Clark like the most precise pilot of the F1 with back motor could be defined to Jim. This farmer transformed into runner of cars by the unforgettable Colin Champagne stayed faithful to Lotus during all their campaign. Junior began in the formula and arrived at the F1 in which it obtained two world-wide championships.

Jim Clark in the cabin of its Lotus

It is almost impossible to speak of Clark and not to separate it of Lotus 25, that car that Colin constructed especially for him, tells that Jim had to sit down more in the bank of work in the possible stretched position and thus the engineers of Lotus were adding the other parts of the car. Thus the exceptional car was born that added to the ability of Jim made vibrate to the public of years '60. During those years any type of electronic control of the vehicle did not exist, that is to say that the limit was noticeable solely by the pilot, of there the difference that marked Jim at its time, essentially in circuits like Spa-Francorchamps, extremely quick where the precision, in my opinion the supreme quality that it owned, could be unfolded its splendor yet.

The Lotus model 33

After Lotus 25 it had another time of glory, doing to make debut and to win in Zandvoort, Holland, the motor that would mark there as of all a time of the F1, fabulous Ford Cosworth V8. The season of the '67 began almost for Jim in the middle of season, nevertheless lost the championship by very little, which was into the hands of Dennis Hulme. During that same year one of the greatest feats of the F1 took place. The Great Prize of Italy was run, as always in super the quick one drawing up of Monza, Jim released in first row and maintained its leadership during the first returns, until it had to enter boxes with a punctured tire, at that time was not counted on the present technology consequently when rejoining to the track was in the last place, from was born the feat there, one by one all rivals were being behind him, his even coequiper, Graham Hill.

Unforgettable Lotus 49

Needing two returns Clark arrived at the first place, resemblance man effort and machine caused that the Ford motor consumed more fuel of the calculated thing and in the last return before the “estornudos” of the same, escaped to Jim its supreme work to him. Nevertheless, the touching greeting of the public, essentially of that they had the luck to see approach it “the Parabolic” curve, erased to Jim and its equipment the bitterness. When beginning 1968, in the first competition, South Africa, obtained an ample triumph, everything towards supposition that was the beginning of the way to his third championship of the world, nevertheless the destiny tended its mortal trap to him.

In a race of Formula 2 in the dangerous circuit of Hockenheim, its Lotus left track by causes not yet established, but surely mechanical, and the life of Jim crashed against a tree taking with himself.

Clark under rain

Still it is to remember his exceptional passage by Indianapolis where in the year of its debut with the Lotus Ford of rolled minor who roadsters American, was classified second and it did not prevail by that so particular regulation that they own the Americans, since when Jim was going to jump to the end of the competition an unexpected yellow flag neutralized the test finishing the same under those conditions. The following year nobody could stop the “flying Scot” and prevailed in the great test being demonstrated its value in both continents and demonstrating that a true champion of F1 was able to dominate Indianapolis.