OULTON PARK SEPTEMBER 17 1966
Clark completed his Gold Cup tin-top hat-trick after a dogged pursuit of
Oliver’s Mustang and Brian Muir’s
Galaxie paid dividends late on.
The large entry was split into two, with a 1300cc cutoff. Despite a typically good start, Clark was soon overpowered by Oliver’s DR Racing machine, while Muir also made it by the Cortina after a slow start. Neither V8, however, could shake off Clark, who was using Lotus’s spare car after his own had blown in practice. “Clark was performing his usual acrobatics and closing up under braking on the Galaxie at every corner,” said Autosport.
Then, with four laps to go, Oliver suffered stub-axle failure and lost a wheel. Two laps after that Muir arrived at Old Hall as the brake pedal went to the floor and he crashed. “Clark’s reactions were instantaneous,” said our report. “As quick as a flash he nipped round the back of the Galaxie to go on to an unchallenged victory.”
Clark beat Oliver to pole and won the first heat at the Brands finale, but it was his turn to hit trouble in the second heat. The result was decided on aggregate and so Clark’s Oulton success was his final outright BTCC victory. Without him, the V8s had things largely their own way and would be undefeated in 1967.