Jim Clark was a legendary British racing driver from Scotland who dominated Formula One from 1960 until his untimely death in 1968. He won two Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles with Lotus and, at the time of his death, held several records, including most wins (25), pole positions (33), and fastest laps (28). Clark’s versatility extended beyond Formula One, notably winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, becoming the first non-American to do so in nearly five decades. Clark is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | James Clark 4 March 1936 Kilmany, Fife, Scotland |
Clark’s racing career began with road rallying and hillclimbing in Scotland, but he made his name in sports car racing with the Scottish team Border Reivers. In 1958, Clark competed in national-level sports car races, driving a Jaguar D-Type and Porsche 356. During this time, he first caught the eye of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. Racing a Lotus Elite for Border Reivers in 1959, Clark finished second in class at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Clark’s association with Lotus began in 1960 when he joined the team to compete in Formula Junior and Formula Two. He made his Formula One debut that year, driving for Lotus in the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix. He quickly showed his potential by scoring his first podium finish four races later in Portugal and finishing third overall at Le Mans.
In 1962, Lotus introduced the revolutionary 25 chassis, and Clark took his maiden Formula One victory at the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix. He followed this up with wins at the British and US Grand Prix, finishing the season as runner-up to Graham Hill. The following year, 1963, was a breakthrough season for Clark. Driving the Lotus 25, he won a then-record seven Grand Prix, securing his first World Championship title in dominant fashion.
Clark continued to be a dominant force in Formula One throughout the 1960s. Despite winning more races than any other driver in 1964, reliability issues with the Lotus 33 prevented him from retaining the title, and he finished third overall. In 1965, however, Clark bounced back with a record-breaking six Grand Prix wins to secure his second World Championship. That same year, Clark triumphed in the Indianapolis 500, becoming the first non-American winner since 1916.
The introduction of the 3-litre engine formula in 1966 saw Lotus initially struggle, and Clark managed only one win during his title defence. However, the Lotus team benefited from the new Cosworth engine the following year, and Clark won four Grand Prix in 1967, although reliability issues again prevented him from challenging for the championship.
While leading the 1968 World Drivers’ Championship, Clark tragically died in a Formula Two race at the Hockenheimring in Germany. At the time of his death, he held multiple Formula One records, including most race wins (until 1973), pole positions (until 1989), and fastest laps (until 1989). Clark’s record for most “grand slams” (pole position, fastest lap, and leading every lap of a race) remains unbeaten in 2024, with eight to his name.
Success Outside of Formula One
Clark was more than just a Formula One driver. He achieved significant success in other motorsport disciplines. In American open-wheel racing, Clark’s win at the 1965 Indianapolis 500 with Lotus marked a historic achievement as the first non-American victor in nearly 50 years. He was also dominant in touring cars, winning the British Saloon Car Championship in 1964 with an undefeated record. Clark excelled in the Tasman Series, a popular winter series in Australia and New Zealand, winning titles in 1965, 1967, and 1968, with a remarkable 15 victories in 32 starts. He also competed in rallying, entering the Rally of Great Britain in 1966.
In 1965, Clark made motorsport history by winning four major championships: Formula One, the Tasman Series, and the French and British Formula Two championships, making him the only driver to win multiple championships in a single season alongside a World Drivers’ Championship.
