Jim Clark 50 years on...
Discussion
motco said:
If that was the meeting at which a dog ran on to the circuit during a race then I was there too Derek. It was the first motor race meeting that my girlfriend had ever been to. She'd been to motorcycle races before though, and she has maintained a long and keen interest in circuit based motorsport ever since. I would know as I married her!
There was a delay but I don't know if it was a dog. It's a long time ago. Gwaine Bailey was in a 4.7 litre Mustang and couldn't lose Clark. IN fact he held him up. I took my then girlfriend to a motor race as a first date. My feeling was that, as I was shy and got a bit tongue tied, the fact that there was something else going on would take the pressure off. She enjoyed the race and even now we chat about F1.
So how long have you been married? Must be coming up for 50 years?
Derek
Escort3500 said:
I certainly will! Longer term I might donate it to the JC museum as we’ve not got any kids to leave it to and I’d hate it to be binned when I go 
On a lighter note, my dad was a dentist and trained in Edinburgh in the early ‘50s. One of his close pals at dental college ended up practicing in the city after he qualified and dad always kept in contact with him. JC was one of his patients and the pal told dad that Jim always turned up for treatment in an interesting car - Elan, Lotus Cortina etc, as you’d probably expect.
One day he arrived at the surgery in a huge Yank motor. It was 1965 or 1966 and Jim had been lent (or probably given) the car for winning the Indy 500. He told dad’s mate that it was very fast and easy to slide around the local roads near Duns! I’m guessing it would have been a Galaxie or possibly a Falcon. Dad’s pal said JC was the one of the most unassuming and modest chaps you could ever meet, and away from racing was never more content than being on the family farm.
Have someone at a high profile auction give you an estimate so you can insure it. If the figure suits then you could sell it. Just keep a photocopy is you do so you still have it as a memory. Again what a fantastic thing to have. Many collector would give their right arm.On a lighter note, my dad was a dentist and trained in Edinburgh in the early ‘50s. One of his close pals at dental college ended up practicing in the city after he qualified and dad always kept in contact with him. JC was one of his patients and the pal told dad that Jim always turned up for treatment in an interesting car - Elan, Lotus Cortina etc, as you’d probably expect.
One day he arrived at the surgery in a huge Yank motor. It was 1965 or 1966 and Jim had been lent (or probably given) the car for winning the Indy 500. He told dad’s mate that it was very fast and easy to slide around the local roads near Duns! I’m guessing it would have been a Galaxie or possibly a Falcon. Dad’s pal said JC was the one of the most unassuming and modest chaps you could ever meet, and away from racing was never more content than being on the family farm.
Amazing stories there. The man seemed a real gem and totally against what you would think a racing driver would be like. That whole period seemed to have a class about it. On and off the track.
Derek Smith said:
motco said:
If that was the meeting at which a dog ran on to the circuit during a race then I was there too Derek. It was the first motor race meeting that my girlfriend had ever been to. She'd been to motorcycle races before though, and she has maintained a long and keen interest in circuit based motorsport ever since. I would know as I married her!
There was a delay but I don't know if it was a dog. It's a long time ago. Gwaine Bailey was in a 4.7 litre Mustang and couldn't lose Clark. IN fact he held him up. I took my then girlfriend to a motor race as a first date. My feeling was that, as I was shy and got a bit tongue tied, the fact that there was something else going on would take the pressure off. She enjoyed the race and even now we chat about F1.
So how long have you been married? Must be coming up for 50 years?
Derek
Derek Smith said:
motco said:
Fifty years in September this year. Christ I must be bloody OLD!
Congratulations for Sept. I've got 50 in September 2010.It must be the interest in motor racing that does it.
Unless it was a typo...
motco said:
Thanks Derek. Fifty in 2010? I hadn't even met my future wife in 1960. Now I feel a bit younger!
Unless it was a typo...
That's my old age showing through there. I meant 2020. Two and a bit years to go. I put the longevity down to my four children. I was terrified that if I did divorce my wife, I would get custody of them.Unless it was a typo...
Derek Smith said:
motco said:
Thanks Derek. Fifty in 2010? I hadn't even met my future wife in 1960. Now I feel a bit younger!
Unless it was a typo...
That's my old age showing through there. I meant 2020. Two and a bit years to go. I put the longevity down to my four children. I was terrified that if I did divorce my wife, I would get custody of them.Unless it was a typo...
Just had a chat with Beaky, he is currently going through his 'store' of ephemera for the autobiography. He has turned up the letter from Colin Chapman at the end of the 1968 season to the entire Lotus F1 race team, congratulating them all on winning the World Championship.
Their bonus (each) was a £200 holiday of their own choice. Oh, and there were SIX race mechanics on the entire team!
Their bonus (each) was a £200 holiday of their own choice. Oh, and there were SIX race mechanics on the entire team!
According the inflation calculator £200 in 1968 is £3,363.78 in 2018, £20,182.68 between six, a decent bonus but I still feel that the race mechanic worked a lot harder and long hours for the money than a driver did but that a race mechanic was more likely to see the 60's/70's out.
When is Beaky's book due? really looking forward to it, and could you get my purchased copy signed?
When is Beaky's book due? really looking forward to it, and could you get my purchased copy signed?
they certainly did work hard...especially at Team Lotus it seems. Two or three 'all nighters' on the trot were not uncommon at all and don't forget they then had to drive the truck to the circuits (if they were racing in Europe) after all that! We don't know when the book will publish, I'm really hoping for this Christmas, so is Beaky. As the author, one of the things I had thought of was signed copies of the book. One of the other things we may do in a real limited capacity would be to include a short dvd of Beaky telling some of his anecdotes to camera, it depends on what the publisher thinks the initial print run would be. My idea for the dvd would be to have maybe a hundred discs and to enclose them with a book when an order came in but in a completely random order so that no-one would know if they had one until they unwrapped the book when it was delivered.
Sooner than I thought, what about a release day/night at a pub or something? 
Like the idea of filming, always good to archive in that way.
I'd love to see a film made about JC but not sure if it would dilute his legacy if it was done in a 'fairy tale' Hollywood way. There was enough Senna film to make a feature length but not likely as much for JC to do similar.
OT
I know there's a few writers on PH looking for ideas:
This Guy:
Willi Studer (analogue machine man)
There's a book in German wrote some time ago while he was alive but not English.
Like the idea of filming, always good to archive in that way.
I'd love to see a film made about JC but not sure if it would dilute his legacy if it was done in a 'fairy tale' Hollywood way. There was enough Senna film to make a feature length but not likely as much for JC to do similar.
OT
I know there's a few writers on PH looking for ideas:
This Guy:
Willi Studer (analogue machine man)
There's a book in German wrote some time ago while he was alive but not English.
that soon? LOL---I've been on it three years already! Yes, Beaky & I have thought about various book launches, we'll get stuck into that sort of thing once we've done a deal with a publisher. We'll soon have a dedicated website for the book too.
Edited by lotus72 on Saturday 21st April 19:41
Just this evening we've gone 'live' with the website for the forthcoming book; www.beakysims.com Please feel free to take a look.
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