cars, livery... whatever it is, circuits... I always
think: “What would Jimmy think here? What
would Jim Clark have done there?” He’s still
the main man for me.
F1R: Nigel, do you have quite that idealised
notion of Jimmy or do you see him differently?
NR: Everything Peter says makes sense to me,
though oddly enough whenever I think of Jimmy,
DOPRVWWKH¿UVWPHHWLQJWKDWFRPHVEDFNWRPHLV
in a way the least likely. In April 1964, there was
a national meeting at Oulton Park and I got there
on race day, early in the morning, and went into
WKHSDGGRFNEHFDXVHRIFRXUVHLQWKRVHKDOF\RQ
GD\V\RXFRXOGSD\DTXLGDQGEX\DSDVV
There was nowhere for drivers to hide in those
days – no motorhomes, not even any caravans
DQGDV,ZDONHGLQMXVWDERXWWKH¿UVWWKLQJ,VDZ
was the reigning world champion standing there
wearing his cardigan – the famous cardigan that
he quite often used to drive in sometimes. He
KDGWKDWXQGHUDELJDQRUDNVLQFHLWZDVELWWHUO\
cold and he was just standing in the middle of
the paddock talking to some fans. They were
REYLRXVO\TXLWHRYHUZKHOPHGE\WKHIDFWWKH\
were talking to Jimmy Clark, and why not?
A lady there was saying to Jim: “Now Jim,
ZRXOG\RXOLNHVRPHWHD" ́,UHPHPEHUWKDW
clearly. And Jimmy said: “Oh yes please!” So the
ZRPDQSURGXFHVDÀDVNIURPKHUEDJXQVFUHZV
the top, pours tea into it – this was utterly
VXUUHDO,VWRRGWKHUHDQGZDVVSHOOERXQGE\KLP
You know, Jimmy Clark? Is this Jimmy Clark?
7KDWZDVWKHGD\,JRW-LPP\¶VDXWRJUDSKEXW
,FRXOGQ¶WTXLWHEHOLHYHLW7KLVLVWKHJUHDWHVW
driver on Earth and I’m standing here with
three other people on a freezing cold Saturday
PRUQLQJLQ&KHVKLUHDQGQRERG\HOVHLVDURXQG
:K\LVQ¶WHYHU\ERG\KHUHWROLVWHQWRZKDWKH¶V
got to say? It was completely surreal.F1R: <RX¶YHREYLRXVO\ERWKZDWFKHGDQGNQRZQ
a lot of great racing drivers through your decades
ZULWLQJDERXW)RUPXODVRZKHUHGRHV-LP
Clark stand, for you, in a list of all-time greats?NR: Well I know where he’ll stand with Peter! But
,JXHVV,¶YHJRWWKLVWKLQJDERXW6WLUOLQJ0RVV,
WKLQNEHFDXVHZKHQ,VWDUWHGJRLQJUHJXODUO\WR
UDFHVE\WKHQ)DQJLRKDGUHWLUHGDQG6WLUOLQJ
was the man. And there’s an element of when\RX¿UVWIDOOLQORYHZLWKLWWKRVHPHPRULHVVWD\
with you most acutely. So for me, Stirling has
DOZD\VEHHQWKHJUHDWHVWGULYHUZKRHYHUOLYHG
7KDWVDLG,¶YHQHYHUVHHQDQ\ERG\EHWWHUWKDQ
-LPP\&ODUN±WKDW¶VIRUVXUH,FDQUHPHPEHU
I went to a lot of races during Jimmy’s career. I
saw him race and win a lot. I knew in those days
that Jimmy Clark was going to win again and it
QHYHUERWKHUHGPHLQWKHVOLJKWHVW
I can’t really tell you why, except that, well,
RIFRXUVHKH¶VJRLQJWRZLQKH¶VMXVWEHWWHUWKDQ
everyone else and that’s the end of it. In those
GD\V&KDSPDQEXLOWJUHDWFDUVEXWWKHUHZHUHQ¶W
KXJHGLIIHUHQFHVEHWZHHQWKHPDVWKHUHDUHQRZ
so I think that made the driver more important
than he is today.Clark’s final win came at the
1968 South African GP, in a Ford
Cosworth-powered Lotus 49: ASHLEIGH HARTWELL. OTHER PICTURES: LAT ARCHIVE; SUTTON IMAGES