Jim Clark Tragedy in Hockenheim April 7.1968

[AlexMacIsKING]

@AndyWalkerFS How can you say Jim Clark was nothing??? Jim Clark was EASILY one of the greatest drivers during his time period, just like Senna was. Your a fucking ignorant dick for posting that!

[GregZO6]

The most tragic aspect to this loss, was that Jim Clark was driving this race simply as a favor to Colin Chapman.

Jim Clark...one of the greatest racers, and finest gentlemen to ever grace the world. There will never be another like him...

[chazenlindo]

i love czech girls!!! haha

[TheStevi555]

@We Die Young....JC was thrown 15 feet into the air, breaking his neck hitting a tree..

Sad but true......

Best driver ever to sit in a car....

Always remember this date, RIP JC......

[tomdabom713]

Most respected F1 driver ever.

R.I.P.

[flipsidedogchop]

the original senna!

[AndyWalkerFS]

@flipsidedogchop how can u say orginal Senna stupid cunt was "Senna" nothing was JIM CLARK

[flipsidedogchop]

@AndyWalkerFS Its was a loose reference to their blistering speed in qualifying.....and the race

[scavenom2008]

what language is this?

[leocamel]

czech langue

[TheRealJakeKool]

Need only drive Grand Prix Legends to appreciate their talent

[oldfart4751]

The legend that is Jim Clark! he was my hero, what a loss to F1. Anyone see the 1967 film Grand Prix? the character named Scottie was in my opinion based on Jim.

[storma1]

R.I.P jimmy

[bigpmc]

RIP Jim you were a legend, back whn driving took real skill and courage. Today its so technology based they might as well not have drivers at all, put todays drivers in one of your cars and they would probably wet themselves

[ysgol3]

Does anyone know whether he was thrown from the car, and whether he died immediately ? I don't want to sound inappropriate, I'm a Clark fanatic and just want the full story. The marshall who saw the crash didn't really say much on the dodumentary about Clark, I've read that one of the team, Jim Endruweit, identified his body and said he 'wasn't marked'.

[WeDieYoung1083]

Jim was not thrown from the car.

[BearFlight]

The sportswriters of the time said Clark died instantly, but frankly it was a bit of time between his crash and anyone getting to the remote area of that course to him. At the time, the story was (according to witnesses) that a spectator's pet (dog) got onto the course and Clark moved over to avoid the dog and lost it in the wet.

[BABMEN]

PORRA KD O ACIDENTE?

[ROCKSOLID19]

The footage at 0:51 made me realise how dangerous driving, in general is. Earlier i was doing 170mph on a motorway and 10 minutes later, i sat down at home with a cup of tea. and put the telly on. I didn't even think of what i done. I coul've kill myself or someone else or even worse put someone in a wheelchair permanently, suffer with incontinence and breathing with a tube through their nose which is connected to an oxygen bottle, like Christopher Reeve (original Superman)

[digoclocks]

@ROCKSOLID19

i'm glad for you that you came to your sences. Driving IS dangerous. You're not alone out there and not everyone is capable of seeing the danger.

I was young and therefore stupid and so i drove fast on the roads. When i started racing on circuits i realised one thing: There is nothing to win on a highway !!! So i drove slow on the normal streets. A career you make on a circuit. I've teached that lesson to many kids. I hope they listen to my advice.

[ROCKSOLID19]

It is so easy to get hold of a fast car these days. all that is required is a vast amount of money for a car i got, a tuned Nissan GT-R, or just a diesel Fiesta, which can be modded upto 135mph. its really a piece of piss.

[odracirseraoseia1999]

Next time you're driving don't forget about that. And pay attention to motorcyclists.

[ROCKSOLID19]

Ialways pay attention to bikers, coz im one. I know that there are several dreamers and rubberneckers out there who pocess a license, or none at all.

[rdtli]

no offense;;;but senna is the greatest

[ROCKSOLID19]

Each era orf motorracing have their greatest. Currently i believe Alonso is the best. Remember, hes the one that ended Schumacher's supremacy.