Clark was eventually inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Jim Clark Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1960–1968 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Lotus |
| Entries | 73 (72 starts) |
| Championships | 2 (1963, 1965) |
| Wins | 25 |
| Podiums | 32 |
| Career points | 255 (274) |
| Pole positions | 33 |
| Fastest laps | 28 |
| First entry | 1960 Dutch Grand Prix |
| First win | 1962 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1968 South African Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1968 South African Grand Prix |
Jim Clark Teammates
| 18 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innes Ireland | 13 | 1960 | 1961 |
| Alan Stacey | 2 | 1960 | |
| Ron Flockhart | 1 | 1960 | |
| John Surtees | 3 | 1960 | |
| Trevor Taylor | 19 | 1961 | 1963 |
| Willy Mairesse | 1 | 1961 | |
| Peter Arundell | 17 | 1962 | 1966 |
| Mike Spence | 16 | 1963 | 1965 |
| Pedro Rodriguez | 6 | 1963 | 1966 |
| Gerhard Mitter | 3 | 1964 | 1966 |
| Walt Hansgen | 1 | 1964 | |
| Moises Solana | 5 | 1964 | 1967 |
| Geki (Giacomo Russo) | 2 | 1965 | 1966 |
| Piers Courage | 1 | 1966 | |
| Graham Hill | 12 | 1967 | 1968 |
| Jackie Oliver | 1 | 1967 | |
| Eppie Wietzes | 1 | 1967 | |
| Giancarlo Baghetti | 1 | 1967 |
Race Wins
| No. | Race |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1962 British Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1962 United States Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1963 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1963 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1963 French Grand Prix |
| 7 | 1963 British Grand Prix |
| 8 | 1963 Italian Grand Prix |
| 9 | 1963 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 10 | 1963 South African Grand Prix |
| 11 | 1964 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 12 | 1964 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 13 | 1964 British Grand Prix |
| 14 | 1965 South African Grand Prix |
| 15 | 1965 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 16 | 1965 French Grand Prix |
| 17 | 1965 British Grand Prix |
| 18 | 1965 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 19 | 1965 German Grand Prix |
| 20 | 1966 United States Grand Prix |
| 21 | 1967 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 22 | 1967 British Grand Prix |
| 23 | 1967 United States Grand Prix |
| 24 | 1967 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 25 | 1968 South African Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WDC | Points1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Team Lotus | Lotus 18 | Climax FPF 2.5 L4 | ARG | MON | 500 | NED Ret | BEL 5 | FRA 5 | GBR 16 | POR 3 | ITA | USA 16 | 10th | 8 | ||
| 1961 | Team Lotus | Lotus 21 | Climax FPF 1.5 L4 | MON 10 | NED 3 | BEL 12 | FRA 3 | GBR Ret | GER 4 | ITA Ret | USA 7 | 7th | 11 | ||||
| 1962 | Team Lotus | Lotus 25 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | NED 9 | MON Ret | BEL 1 | FRA Ret | GBR 1 | GER 4 | ITA Ret | USA 1 | RSA Ret | 2nd | 30 | |||
| 1963 | Team Lotus | Lotus 25 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | MON 8 | BEL 1 | NED 1 | FRA 1 | GBR 1 | GER 2 | ITA 1 | USA 3 | MEX 1 | RSA 1 | 1st | 54 (73) | ||
| 1964 | Team Lotus | Lotus 25 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | MON 4 | NED 1 | BEL 1 | FRA Ret | GBR 1 | ITA Ret | 3rd | 32 | ||||||
| Lotus 33 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | GER Ret | AUT Ret | USA 7 | MEX 5 | ||||||||||||
| 1965 | Team Lotus | Lotus 33 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | RSA 1 | MON | BEL 1 | GBR 1 | NED 1 | GER 1 | ITA 10 | USA Ret | MEX Ret | 1st | 54 | |||
| Lotus 25 | Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 | FRA 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 1966 | Team Lotus | Lotus 33 | Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 | MON Ret | BEL Ret | FRA DNS | GBR 4 | NED 3 | GER Ret | 6th | 16 | ||||||
| Lotus 43 | BRM P75 3.0 H16 | ITA Ret | USA 1 | MEX Ret | |||||||||||||
| 1967 | Team Lotus | Lotus 43 | BRM P75 3.0 H16 | RSA Ret | 3rd | 41 | |||||||||||
| Lotus 33 | Climax FWMV 2.0 V8 | MON Ret | |||||||||||||||
| Lotus 49 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | NED 1 | BEL 6 | FRA Ret | GBR 1 | GER Ret | CAN Ret | ITA 3 | USA 1 | MEX 1 | |||||||
| 1968 | Team Lotus | Lotus 49 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 1 | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | 11th | 9 |
