29 replies to this topic

[rmhorton]

It's strange. No matter how many years go past, but whenever I see the date come round to April 7th I think of that rainy day at Hockenheim, some 32 years ago today.

In all the years I have followed the sport of Motor Racing no death has personally effected me as much as the death of Jim Clark. Even now I am not sure why. Maybe it was just the end of innocence for me. Maybe it was time to listen to what Jackie Stewart (and a few others) were saying about the need for change. If you look at the photos taken of Clark around this time you can clearly see that the strain of driving those fast but fragile Lotus cars was beginning to show.

For me, he is still the driver that I judge others against. Not just for his skill in the cockpit, but for the way he conducted himself out it. In all the races I watched Clark race in, I saw others sometimes finish ahead of him, but I never saw him beaten

Roger Horton

[BRG]

That day was the first time that I attended a race meeting - it was a cold and depressing day at Brands Hatch, and was made more so by the announcement of Jim Clark's death. I was still a teenager and it made an real impact on me.

For me and for most British racing fans in those days, Jim Clark was a hero. He was a peerless driver in all types of car, a quiet and dignified gentleman and a true sportsman. As much as for his F1 exploits, I remember him for his success at Indianapolis (apologies to our US posters, but it was deeply satisfying to see the USAC circus stuffed so comprehensively) and for his spirited attack on the RAC Rally where he challenged for the lead on his first attempt. When I think of Clark, the image is always of a Lotus Cortina three-wheeling through a corner - total commitment linked to style and grace.

I think that day made me aware that we had to make the sport safer because we could not afford to lose stars like Jim. When Jackie Stewart started his safety campaign a few years later, I am sure that he remembered the pointless death of his his fellow Scot. Many people criticised JYS for his work and some were even stupid enough to call his courage into question.

Sadly, despite all the advances in safety, we still lost Gilles, Ayrton and others. We have come a long way, but tragedy can still strike when we least expect it. We should remember this on Sunday at Imola, as the cars stream through the Tamburello.

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BRG

"all the time, maximum attack"

[Walrus]

I remember about half a year ago when we were watching a CART race with my brother. It was maybe 24.00 o`clock and we were both very tired and watcing the race not-so-carefully. Suddenly we see Greg Moore crashing to wall and continuening across the track to grass. Few laps ago someone else had just narrowly missed the betonwall inside the oval and I had thought "Oh my god If he`d hit that wall!" Moore run wildly towards the wall, and in a few seconds you could see his head banging like hell as the car was ripped to pieces and rolling awfully in the air. My brother said that he musta been killed in that crash.(but we have seen so many drivers (Diniz, Zonta, Villeneuve) surviving from so horrifying accidents that we didn`t really believe it) It was still a schock to us when they said that he had died in his way to hospital. That says something about Cart cars security, too. In last few years there has been two deaths, the Moore and just little time ago Rodrigues.

[Walrus]

I remember about half a year ago when we were watching a CART race with my brother. It was maybe 24.00 o`clock and we were both very tired and watcing the race not-so-carefully. Suddenly we see Greg Moore crashing to wall and continuening across the track to grass. Few laps ago someone else had just narrowly missed the betonwall inside the oval and I had thought "Oh my god If he`d hit that wall!" Moore run wildly towards the wall, and in a few seconds you could see his head banging like hell as the car was ripped to pieces and rolling awfully in the air. My brother said that he musta been killed in that crash.(but we have seen so many drivers (Diniz, Zonta, Villeneuve) surviving from so horrifying accidents that we didn`t really believe it) It was still a schock to us when they said that he had died in his way to hospital. That says something about Cart cars security, too. In last few years there has been two deaths, the Moore and just little time ago Rodrigues.

[Huw Jenjin]

Isn't a shame that our favourite sport should have death as the ultimate penalty for somebody's mistake?
Whether the mistake was made on the drawing board, the machine shop, in the pits or in the cockpit, the result is just pure physics, the human body can only stand so much.
What is a really gratifying trend, and I hope I never have to watch one again, is the reduction in death by fire.
Like the first writers remembrance of Jim Clarks death, watching Jo Siffert unable to get out of his burning BRM P160 was one when I had seen more of motorsport than i really wanted to.
We have a lot to thank John Barnard for, bringing Carbon monococoques in.

[Xaxor]

You said it very well, RMH. Somehow, every April 7th stirs up strange emotions. The grief has subsided over all these years; now it's kind of a grateful memory of a driver unlike any other. We'll never forget Jimmy Clark.

[Eagle104]

For me it is one of those, "I remember exactly where I was...", type of events. The news litterally 'came to my front door' when my friend, Jerry Ferrari, rushed over with the sad fact. We were teenagers who followed F1(Gurney) closely, and like what was mentioned in Roger's fine post, things just seemed to change from that point on.

And, BRG, no apology neccessary for the delight taken when he 'took' Indy and really put it on the 'World stage'! It will always be one of the best things to ever happen there. I have an interview of Jim where he talks about how he had noticed the increased interest 'over there' with his/their participation and success at Indianapolis.

