07.04.1968

wombat666

Administrator
<!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> 72 Grand Prix.
33 Pole positions.
25 Victories.
28 Lap records.
World Champion, 1963 and 1965.
Indianapolis 500 winner, 1965.
And so much more ......!

It was raining on April 7, 1968 at Hockenheim.
The event was a minor Formula 2 race on an ordinary (for the time) circuit.
'Gold Leaf Team Lotus' were present at the 'request' of a sponsor.
The Lotus 48s were not showing well.
There were no witnesses to the incident.
Graham Hill, following in a distant ninth position, noticed tyre marks veering off into the woods bordering the circuit.
His team-mate was already beyond help, his Lotus having collided broadside with a tree.
While the cause remains unknown, it is generally accepted that a deflating tyre left the rim, pitching the Lotus sideways into the trees.
The driver had just celebrated his 32nd birthday and his 25th F1 Grand Prix victory.
It was the only occasion in Jim Clark's life that speed got the better of him.

I missed him then and still do so today.
Jim Clark, the greatest of them all.

:scotland:
 
Another great career tragically cut short.....:frown:

On a bit of a sidenote, I read in a book where Jim Clark said that Dan Gurney was the only driver he truly feared....
 
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