[rdtli]

agree with you but.... no one has rised the level of the sport such as senna did....he is the greatest of all time....no big deal...the drivers voted ...the majority in senna..no one knows more than the drivers mate

[ROCKSOLID19]

@rdtli I also agree with you also, Senna was my hero too. A legend that would never be repeated, like Clark. JC had 9 grand slams in his short career of 25 victories. A record that would never be bettered, unless if Schumacher can do it.

[rdtli]

what do you mean withgrand slams ?

i know that he won the indy 500 ...of course that counts in his curriculum ..and i like him too....but if you count things like this ..mario andretti should be the one to be not forgotten , and in fact , in my opinion he is an underated driver..he won titles in indy and formula one , the indy500 in 69 and the daytona 500 in nascar ...and drove the legendary ford gt 40 to victory in le mans...i think we should consider that ..shouldn t we ? cheers

[ROCKSOLID19]

@rdtli Mario Andretti is a fantastic driver and you are right, he is underated but he leaves a huge legacy in American motorsport. What i meant by grand slam is that Jim Clark had won 9 races in total when he qualified pole, started the race in pole and won in pole, hence a grand slam. A triple hatrick.

[IsaacBickerstaffEsq]

". . .drove the legendary ford gt 40 to victory in le mans..."

Andretti never so much as finished Le Mans in the GT40. He did not drive Le Mans again until coming out of retirement to try to fill that one hole left in his "dance card," which would have put him ahead of Graham Hill in major races/championships of different categories won (as Hill had not won the Daytona 500 or a USAC/CART championship).

In several tries he did manage a second. He won Sebring and Daytona 24, but never Le Mans.

[BearFlight]

Mario is (was) a great driver among many, but he deserves extra credit for his ability to drive just about anything. 1st at Indy & the Daytona 500, World Drivers Champion once, 2nd at the 24 houre LeMans, 2nd at Monaco Grand Prix, 4 time national sprint car champion, Class winner at Pikes Peak, 3 time CART national champion, Co-Drove a SCORE Class 2 Unlimited at the Baja 1000 (3rd in class). (besides; 1,2,2 in the Triple Crown is very good: Indy 500,24hrs LeMans,Monaco GP).

[gcmc2]

@BearFlight Yes, That's why Jim and Mario were my guys. Chapman said they were his absolute top two as well. The Daytona win was very significant because he'd never even sat in one before and he stepped in and one the biggest Nascar event. Mario's my hero as is probably obvious ( even though I'm Scottish ) Jim showed the same huge talent and could have driven everthing too,given time.  It's a shame that Jim & Mario didn't have more track time together. I'm sure they'd have connected.

[Elbrusbase]

@rdtli Não há como provar que Jim Clark foi o melhor. Mas se tem um piloto, um não, dois...Pilotos que não perdem em nada para o Senna, são eles Jim Clark e Juan Manuel Fangio.

[ayrton72]

slava mu

[65bones]

Simply put - "Jim Clark was the greatest driver ever to grace a starting grid."

[gripwing]

negative........

[GeorgeRizov]

Jim Clark was my hero. He was the best of the best. I was completely devasted when I found out he died and I was only 12 years old back then.

[Waitingforriki]

The last guy Jim Clark spoke to was his engineer Dave 'Beaky' Sims..I knew Dave when I lived nr Silverstone in a pub, when I was 11/13 yrs old. He was chief engineer for the Hesketh F1 team by then. A really genuinely lovely man. If anyone knows of his where abouts these days could they please let me know by way of a personal message to my account on youtube? I'd be so grateful as he was very good to me plus I'd love to know how he is..Thanx folks!! RIP Jim, you were the greatest!

[colinbarnett]

The capital J on his tyre which was said caused the puncture which made the car crash from engine parts left on the track from a previous driver, could of been from the angle iron posts at the side of the track.

[ROCKSOLID19]

What do you mean capital letter ''J''???

