Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait - Book review by Maggie Woods

“One of the greatest racing drivers
ever, Jim Clark OBE was born in 1936
in Fife, Scotland, and died on the
Hockenheimring, Germany, in 1968,
at the age of just 32. Jim Clark:
A Photographic Portrait marks the
40th anniversary of the tragic accident
that ended his life and follows the
career of this icon of Motorsport with
carefully selected black-and-white
and full colour images...”

WHILE INTERVIEWING JIM CLARK, Peter Windsor once asked him if it was possible for him to have a life in motor racing. The racing driver responded: "Anything's possible. Just give it everything you've got. If you really want to work in motor sport you will do it. Never give up." And Jim followed his own advice — even after a major accident during qualifying at the Nürburgring in 1961, he recovered to finish fourth in the Grand Prix of Europe.

Regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, Jim Clark won 25 Grand Prix from his 72 championship starts. He had an amazing ability to drive and win in all types of cars and in any type of racing. His sideways performances in a Lotus Cortina, in which he won the 1964 British Touring Car Championship, proved his astonishing car control — and not only was he a GT champion, a Tasman champion and an Indianapolis 500 champion; he had also claimed honours at Le Mans and came close to winning the 1966 RAC Rally of Great Britain.

Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait is full of wonderful images of this modest and very private young man — a farmer back in his native Scotland — who only took up motor racing as a hobby. And some hobby it was! With his extraordinary, natural talent he was never going to be just another player. Once he'd harnessed that talent and honed it, he began his serious career as a racing driver.

When he'd decided on a course of action, he didn't talk about it; he just did it. In the 1963 French GP, Jim was far from confident as practice began. In his own words: "Things didn't look good, so in practice I began to experiment and form my racing plan." In common with Lewis Hamilton, Jim didn't think twice about playing around with the car at times when it didn't matter.

There is a terrific black-and-white photograph of Jim Clark sharing a joke with Graham Hill (father of Damon) in the pit lane at Rouen-les-Essarts during the French Grand Prix meeting — something that smacks of friendly rivalry; a moment of relaxation in a world where your life depends upon your ability to hit the ground running.

Jim raced only with one Formula 1 team — Lotus — collaborating with its innovative founder Colin Chapman to transform it into the best in the business. Nearly invincible in the car, he seemed vulnerable out of it and was always a reluctant hero.

Robbed of championships when his cars let him down as he was leading the final Grands Prix in both 1962 and 1964, Jim Clark was the Formula 1 World Champion only twice — in 1963 and 1965. Had he been provided with more reliable equipment, he would probably have won the title five times in six seasons.

He led almost twice as many miles as the eventual champion in 1967 — a year in which he produced a performance at Monza that almost defied belief. Yet it was on 'driver circuits' that he truly excelled. He loved the streets of Monaco, but never won on them. And although he detested Spa-Francorchamps, he won there four years in a row. Few champions were as dominant and fewer still are remembered so fondly.

Check out the brilliant photographs. A fabulous colour image on page 113 evokes the atmosphere and the action; the photograph on pages 118/9 shows Jim passing the railway station during the Monaco Grand Prix and a great black-and-white image on pages 130/1 shows the atrocious weather on the seven-mile Solitude circuit near Stuttgart where Jim took the lead in his Lotus 33, followed by John Surtees in a Ferrari 158 and Graham Hill qualified third.

Feel the speed: Page 146 shows Jim in 1965 in saloon car racing in his 1965 Lotus Cortina (this car changed hands for almost £137,000 at auction in December 2007); and page 166/7 shows Jim charging through Cascades in the 3-litre, H16 BRM-engined Lotus 43 during the 1966 Oulton Park Gold Cup.

Jim Clark seldom ever made a mistake and had very few accidents — which made his sudden death all the more difficult to understand. On April 7, 1968, his Lotus had a tyre failure in a F2 race at Hockenheim in Germany and he was killed. The racing world was in shock and many felt the heart had gone out of the sport. Aged just 32, Clark was at the peak of his formidable powers and had earned the deepest respect and admiration of all his peers.

I really got sucked into this fantastic book for both the historic figure of Jim Clark and the feel of the exciting, innovative 1960s. Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait is a piece of Motorsport history and gives you a great sense of knowledge about the man — his ambition, his personality, his achievements and his embarrassing moments.

A wonderful and fitting tribute to one of the greatest racing drivers the world has ever seen — the sorely-missed, World Champion Motor Racing Driver, Jim Clark. Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait has a detailed introduction and reminiscences by Peter Windsor; photographs that capture the mood of the time from LAT and meticulous photo-commentaries by Quentin Spurring.

• Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait is out now in hardback, from Haynes Publishing, and is available at all good bookshops at an RRP of £30.00. ISBN: 978 1 84425 469 9.

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