Jim Clark died 50 years ago

On April 7, 1968, a frail Lotus 48 bearing the number 1 suddenly left the road, in the water mist of Hockenheim, to wrap itself around a tree. The greatest driver of his generation had just passed away, causing an emotion that would only be supplanted by the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994.

Published on 07/04/2018 à 11:08

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Motorsport has never been as dangerous as at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, when the quest for safety was only in its infancy and technical developments were in constant revolution. Death was part of the game and, however, the disappearance of Jim Clark caused a considerable shock – the equivalent of an atomic bomb, said Jackie Stewart – only comparable to that of Ayrton Senna on May 1, 1994.

Certainly, our sport was less televised in 1968, but in the midst of the car cult, it was no less popular. The Clarks, Stewarts and Beltoises were public figures, known to the man in the street. Especially since the pilots of F1 used to race in other disciplines. For example, these 6 Hours of Brands Hatch in which Clark was to participate at the wheel of Alan Mann's Ford P68.

A fatal misunderstanding meant that, on April 7, the Scot was not in Kent but in Baden-Württemberg to compete for the German Trophy. An event opening the European Trophy F2 with a high-end platform including Ferrari (Amon), Matra (Beltoise, Pescarolo) and Gold Leaf Team Lotus (Clark and Hill)…

Discover the full article on the 50th anniversary of the death of Jim Clark in issue 2159 of AUTOhebdo, available in digital version on all platforms and on kiosks.