CAREER OF A CHAMPION

1956 Jim Clark, then aged just 20, is entered into his first race at Crimond, near Fraserburgh, behind the wheel of Ian Scott-Watson’s DKW Sonderklasse. 1957 Clark wins his first race; the Border Reivers Motor Racing Trophy at Charterhall in Berwickshire. He beats Jock McBain, a local garage owner who would be the principal financer behind the reformation of the Border Reivers racing team. Clark is subsequently named the team’s main driver. 1958 Clark takes part in races across the European continent with Border Reivers. This year would also see Clark go head-tohead with a certain Colin Chapman in a GT race at Brands Hatch. Both were behind the wheel of Lotus Elites, but it was Chapman who narrowly came out on top. 1959 Border Reivers enters an Elite in the Le Mans 24 Hours and Clark is partnered with Sir John Whitmore. They finish tenth overall and second in class. By the end of the year Clark was signed by the Aston Martin Grand Prix team, which was sadly unable to produce its car, but he also signed with Lotus to race in Formula Junior. 1960 Clark wins the FJ Championship and races in a number of Grands Prix for Lotus, the highlight being a third-place finish in that year’s Portuguese Grand Prix. 1961 Having become a fixture of the Lotus Grand Prix team, he was its main driver by the end of the year. 1961 also saw Clark win his first Grand Prix – the nonChampionship Grand Prix at Pau. 1962 After Clark wins four Grand Prix, the World Championship decider takes place in the season finale in South Africa. He comes second behind Graham Hill after being forced to retire due to an oil leak from his Lotus. 1963 Clark wins seven out of ten World Championship Grands Prix, claiming the title with three races to spare and becoming the youngest World Champion in doing so, aged just 27. He also races in his first Indianapolis 500, finishing second. 1964 Away from singleseaters, Clark effortlessly claims the British Saloon Car Championship behind the wheel of (you guessed it) a Ford Lotus Cortina. 1965 Clark becomes Formula One Champion for the second time and becomes the first nonAmerican driver in almost half a century to win the Indy 500. He led for 190 of the 200 laps. He also becomes Trophées de France Formula Two champion and claims the Australasia-based Tasman Series for older F1 cars. 1966/1967 Clark’s Lotus isn’t competitive in the Formula One arena following FIA regulation changes. Instead, Clark finishes as runner-up in the Indy 500 and claims his second Tasman Series Cup title the following year, while an improving Lotus sees Clark finish third in the ‘67 Formula One championship. 1968 Expectations were high that Clark would achieve his third F1 Championship and victory in the South African GP was an important first step. Sadly, it was not to be. Clark suffers a fatal accident while competing in a Lotus 48 at the Martini Gold Cup at the Hockenheimring in Germany; the first round of the 1968 European Formula Two season. The 1968 F1 Championship was won by Clark’s Lotus teammate, Graham Hill, who dedicated the victory to his memory.