I know Jim was quickly revered and well-liked 'over here'.

A dear friend of mine, who I have proudly worked with for 24yrs, is Tom Carnegie. He has been the chief PA announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1946. After Jim's win, in 1965, Tom went to Duns where he filmed a half-hour special called "The Flying Scot". It is a very nice 'on location' program which includes interviews with Jim's mother and others close to him, as well as scenes at the Lotus factory with Colin Chapman. Tom, to this day, considers Jim Clark to be one of the finest individuals he's ever known both on the track and off.

I think there may be copies for sale, somewhere. If you ever come across one, do yourself a favor............

It's Good that we Remember the Great Jim Clark.

Eagle104
April 7, 2000

[Martyj]

The video Eagle 104 mentioned, "The Flying Scot" is indeed available. I own a VHS copy. It is included on an hour long tape that also has half hour highlights of the 65 Indy. It is available from a company in Illinois called, I believe, "Sportlight Films." This company sells mostly vintage stock car and Indy 500 videos. I'll try to find the address and do another post.

Tom Carnagie was a sports anchor for one of three local Indianapolis tv stations that each year would film a number of half-hour programs that would broadcast in Indianapolis during the month of the race. A profile of a race winner was typical. One such program I remember (and one which partially spurred my interest in F1 racing) was a special how European Grand Prix racing was changing the face of Indianapolis. They interviewed Stewart, Rindt, Brabham, Hulme, Hill, Chapman and Gurney. I would love know if this film still exisisted, but I doubt it.

[Ray Bell]

For me this particular watershed was passed when Timmy Mayer died. I had spent about an hour with him the previous week, then to walk in to my home to the announcement of his death was a bit of a shock. A year later I was driving to Sandown for practice when we heard on the radio that Lex Davison had died, then in the AGP the following week we saw the death of Rocky Tresize, whom I had been seeing on occasion in the pits, and photographer Robin D'Abrera, to whom I had recently been introduced by Peter Bakalor.
More graphically, I was to be there at the end of that year when two drivers died in separate accidents at Oran Park...
Because I went to so many meetings, it seemed that I was present for all of the deaths... By the time Jim Clark died it was no longer a shock - Bandini had been through his lingering torture, de Beaufort, Bob Anderson and so many others had had their final newspaper mentions. But worse was to come.
The next two years saw Spence, Courage, Rindt, McLaren, Scarfiotti, a seemingly endless string of name drivers, listed as deceased. A friend went through the entry lists of a race a few years old and said one in three were dead!
Stewart's campaign was not without backers, fortunately. He drove for BRM, where Louis Stanley had set in motion the GP Medical setup, and his vendetta against imminent death really started with his crash in the Belgian GP of 1966.
Still we had to lose some greats. Pedro and Seppi, the latter already mentioned as having potentially suffered terribly - as would those watching helplessly..
It seems that some individuals catch the hearts of some that have taken an interest in them and then obtain (I hesitate to say 'earn', but I may be wrong) an extraordinary level of compassion, along with an elevation of their life's value. Clark was one, particularly spurred on by the thoughts expressed by some of his comtemporaries that "if he could die, what chance have I?"
But is any such life a scruple more valuable than each of those 83 from the crowd at Le Mans, the individuals who became a collective number because they were in the path of random debris?
The poor marshal who ran across the track at Kyalami and caused the horrifying death of Tom Pryce... sure he was in error, but he is just as dead. That one does cause me agony, like thinking what it's like to fall out of a plane or not have a parachute open...
But this is really one area where it's good to remember the oft-quoted line: "All men are created equal"

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[desmo]

If it's books and videos you're after here's a source that merits your attention:
www.ewacars.com/w/htmbk.htm

[John Cross]

Jimmy was definitely my favourite driver - I can remember exactly where I was on that awful day. Was it just coincidence that he never raced a 'fag packet' in a GP?

[Ray Bell]

He did, actually. Clark won the Australian Grand Prix at Sandown Park on February 25 with the Gold Leaf livery, which had been put on the car from the week after the New Zealand Grand Prix in January. He ran the 49, designated 49T (for Tasman), seven times in those colours.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[buddyt]

I too remember the day Clark died. As a youth of 16 years and as confused as most are. My heros were the astronauts (remember the space race) and race car drivers. Good role models each. They lived and died bigger than life. I proudly talked about Clark comming to Indy and winning with help from the Wood brothers in the pits (Yes a Nascar fan). 1968 a year of change in so many ways, friends were being sent to Nam, race riots, rock stars O D ing left and right and Jimmy's crash made a young country boy wonder what the hell is going on.

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"Speed cost money, how fast do you want to go?"

[Mike Argetsinger]

The sentiments expressed above say it all. None of us ever got over Jim Clark's death. I think we all thought it could never happen to Jim. He was that good. The following three months were terrible. Mike Spence (who had been Jim's teammate in F1) was killed at Indianapolis in practice in May; Ludovici Scarfiotti (forgive me if I have misspelled his name)who won the Italian GP for Ferrari in '66 was killed in a hill climb in June; and Jo Schlesser was killed in a Honda during the running of the French GP at Rouen (I was at that race which was run in a downpour throughout and won by Jacky Ickx for Ferrari). All four fatalities were on, or within a day of, the 7th of the month. It was indeed a terrible year.

