of him like this about.Magic!!

[Derek Smith]

I saw him at Crystal Palace in a Lotus Cortina lapping faster than a 4.7 Mustang but unable to overtake it. He dropped back on the penultimate lap and then took every corner in a tyre-smoking power slide. It seemed as if all he wanted to do was enjoy the car and thrill the spectators.

[GAjon]

RedexR said:

Jim was a legend to all us "Fordies" a true gentleman and a natural racer , I,ll never tire of watching the 1960s footage of him 3 wheeling those Lotus Cortinas around , such a talent sadly taken from us all too early.

I,ve been trying to find footage of JC in the Lotus Cortina's, the one I remember most was around Brands, would you have any links or recommend any DVD'd available of it.

John

[superkartracer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LnMJflV5sA

[RedexR]

Hi GAjon
Theres plenty on You Tube , also a recent in car film of a Lotus Cortina crashing at Goodwood in the damp which illustrates just how good Jim was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D-50Volw1U

also plenty on the Duke Video - Ford Cortina which I,m on very briefly lol... heres the typical Jim Clark Lotus cornering piccy - fantastic !

Edited by RedexR on Sunday 9th March 23:39

Edited by RedexR on Sunday 9th March 23:44

[GAjon]

Thanks for the links and references, some great images, Oulton Park looks so different with all the trees down the avenue it took a bit for me to work out what was what.

John