[colinbarnett]

The capital J was the shape of the cut in the n/s/r tyre tread. In the investigation after the crash carried out by an independant crash report expert which Colin Chapman paid for the tyre could not be re-inflated. The report was not fully released to the public and was kept with Chapman. I was in a position to read the full report some years later.

[colinbarnett]

Clarks problem started before his last race. Jacky Icke crashed into the back of him in Spain a week before the Germam event, the car was repaired on route. Bell did say that Jim Clake said dont get to close behind me when you come to lap me as my car is cutting out intermittently. This was a problem over the weekend as the car keeped breaking fuel injection drive belts. Did the crash happen because of this?

[Nr2003master]

his brakes probably failed going into the turns at the end of the long straightaway

[colinbarnett]

At the point of his crash, brakes were not needed even on a damp track, a slight lift off would only be required. For the last 30 years I have read or seen various accounts, and have come to my own theory based on the events before and on the day of the race, and also my own knowledge as being a lecturer of motor vehicle technolgy.

[piasite]

The newspaper articles from April 8, 1968 say that it was a sweeping 178 MPH right turn, as Colinbarnett suggests, no brakes. Is the one track marshall who saw the crash still alive? Does anyone know the details of his accounting of the events that day?

[yianni1071]

According to the marshall, Jim was weaving about, tyre problem probably. Imagine mansell at adelaide in 1986 but with no run off area and you get an idea of what problem he had, What a shame....

[ROCKSOLID19]

then, motorsport was 'knife slicing throat' lethal and sex was as safe as a piece of cotton wool agaiinst skin. they were all driving lethal weapons with wheels. must admit, racing back then was REAL coz of the dangers. very daring, but drivers did hold back their emotions and alot most probably killed themselves on the track because of it. Just a theory wich can be diusmissed as amn accident. Jim Clark knew deep down that he could be killed anytime on the track, prob didn't see what hit him.

[ROCKSOLID19]

well ther could be a problem with the fuel injection belt, lose fuel, lose power, lose control

[ysgol3]

At 0.25 I think he says 'no engine'. Does this support the theory that the engine, which we know from others was misfiring, cut out then restarted on the straight in such a way that the car was uncontrollable ?

[lamage89]

i thought it was a flat tyre sorry im from New Zealand flat tire down the straight it stayed up from force in cornering it went down and he went of but i would like to hear your version.

[ysgol3]

It's known that Clark's engine was misfiring before the race, Derek Bell, who was in the race, thinks the engine cutting out then restarting may have caused the crash. Clark actually told Bell about the misfire and to steer well clear of him during the race because of the danger.

[spitfireJEJ]

A very great driver and an even greater man. RIP Jim.

[sadothing]

how true

[Waitingforriki]

I'll second that! Graham Hill was another great man on & off the track..I met him a few times & had some lovely chats even tho' I was only 12 or so. Always had time for me & I've never forgotten that kindness & try to treat younger people in much the same vein..He was so special. I was devastated when he was killed in Nov 75'..I still miss him. He was such a gentleman..I was the happiest I've ever been watching a GP when Damon won the drivers championship in 96'..Great memories. RIP Graham..

[ysgol3]

I feel exactly the same, Waitingforriki. I still miss Graham too. I have a peculiar memory of Jimmy Hill being very upset when presenting Match of the Day the night Graham died. I wish, wish, wish I'd met Graham myself, and of course wish even more that he'd gone to Luton to land that bloody plane.

[ROCKSOLID19]

Graham Hill was fantastic, silly man though. A serious racing driver and an expert of making an utter twat of himself. Ha HA! A REAL racing driver though, must agree.

Did you meet him on several occasions before and after Clark's deaths?

During a televised interview when asked if he likes to see Damon behind the wheel, his response was 'No', did you think that Graham believed that motor racing was too lethal for him to see Damon on the track?

[asaluste007]

Racing and safety were two different things in these days.

[MIKE333ACE]

@ROCKSOLID19

WTF is that supposed 2 mean?!

[ROCKSOLID19]

Motorsport was dangerous and sex was safe.