The Untouchable Talent of Jim Clark: F1’s Greatest Natural Driver
“He was the best of the best. The greatest racing driver I ever raced against and the one I learned the most from.” — Jackie Stewart
Formula 1 has had many drivers who with their talent and racecraft have shaken the world. Today in this article I am spotlighting one of the greatest drivers that has ever touched the racing world.
Born on March 4, 1936, in Scotland, Jim Clark was known for his incredible speed, precision, and natural talent when behind the wheel. He grew up on a farm in Scotland and saw racing as just a hobby. Clark’s journey to F1 was unconventional. Unlike other drivers who started their journey from karting, Clark started from amateur racing, competing in local club events and hill climbs in a borrowed Sunbeam-Talbot which was a British automobile company.
In 1958 Clark was competing in sports car races with cars like Jaguar. His driving style and skill drew a lot of attention from the audience. In the same year when he was racing in Brand Hatch, he caught the eye of Colin Chapman who was the visionary behind Lotus. Clark who was in team Border Reivers came second in the race behind a Lotus 15. Colin Chapman noticed Clar’s talent which led Chapman to offer him his first drive in a Lotus Formula Junior car.
With Clark’s skillset, he won many victories in his Formula Junior and dominated the F2 by 1960 by consistently outperforming the more experienced drivers. In 1960 Clark made his F1 debut with Lotus offering him a place in the team by replacing John Surtees, who moved to Ferrari.
Though the domination in F1 wasn't like later in the decade, the 1960 season was an eye opening experience for Clark. He raced in a Lotus 18, the first race being the Dutch Grand Prix on June 6. On his debut race, he had to retire due to an oil leak. Then soon came the Belgian Grand Prix where he had to go through high-speed corners of Spa Francorchamps. This race weekend went down in F1 history as one of the most tragic weekends. Two drivers, Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey who was Clark’s then-current teammate, were killed. This event deeply impacted Clark and left an everlasting attitude towards racing. Like is said in the beginning, “eye opening”.
He finished 5th in the Portuguese Grand Prix making his best result. Though he couldn't be the front runner of the season, he got the cruel taste of the sport and set the stage for his future success.
Racing in F1 is like racing on a razor-thin edge of life and death, where every corner could be a masterpiece or a fatal mistake. 1961 was another year where tragedy occurred in Clark’s racing journey and marked its place as one of the most devastating moments in his career. It was 7th round out of the 8 rounds of the championship. By that time it was sure that it would be Wolfgang Von Trips who would win the drivers title. During the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, on lap 2 Von Trips Ferrari collided with Clarks Lotus and spun, it eventually hit the side barriers and Von Trips was ejected from the car and the car found itself barrelling towards the spectators. This event killed 16 people including Von Trips.
This crash went down as one of the most tragic crashes in F1 racing history. Clark was not at fault but the crash really affected him emotionally. Phill Hill who was Von Trips partner in Ferrari went on to win the championship for Ferrari and became one of the few American racing drivers who won in F1. This season Clark got his first podium and was a huge learning season from which he gained a lot of experience. He built a strong connection with Colin Chapman who would later design cars that suited Clark's smooth driving style.
In 1962 Stirling Moss’s career ending crash which put him into a coma for a month resulted in Clark getting the lead driver role in Lotus. Lotus 25 was the first ever fully monocoque F1 car which gave them an advantage in aerodynamics and chassis fitness. This season Clark was seriously aiming for the championship. In the 9 races he entered, he won 3 of them. His first win was in Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium GP) where he showcased his skills by driving in wet conditions.
The other two were the USA GP and the British GP. They had a strong performance this season and were destined to win the season. But in this sport, luck is also a huge factor. If something has to go wrong it will go wrong. In the championship deciding race in the South African Grand Prix he faced a mechanical issue which was an oil leak and had to retire. This resulted in the championship going to Graham Hill.
Clark was so close to winning the season, but this season cemented him as one of F1’s elite drivers. The design of Lotus 25 was revolutionary and became an inspiration for future generations.
1963 was “THE” season for Clark. Again with the amazing Lotus 25 he entered 10 out of 10 races and won 7 of them. This became a world record at the time, with all of them being from pole position. It became the most dominant championship win ever. This shook the F1 world and Clark grew in popularity. The car’s innovative monocoque structure made it light and stiff to drive. With Clark’s smooth driving skills, it made them unbeatable.
Due to an oil leak in Monaco, he had to retire or else he could have continued his streak of wins. He scored 64 championship points and secured himself the 1963 F1 drivers championship. The win made him the first Scottish F1 World Champion. The runner up was Graham Hill with 29 points. Clark's record was unbeaten until 1984 when Alain Prost won 7 races.
1963 was an amazing and successful year in his racing career. The same was expected in 1964 but the way this sport has proven to be, luck was not on his side. Lotus has had reliability issues which we knew from past seasons. These issues were not properly solved before entering the new season.
The car's unreliability was carried into the new season which resulted in Clark failing to get another WDC under his belt. Lotus 25 and Lotus 33 entered the 1964 season with confidence and worked hard, their hard work came to fruition by winning 3 out of 10 races and were in the lead until the final race in Mexico where their bad luck hit them.
They got hit by the same problem which they had in 1962, mechanical failure and the engine lost oil pressure in the last lap of the race. This was one of the unluckiest seasons of his career. Clark dropped down to 3rd place and John Surtees won the season. It was an unfortunate season for Lotus and Clark.
