I've had a soft spot for the "golden age" of Formula 1 racing that, oddly enough, was triggered by the Papyrus Software racing simulation game "Grand Prix Legends" that was released for the PC roughly ten years ago. I continue to be amazed by the bravery of the men who drove very fast, very fragile, and very dangerous racecars on racetracks that would never ever even come close to today's safety standards.
The man that made the greatest impression on me was the driver Jim Clark. A class act and one of so many who were taken much too early at a time when death on the racetrack was a regular occurence, he IS the benchmark racer for me. What he did with the Lotus 49 (one of the most beautiful F1 cars of the era) in the 1967-1968 F1 seasons and throughout his F1 career or at the Indianapolis 500 by winning with the first rear-engined Indycar or in Lotus Ford Cortina touring cars was absolutely awesome.
Now, forty years on from the tragic racing accident at Hockenheim, Germany in the spring of 1968, F1 and fans remember the great Scottish driver. He died before I was born but even I get a knot in my stomach when I watch archival racing footage.
He's still sorely missed.
Tribute to Jim Clark before the 2008 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
Video tribute to the great Jim Clark
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