COMMENT: A motor sport item in the sports pages of The Times last
Saturday aroused your editor's great interest. The feature concerned
Jim Clark, probably Britain”s finest ever motor racing driver. He must
declare an interest, Lotus press officer during the late sixties and
early seventies when Gold Leaf Team Lotus ruled the roost in Formula
One. The timing of the piece was poignant with the German GP about to
take place at Hockenheim where on Sunday 4 April 1968 Jim Clark lost
his life in a minor Formula II race. The article was a tribute to
Clark and highlighted the fact that whilst there is a somewhat hidden
memorial to Clark it is hardly a fitting tribute to the Scottish
farmer”s son who really was great. This is not a criticism of the
circuit owners who have done their best but surely motor racing, with
all its money, can do something better? Something prominent.
Something worthy of a great champion.
To put Clark in perspective Stirling Moss makes it clear that in his
opinion Fangio was the greatest racing driver of all time with the
quiet Scotsman next up. Statistically Schumacher now stands out,
spoilt by an appalling record of gamesmanship over his whole career
and a concentration solely on Formula One with its huge financial
rewards.
John Surtees still remains as the sole driver to have won World
Championships on both two and four wheels and Ayrton Senna is also
championed by Sir Stirling as one of the finest. Clark died when he
was 32 and had only competed in 72 GPs winning 27 of them. On a
win ” start ratio Schumacher is slightly ahead. 36.2% of the time
that he has come to the line he has won, as against Clark”s 34.7%,
both way ahead of the rest. However the German has concentrated on
Formula One since breaking into the Benetton team in 1991. He has
never driven at Indianapolis (won by Clark in 1965) and is alien to
saloon car racing. Clark”s efforts in the 'three-wheel' Lotus Cortina
at Brands Hatch and Crystal Palace are great memories of the early
sixties as was a particularly spectacular Rally of Great Britain. This
fondness for any type of motor racing sadly was the death of Clark,
killed in a minor Formula II race.
There is a fine memorial to Jim Clark in the tiny Scottish border
village of Duns, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, close by where he was raised.
The Jim Clark Room contains memorabilia and tributes. Duns is proud
of its most famous son. Amongst the many visitors over the years was
Ayrton Senna.
Formula One should never forget those who went before. Clark”s death
(and not long afterwards another Lotus World Champion Johan Rindt)
spurned on others to ensure that motor racing today is far safer than
four decades ago. It still is dangerous. Hockenheim and the sport
need a worthy memorial to a most unassuming man, but probably the
finest in a golden age.
Warren King, who joined Lotus in 1958, is co-ordinating the project.
[email protected]
http://www.discovertheborders.co.uk/places/30.html