April 7, 1968

Fifty years ago today we lost Jimmy Clark in a F2 race in Germany.  Like some others here, I'm old enough to remember it - I was a huge fan of Jimmy's, even met him once, briefly, at the Glen at the USGP in 1966.  Even though this was the period in which we lost a driver or two each year, Jimmy always seemed untouchable, he was so smooth and so fast, it just couldn't happen to him.  When it did, it made every driver cringe, because it brought home to them that no one was immune.  Back then there was almost no F1 coverage in major US newspapers, but IIRC, the New York Times had a short announcement on page one, with most of a full page on his career in the sports section, unheard of back in the day.  His very good friend Sir Jackie Stewart wrote memorial essays on the ten and twenty-year anniversaries of Jimmy's passing, and Colin Chapman broke into tears when presented with flowers by an air attendant on his way home to England.  Dan Gurney was told at Jimmy's funeral by Jimmy's father that Dan was the only driver Jimmy feared.  It was a sad, sad day for motorsports, and I still remember the shock clearly.  We've come a long way in safety since then, much due to Sir Jackie's campaigning.  We should all be thankful, but we should all (especially us old codgers) take a moment and remember one of the all-time greats (some would contend the greatest).  I got to see him drive three times at the USGP at the Glen, 1964 (? or 1963), 1966 and 1967, two wins and a third after starting a lap behind the field due to a flat battery.

We miss you Jim.  Scotland the Brave, indeed.

Thank you for taking the time to post this.

I remember watching Senna hit the wall and knowing it was seriously bad.  Same with Earnhardt.  Watched some in car RS500 footage with Tiff Needell - scary how naked the driver looks in the skimpy seat even as Tiff talks about the 'beefy' roll cage. 

How many F1 champions have won the Indy 500?  

Along these same lines, check out this video of the Belgium Grand Prix from 1955. It's a well-done film and really illustrates just how casual safety was back then.

ncjay said:

How many F1 champions have won the Indy 500?  

Four.  Jimmy was the first, though. Or is it three?  Did Villeneuve win the 500?

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Yes Jacque Villeneuve won it in 95.

Five - Clark, Andretti, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Villeneuve.

nutherjrfan said:

scary how naked the driver looks in the skimpy seat even as Tiff talks about the 'beefy' roll cage. 

I was watching an in-car video of a McLaren Can-Am car last night, and was struck by how open and exposed the driver was in those things.

I hate the look of the halos in F1,but thank God the safety advances have been made.  Every race we see today has accidents that would have been fatal 35 years ago.  Danger will always be a part of racing (and should be, up to a point, otherwise it encourages crash-em races), but drivers should be more protected than in the old days.  Remember in those days, not only were drivers exposed, look at "roll bar" heights, and remember that until the late 60s, there were no fuel cells to help limit fire danger.  Drivers were literally sitting in thin walled fuel tanks, with no real protective clothing, no meaningful rollover protection, and until the mid 60s, no safety harnesses in European events, including F1.  Circuit safety was also nonexistent, both for drivers and spectators.  When I went to the Glen for three F1 races in the sixties, spectator control was by snow fences maybe 50 feet from the track.  The drivers who risked their lives to compete at the top of the sport in those days were very special.

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

50 feet is pretty good, watch the 1955 video I linked to above and you'll see it was frequently more like 10 feet back then. Not sure who it was more dangerous for, the drivers or the spectators.

It was horrible when we lost Dan Wheldon a few years ago.   That incident shook the racing world, mainly because fatalities are so uncommon these days.   Racing used to be deadly serious business.  

Whenever I enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I can feel those lost at the track.  The place really is hallowed ground.   Consider this sobering statistic......

Deaths at Indy--- 57

Nurburgring--- 48

Monza---- 30

LeMans (drivers)-- 27

Daytona---- 24

The vast majority  of these deaths happened before 1980.  Fortunately fatalities are the exception rather than the norm at races these days. 

Thanks for posting this Jim!    My only knowledge of Jimmy  Clark comes from documentaries, books, and old magazines.   He was the best of his era--- and seemingly a very well liked guy.   Drivers in those days seemed to have a tighter-knit community--- maybe it was because death was always knocking at the door.