Jim Clark—Lotus 49

When you are a child and become a fan of a sports champion or team that is winning you may be unfortunate as that man or team perhaps is not really the best, just good for a season.

I was lucky as my childhood idol was Jim Clark.

He is considered one of, if not the, best Formula 1 drivers of all time and an eclectic driver who competed with every type of car. He was able to win 31 races in a year of the 63 he raced, truly an astounding record.

In Formula 1 his entire career was with the Lotus of the brilliant Colin Chapman, for which he raced from 1960 to 1968.

In 1967, he drove the winning Lotus 49 and debuted the Cosworth DFV engine, the most successful in F1 history, with a victory at the very first race in Zandvoort then another 3 races and finished third in the Championship, but everyone expected him to be the Champion in 1968. Clark did in fact win the first GP in South Africa, but unfortunately this would be his last. He died a few months later, on April 7, in an F2 competition in Germany, at Hockenheim.

Among his long-lasting records: 25 wins out of 72 GP starts and 33 pole positions.

Records still unbeaten:

– 8 Grand Slams: pole position, fastest lap and victory leading the race from the first to the last lap.
– Victory with 100% of the points achievable (1963 and ’65) on a par with Ascari in 1952.
– Greater % of laps in the lead in the Championship: 71.47% in 1965.
– World and Indianapolis champion the same year.