After the heartbreak of 1964, Jim Clark had to make a comeback. 1965 was the season where he once again showed that he didn't become a WDC by luck and his talent was and will be dominant in the world of racing. With the improved suspension and aerodynamics, Jim Clark entered the season with Lotus 33. Out of the 10 races he won 6 races from pole positions. In the end, he won the WDC with 54 points.
His skills were shown again by winning in Spa under rainy conditions and conquering the Nordschleife again. This was his 2nd time standing atop the F1 world. 1965 marks the end of his world championship winning performance. For the next 3 years, he could not perform his best due to FIA regulation changes, mechanical issues, etc.
A question arises when considering the feats of this person. Was he considered the best just because he won Formula 1 twice?
What Clark achieved in F1 is no joke. It is after all the pinnacle of motorsports. What Jim Clark achieved outside of F1 also helped determine his status as a racing legend.
Jim Clark’s excellence in other racing series
Indianapolis 500:
IndyCar series is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which was very different from F1. Unlike F1, drivers raced a front engine car around an oval shaped track for 200 laps completing 500 miles. They had rolling starts led by a pace car and the grid formation was 3 wide.
Finding the rhythm was crucial in this type of racing and any mistake could lead to a massive domino effect behind them. Slipstream played a main role here in overtaking and fuel strategy was important. Pitstops were riskier and time consuming and the drivers had to have mechanical knowledge of their cars as they might find themselves in the position to fix their cars mid race.
Jim Clark competed in Indianapolis 500 three times with Lotus-Ford from 1963–1965. Lotus-Ford gave Clark a rear engine car for the race which was not the typical engine configuration car in the series. This rear engine layout made the car lightweight and very balanced. With the right car and Clark’s versatility as a driver showed winning chances in the series.
He entered the series in 1963 and proved his worth from the get go. With the rear engined Lotus 29, he qualified at 5th position and finished 2nd in the main race. He lost to Parnelli Jones due to an oil leak. Somehow oil leak always comes back to hit Clark when he is close to a win. It was riskier to push for the first place due to uncertain track conditions due to the oil leak, hence Clark settled for the second place.
But, for a rookie race in the series, Jim Clark showed the whole world and other drivers that he is a force to be reckoned with and should not be underestimated.
1964 was just another unfortunate season for Clark. Though he got the pole position which was the first time a rear engine car got that position he unfortunately had to retire on lap 47 due to suspension failure. The race was already shadowed by the terrible crash that occurred on the first lap.
Ed Sachs’s car hit Dave MacDonald’s car broadside. This resulted in the instant death of Sach, most likely from the instant blunt force he felt. MacDonald suffered severe burns and later died from acute pulmonary edema.
1965 was a landmark year in Jim Clark’s racing career as one of the greatest. Though there have been many complaints over the years with reliability when it comes to Lotus cars in racing, no one could deny that they were one of the fastest. The lightweight and stability of the car allowed Jim Clark to fully utilize his skills.
He entered the series with a Lotus 38 and got a 2nd position in qualifying just behind A.J. Foyt, but took the lead quickly in lap 1. Out of the 200 laps, Clark led 190 of them. The unmatched speed and handling of the Lotus allowed him to get a steady lead in the race. The pitstops were executed flawlessly, avoided mechanical issues that cost him in the previous years and this time there was no situation of bad luck for Jim Clark.
He managed to cross the finish line with a 2-minute lead ahead of Parnelli Jones. This win was historic as it signaled the end of front engine roadsters and Clark’s Lotus was the first rear engined car to ever win the Indy 500. It was also the first time a non-American driver won the race since 1916.
Jim Clark’s wins were legendary and revolutionary in the engine configuration of the series for the next years. From that season on most front engine cars were diminishing and teams were opting for rear engined cars as they were light and easy to handle.
Jim Clark was not just an F1 or Indy Car master, he was flawless in any car he drove. He dominated other racing series like:
- Formula 2- Multiple race wins here helped him get into the F1
- Touring cars- Won the BTCC in 1964 with a Lotus Cortina and proved his adaptability
- Endurance racing in Spa and Brands Hatch
- Tasman Series- Won three championships in the Formula 1 off-season championship held in Australia and New Zealand between 1964 and 1975. They used modified 2.5 liters Formula 1 cars and Clark regularly battled top drivers like Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, and Bruce McLaren.
Clark was an all rounder capable of winning in anything from single-seaters to saloon cars. On April 7, 1968, Jim Clark was in an F2 race at Hockenheim in Germany where he faced a tire failure in his Lotus and crashed into the trees at high speed. This unfortunate accident resulted in an instant death.
For a driver who very rarely commits any mistake with his driving this fatal accident is even more difficult to comprehend. The whole racing industry was in a state of shock with the 32-year-old’s death. He was regarded as one of the greatest drivers by his rivals and his death inspired major safety improvements for the drivers and the tracks.
Even today Jim Clark has one of the highest win percentages for his name, was the reason the engine configuration in the Indianapolis 500 was re-configured, was regarded as the driver’s driver by his rivals like Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill, and is remembered as one of the purest and fastest racers ever, whose skill and dominance left an unforgettable mark in the motorsports world.
Researching and writing about Jim Clark has been an eye-opening journey. Clark was more than just a champion, he was a pioneer who influenced and shaped the sport for future generations. Though his life was tragically cut short, his impact remains immortal in the motorsports world and fans worldwide. I hope this article does justice to the talent of Jim Clark.
