Calling all 60's racing fans--Why does Jim Clark get the cold shoulder?

[ELVA164]

So I think this is the right subforum for this...

Every time I watch an F1 race these days, I'm forced to listen to another commentary about Sebastian Vettel's domination, whether it's just the car or not, comparisons to other greats, etc. That's fine, but what bothers me about these discussions (and discussions about the best F1 drivers in general) is they almost all seem to leave the great Jimmy Clark out of the equation.
I get that he didn't get as many total wins or championships as some other drivers, but if you take the whole picture into account I find it very hard to dismiss him as anything but the best. If not for embarrassing reliability in his F1 Lotuses, he almost definitely would have won four consecutive World Championships. In his day, he was considered a grade above everyone else, even in F1. He raced anything he could get his hands on, and generally kicked ass right off the bat! I remember reading a story one of the mechanics on his winning Indy 500 team shared: "We had to make sure to pull him in every few laps because after 3, he would have adapted to anything wrong with the car and we'd never know to fix it!"

Anyway guys, what are your thoughts on this? Am I off my rocker? Sorry for the rant but it really bugs me.

[QUKBMER]

Sir Jim Clark is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.You are not crazy bro,people over look him because he's name isn't Schumacher or Senna.

[ELVA164]

I mean I'll try to stay kind of impartial just in case anyone else here cares to chime in, but one of my favorite things about him was that he could just....do what he did. He didn't train forever, he didn't give up his life for racing, he just drove better than everyone else. He requested that if anything happened to him, his headstone read "Here lies Jim Clark, sheep farmer and Formula 1 World Champion." I think that about says it.

[Roysneon]

Sir Jim Clark is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.You are not crazy bro,people over look him because he's name isn't Schumacher or Senna.

Not trying to take anything away from Clark in any way, but the only reason people know the names Schumacher or Senna is because of their greatness. Their reputations are not undeserved.

I really don't know too much about racing history being a younger guy who just recently got into grand prix and sports car racing, but I've alwyas admired the guys who raced everything and anything, especially back in the day when drivers would race NASCAR, F1 and Indy all in a single season!

[QUKBMER]

That is kinda what he did (less the nascar). He was very good at what he did and did it very well with style and grace. He wasn't an asshole or have a big chip on his shoulders or anything like that. You could go down to the local pub and toss back acouple with him. He was very meticulous about the preping of his racecars. Gentleman racecar driver.

[gearheadE30]

That is kinda what he did (less the nascar). He was very good at what he did and did it very well with style and grace. He wasn't an asshole or have a big chip on his shoulders or anything like that. You could go down to the local pub and toss back acouple with him. He was very meticulous about the preping of his racecars. Gentleman racecar driver.

I'd imagine this is the reason right here. Not a whole lot of controversy surrounding him, and he wasn't all that polarizing.

[QUKBMER]

I mean I'll try to stay kind of impartial just in case anyone else here cares to chime in, but one of my favorite things about him was that he could just....do what he did. He didn't train forever, he didn't give up his life for racing, he just drove better than everyone else. He requested that if anything happened to him, his headstone read "Here lies Jim Clark, sheep farmer and Formula 1 World Champion." I think that about says it.

Yes that does about sum's it up.

[QUKBMER]

I'd imagine this is the reason right here. Not a whole lot of controversy surrounding him, and he wasn't all that polarizing.

Is this the reason why people maybe remember jackie stewart more than him? Because he was the reason why track prep/ safety and track medical personel and more marshall's and the way cars were being built was taken into consideration more for the drivers own safety. There was alot of front page news about that and it wasnt in the sports section alone either. Is this just one of the things your talking about besides track side fights and being a playboy off the track as well?

[ELVA164]

I guess that is a good point about there not being anything controversial about Clark aside from the accident that killed von Trips and a bunch of spectators at Monza. (It was 0% his fault but he was the other car involved). But I think the fact that nobody really disagrees about how talented he was should only increase his stock in the "best drivers" comparisons. Schumacher and Senna were and are really, really good. But they got a lot of their results using frankly dirty, overly aggressive driving. Clark won more than a third of all F1 races he entered, and lost quite a few due only to how fragile the Lotuses were then. He did all of that without putting anybody else in danger or doing anything another driver would consider untoward. And like QUKBMER alluded to, he also won in rallying, touring cars, endurance racing, and won the Indy 500 (which he should have won twice, and at his first try).

Another great example of his talent is his first race in the Lotus 49 at Zandvoort. He had literally never seen or sat in the car due to living outside England, and despite that he only needed a few laps to learn the car and then drive it much faster that Graham Hill, who had done all the development work on it. It was impossible to even set the car up for him because he had no time for input.

[QUKBMER]

I know its not the same driver,but Scooter Patrick a very good personal friend of my dads. How often do you here his name brought up? Check his history in auto racing.

[QUKBMER]

I just found out about this fundraiser,it passed by already.He has parkinson's really bad,its so sad he can't fly his plane anymore.

[ELVA164]

That's quite the resume he has there, I'm sorry to hear about his health issues.

[SkiFree]

I have never noticed Jim Clark to be an afterthought. Some of the footage out there off him is incredible. But given the publicity-driven aspect of the sport I think Gearhead has hit the nail on the head.

[ELVA164]

Speaking of footage, I bet another reason there aren't many specials and things about him is the fact that racing was only just beginning to get televised and recorded when he died. Most of his footage comes from 8MM home video and occasional tv spots, aside from the one (and only :( ) onboard shot of him in the Lotus 25. It's a lot easier to show the audience how someone drove than try to describe it.

[QUKBMER]

I dont know if you have seen it,but there was a bio on him on speed or velocity channel. I forgot which channel it was but it showed his life history with interviews including his personal mechanic and other personal, friends and family. It was really moving to watch.