37 Facts About Jim Clark

James Clark OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965.

Jim Clark was killed in a Formula Two racing accident in 1968 in Hockenheim, At the time of his death, aged 32, he had won more Grand Prix races and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions than any other driver.

James Jim Clark was born into a farming family at Kilmany House Farm, Fife, the youngest child of five, and the only boy.

Jim Clark was educated at primary schools in Kilmany and then in Chirnside.

Chapman was sufficiently impressed to give Jim Clark a ride in one of his Formula Junior cars.

Jim Clark had made an earlier FJ appearance in a one-off race at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day, 1959, driving a Gemini-B.

Jim Clark made his F1 Grand Prix debut, part-way through the season, at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 6 June 1960.

Jim Clark was later quoted as saying in a 1964 interview: "I was driving scared stiff pretty much all through the race", even though he finished 5th and scored his first points finish.

The next year, Jim Clark was involved in one of the worst accidents in the history of Formula 1 racing.

In 1964 Jim Clark came within just a few laps of retaining his World Championship crown but, just as in 1962, an oil leak from the engine robbed him of the title, this time conceding to John Surtees.

Jim Clark had to miss the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix to compete at Indianapolis, but made history by driving the first mid-engined car to win at the fabled "Brickyard," as well as becoming the only driver to date to win both the Indy 500 and the F1 title in the same year.

Jim Clark picked up another second place at the Indianapolis 500, this time behind Graham Hill.

Jim Clark won with it again at the British, United States and Mexican Grands Prix; and, in January 1968, at the South African Grand Prix.

Concurrent with competing in the F1 World Drivers Championship, Jim Clark competed with Lotus in the Australasia based Tasman series, run for older F1 cars.

Jim Clark was series champion in 1965,1967, and 1968.

Jim Clark won fourteen races in all, a record for the series.

Jim Clark won the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in extremely foggy and rainy conditions.

About 17 laps into the race, with the rain coming down harder than ever, Jim Clark had lapped the entire field except for Bruce McLaren, and was almost five minutes ahead of McLaren and his Cooper.

Jim Clark lost a lap while having the wheel changed in the pits.

Jim Clark was narrowly ahead of Brabham and Surtees starting the last lap, but his car had not been filled with enough fuel.

In 1963 and 1965, Jim Clark equalled Alberto Ascari's record for the highest percentage of possible championship points in a season.

Jim Clark holds the record for most races taking pole, fastest lap, race win and leading every lap, achieving this eight times.

On 7 April 1968, Jim Clark died in a racing accident at the Hockenheimring in West Germany.

Team Lotus drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clark were in Gold Leaf Team Lotuses and a young Max Mosley was in the race, moving up from the Clubman series.

Jim Clark suffered a broken neck and skull fracture, and died before reaching the hospital.

Jim Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow Formula One drivers and close friends Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, John Surtees, Chris Amon and Jack Brabham all being personally affected by the tragedy.

Jim Clark achieved 33 pole positions and won 25 races from his 72 Grands Prix starts in championship races.

Jim Clark is remembered for his ability to drive and win in all types of cars and series, including a Lotus-Cortina, with which he won the 1964 British Touring Car Championship; IndyCar; Rallying, where he took part in the 1966 RAC Rally of Great Britain in a Lotus Cortina; and sports cars.

Jim Clark took part in a NASCAR event, driving a 7-litre Holman Moody Ford at the American 500 at the banked speedway at Rockingham on 29 October 1967.

Jim Clark had an ability to adapt to whichever car he was driving.

Jim Clark never bullied a racing car, he sort of caressed it into doing the things he wanted it to do.

Jim Clark is buried in the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire.

The Jim Clark Trophy was introduced in the 1987 Formula One season for drivers of cars with naturally aspirated engines but was discontinued after turbo-charged engines were restricted in 1988 and dropped for 1989.

The Jim Clark Memorial Award is an annual award given by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers to Scots who have contributed significantly to transport and motor sport.

The Jim Clark Rally is an annual event held in Berwickshire.

Jim Clark was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

For reasons of space, only those Formula Two events which Jim Clark attended are shown.