Mercedes at Silverstone
31/05/13
British World Champions
Digital Community
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But just catching up on Murray Walker news. From everyone at Motor Sport, we wish him all the very best to beat this.
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Formula Student podcast special on F1 2014 went well. Andy Cowell from Merc, James Allison from his garden (!) & Gordon Day from Williams.
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RT @FormulaStudent: @FormulaStudent: @Ed__Foster kicking off the debate on the future of #motorsport with @FormulaStudent @Motor_Sport http…
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We're hosting a @FormulaStudent event tonight with some key #F1 engineers, all recorded for our next podcast! motorsportmagazine.com/race/events/th…
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Today it has been my privilege to talk to Sir Stirling Moss, John Watson, Chris Amon and @MrDerekBell What a way to earn a living.
Latest issue
July 2013
90 years of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Lunch with Anthony Davidson, Britain’s first ever Grand Prix victory
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It is quite wrong that John Surtees has been overlooked for a knighthood. As a 7 times World Champion in one sport and then change to another with similar success, he should be included among the “greats”. The problem is that he did all this before the current bunch of politicians and “gong choosers” were born – all they can think of is football players and pop singers.
MotorSport should lead a campaign to right this wrong.
Jim Clark without doubt gets my vote, I saw him several times in the sixty’s at Goodwood, Silverstone and Crystal Palace each time he dominated with ease in all the types of cars he drove on the day . He became my hero then and remains so today, motor racing has never been quite the same since.
I like to think that lewis hamilton is a moden day Jim Clark and paring with Jenson Button is similar to Jim Clark and Graham Hill when they were togther at Lotus.
A great gallery and I agree with a previous correspondent it is about time that John Surtees was given a knighthood (unless he has been offered it of course and he turned it down – one to ask him at the dinner later in the year perhaps). Although I admire Stirling Moss immensely and he had the talent and skill, etc, to be world champion, he never was, so his inclusion here is a bit of a ‘blooper’ isn’t it?
just the best and a nice man i met at the age of 12 and the 21
Lewis Hamilton a modern day Jim Clark? Give me a break. Clark would never pull a big sulk after winning a pole, he had far too much class for that.
Jim Clark in my opinion has to be the greatest of all British world champions. His partnership with Colin Chapman and Lotus elevated him to be well nigh unbeatable.
He also seemed to be a really nice guy, and stardom didn’t go to his head.
In the present day fame tends to spoil superstars, Jim Clark just got on with the job and helped others. Everybody should some time in their lives visit his room in the museum in Duns in the Scottish Borders to see his wonderful collection of trophies and then they will appreciate how great a driver he really was..
Just got the Brit Champs issue here in the States. No doubt, no hesitation – Jim Clark was the best. The fastest in whatever he drove, he would have been 5 times world champion if not for mechanical failures and 6 times if he would have lived through ’68. Indy – he would have won it at least 3 times instead of once but for politics and mechanical. All that, plus a gentleman and modest human being. Please don’t mention Jim and Hamilton together, Hamilton is the anti-thesis of Jimmy Clark.
If my memory serves me correctly (doubtful at my age) Tony Rudd in his autobiography rated Stewart above Clark as the latter sometimes had ‘off days’ but the former always delivered ‘more than 100%’ -or words to that effect.
Jim Clark, without a doubt. Anyone who saw him perservere with the Lotus 30/40 saw wonderful car control, with no hope for the win, as at Mosport, in ’65.
Jim Clark has to be the greatest World Champion of all time.
Not jjust because of his sublime talent and his ratio of
F1 wins to starts but because his talent and his success
covered all branches of motor sport. And mostly because
he did all this and earned himself the respect of all his
contemporary F1 drivers and the gentlemanly way in which he did it all. Then perhaps I have a right to be a bit biased
as his first wins were in the Border Reivers team I managed.
For me there will never be anyone to hold a candle to Jim Clark. My parents took me to Oulton from an early age and I was lucky enough to see him race there in the Spring Cup and Gold Cups in a variety of cars and he was always wonderful. Reading comments from those who knew him he seemed to have a lovely character which just adds to his majesty. My abiding memory is of seeing him in a Lotus Cortina (’65 or ’66) arriving later than the rest on the warming up lap at Lodge corner and appearing into my view from the dip totally sideways yet in a perfect drift, obviously just for the hell of it! This 6 year-old was captivated, even yelling out ‘well held!’ to the amusement of adults around. Magical memories of the best there will ever be.
what a difficult choice for favourite British world champion,but aren’t we honoured to have so many great drivers to pick from. my interest in motorsport began at age 15 in 1962 so i only saw sir.stirling race briefly,but would still vote him the best of all.jim clark and jackie stewart were truely great and worthy champions, is it not ironic therefore that so many of us should choose the one person included in the vote who never actually won the title.may i reccomend a good novel,based on fact,concerning the war exploits of william grover-williams and robert benoist,with a good dose of motorsport from the pre war period thrown in for good measure.”early one morning”,written by robert ryan,is excellent.monaco is indeed tacky,just as nigel roebuck suggests.that it has survived whereas other great circuits have perished or been mutilated cannot be right.
I´m Portuguese, born in 1965. About the British F1 World Champions that i saw racing (Estoril), i vote on Nigel Mansell, who was incredibly unlucky in 1986 and 1987, but smashed all competitors in 1992. And went on directly winning the 1993 Indy car championship! I just loved the “Brave Heart Red Five”! For the others of the 60´s and 70´s, i think that Jim Clark was of another galaxy, only to be lately compared to Ayrton Senna, absolutely awesome driving skills!
For people of my generation, there can be only one choice for Greatest Driver, world champion or not. I have had the great pleasure to watch Sir Stirling Moss race at many circuits and in many types of car, and I can say that I have found every minute breathtaking to watch. I have had occasion to meet and to talk with him and found him charming and unassuming. I was at Goodwood on the day of his career-ending accident, and have missed watching him perform ever since. Thank goodness I saw him when I did. Surely, The Greatest.
Tony Rudd in his autobiography says that Jim had “Off days”.
OK name one?
My vote is for, who else, Stirling of course, I was there in 1948 and the very sad day in 1962, The only “Champion” that never was, but in his to short career he gave all of us so much entertainment in the most professional way that was just Stirling.
My vote goes to Jim Clark. I saw him race in Germany in 1960
and I never saw anyone else just take off and leave the whole field behind. I still get choked up thinking about him. What a gentleman too! It’s amazing the way he could drive a F1 & F2 car so much faster than anyone else and be so smooth doing it.