[Tarnik]

As a young fan who never saw Clark in action, Greg Moore's recent death was the most touching and saddening thing to happen while I was a viewer. I remember it exactly-coming inside to see the remainder of the race at a friend's house, seeing the ominous marks heading unwaveringly into that wall, and how ESPN wouldn't play the crash on replay-I knew it was bad. Then the announcement and the tribute; Greg Moore: 1975-1999. How young he was, how talented. And now gone. May Clark, Moore, Villeneuve, and all who have perished at the wheel, rest in peace.

-J. H.

[Falcadore]

As Ray keeps reminding me (almost as much as he reminds Art in the other direction) my youth means that Jim Clark is a collection of images and words to me. Since 1994 however I've never had my own birthday without a thought of the black weekend in Imola. My birthday that year fell on the Tuesday after Imola and I was taping the race because I was out with friends celebrating the imminent advent of 22.

I'd remembered Elio de Angelis, but I was early teen back then and motor sport wasn't as important to me then as it is now or as it was prior to teens. For some reason I hadn't yet heard about Ratzenberger when the gang and I hit the streets that Sunday night. When I awoke hungover on Monday and I was told the news from Imola. The fact that Larini, I guy I'd liked at the time, got podium at last suddenly meant so little. It was in the end the only reason I watched the tape, to see Nicola get that podium.

I remember vividly the worlds reaction to the incident, from Mosely and the FIA's push to chicane circuits around the world (most of which acquired his name, he would have hated that) to the Time magazine cover, to the Brazilian Football side who only weeks later claimed the World Cup and displayed a banner on the field "We accelerate with you" was the loose translation.

Each year on my birthday week I pin on a Williams badge I have in Brazilian colours (coincidental as it's an early 80's badge when Williams' were green). And now Imola is upon us again, although May is still a few weeks off.

[This message has been edited by Falcadore (edited 04-09-2000).]

[rmhorton]

Well I did it again, glanced at my watch, noted the date, and started yet another trip down memory lane.

And always with the same conclusion: what a bloody shame and what a waste.

RH

[mickj]

37 years have passed, it seems that it was yesterday. I remember Jim Clark everytime I see my grandson, his first 2 names are James Clark.

RIP Jim Clark, as RH says what a shame and what a waste.
Mick

[Barry Boor]

Black tie day for me again, (if I can find it, that is...)

[Gary C]

unbelievable....37 years. I'll raise a glass to The Boy this evening...

[MonzaDriver]

Jim Clark; now and forever our model, like a driver and person.

MonzaDriver.

[EDWARD FITZGERALD]

I too remember the day . I was about to head off to an autocross in Cabinteely ( then on the outskirts of Dublin ) when the news came on the radio . my father was the Clark fan , to be different I had others as favourites ,.
The death of Bruce Mc laren really impacted on me . I heard the news on arriving home from school . I was moved to tears, and in more recent times I have done so at Bruces memorial in the goodwood paddock.

[Greatest]

One of those days that makes you stop each year... Nothing can turn back the time, sorry to say. It's not important that a famous person is gone; what's sad is that a great racer and a fine person is gone. Still, let's be grateful of his legacy, what he left behind, the great memories!!! We will remember him! RIP, dear Jimmy!

[Cirrus]

Hockenheim is holding a Jim Clark meeting later this month, and I'll probably be going. From what I've been told it should be quite an event. Let's hope it becomes an essential feature of the historic calendar by 2008.

[swintex]

Just thought I'd mention the BBC News "On This Day" slot has a contemporary news report, and also a link to a short clip of Innes Ireland talking about the accident from Brands Hatch.

Link

[Gary C]

when does that go out?

[Chris Skepis]

On April 8 1968 I was at my grandma balcony when my mother came with a newspaper in her hands shouting " Look Chris, Jimmy is dead...." I was 9 years old and I never forgot it. My mom by then knew every name of every single F1 driver on my account. She had already taken me 36 times to the movies to see MGM Grand Prix. Very sad indeed..

[swintex]

Gary C, it's a BBC online archive of "On this day" news items that is searchable by date, and the current date is normally linked to from the BBC News website, so I suppose, it's "going out" all the time.

[Martyj]

This is how deeply ingrained April 7, 1968 is embedded in my conscience.

A few years back , in 2002, my bank returned a check to me. I was paying some bills on April 7th, and seeing that date made me think of that gloomy day four decades ago. Instead of dating the check 2002 I absent-mindedly wrote 1968! And it was my mortgage payment, too.

I wonder if I misdated any other checks that day that went through?

[Ruairidh]

It's funny how many of us (and others) feel this way. I'll also be raising a glass tonight - both in celebration of a life and in sorrow for a life cut short - way too short.