Jim Clark Half A Century On...........

[chrisb]

I think there are two editions, the later one I seem to remember is not so expensive, but I can't be sure

I have the later one and it is a good read, Jimmy writes about a number of things, it is years since I read it but two chapters always stuck in my mind, what Jimmy did when he wanted to go faster, which is really insightful and of course the dreadful Italian GP of 61, I must dig it out and catch up with it again.

[Carl]

Dec 20, 2022 21:21:03 GMT chrisb said:

I think there are two editions, the later one I seem to remember is not so expensive, but I can't be sure

I have the later one and it is a good read, Jimmy writes about a number of things, it is years since I read it but two chapters always stuck in my mind, what Jimmy did when he wanted to go faster, which is really insightful and of course the dreadful Italian GP of 61, I must dig it out and catch up with it again.

Chris,

          I recall you previously mentioning that Clark had a method to go even faster.  Please refresh my memory as I've forgotten and can't imagine how Jim Clark could go faster unless he had the secret of warp speed. 

[chrisb]

Carl,

I dragged out my copy of at the wheel, and suddenly remembered I had two copies of this book but can I find one of them, the paperback one, humph, but anyway, Jimmy spoke of when he wanted to drive faster he wouldn't consciously brake later or be more aggressive with the throttle - he would simply concentrate more, and if I could work that one out I am sure my driving may well reach heights mere mortals can only allude to. but sadly I struggle to put into practice Jimmy's golden rule.

Reading through it again I realise just how articulate Jimmy was and ok there will be probably be a ghost writer as well but it is a fascinating insight into how someone deals with some aspects of their lives, certainly more honestly than some era's.

[Carl]

Dec 23, 2022 16:55:12 GMT chrisb said:

Carl,

I dragged out my copy of at the wheel, and suddenly remembered I had two copies of this book but can I find one of them, the paperback one, humph, but anyway, Jimmy spoke of when he wanted to drive faster he wouldn't consciously brake later or be more aggressive with the throttle - he would simply concentrate more, and if I could work that one out I am sure my driving may well reach heights mere mortals can only allude to. but sadly I struggle to put into practice Jimmy's golden rule.

Reading through it again I realise just how articulate Jimmy was and ok there will be probably be a ghost writer as well but it is a fascinating insight into how someone deals with some aspects of their lives, certainly more honestly than some era's.

Thanks Chris,

                       It's not surprising that when the greatest driver of modern times concentrates, he has far greater depth from which to bring forth extra speed.  He was remarkably modest as well, unlike many today.

-Carl

[René]

The ability to concentrate exceptionally well, often at the level of a chess grandmaster, can be seen in all the greats of this sport. That is training to a certain extent, but a good intelligence is certainly also a 'must'.

[mikael]

A great (although not too sharp/clear) photo of Jim Clark in the Lotus 30 (1964 Goodwood TT), borrowed from MotorSport Magazine.

[chrisb]

what a brilliant picture, it was such a shame that the 23 was so successful and the 30 so miserably not, and Colin clearly not learning from his mistakes with the 40 - as per Richie Ginther,

[mikael]

Yes, it was a pity that the idea of a Y-chassis (or "pickle fork" backbone chassis), which had worked so well for the Lotus Elan, didn't work (in reverse) for the Lotus 30. But Chapman loved the basic idea, apparently, as it was used also for the Lotus Europa (just in the form of the Lotus 30, i.e., a Lotus Elan "in reverse".). (Thanks to late JC for many educational discussions on this topic.)

But the light space frame of the Lotus 23 really was the way to go at that time (before the idea of an aluminium monocoque chassis had been coined) - that was proved by Porsche over and over again. It even worked extremely well with the large and relatively heavy engine of the Porsche 917.

Lotus 30

Lotus Elan

Lotus Europe

Lotus 23

Porsche 906

Porsche 908

Porsche 917

[mikael]

Again an excellent photo, which I hadn't seen before - again a loan from MSM.

Mexican GP, 1967

... and one more, from the same event (and not from MSM)

[Carl]

Jan 28, 2023 13:00:16 GMT mikael said:

Again an excellent photo, which I hadn't seen before - again a loan from MSM.

Mexican GP, 1967

... and one more, from the same event (and not from MSM)

Those photos are both super cool, Mikael, the first of Jim Clark entering the hairpin and (I'm guessing) the second as he countersteers while exiting the same corner. 

Notice the exhaust pipes are at slightly different angles... 

"At 2:30pm the revs, rose and with a double wave the flag was dropped. The double wave caused Clark to hesitate a moment so his engine did not pick up and Gurney, right behind, ran the nose of his Eagle over the Lotus exhaust pipe, bending this, puncturing his own radiator and damaging the glass-fibre nose. With an almost stalled engine, Gurney threw up an arm and the field swept by him."  -Denis Jenkinson (December 1967 Motorsport)

[mikael]

A Road & Track article from Sept. 1967, about the (then) new Lotus 49.

[Carl]

Mikael,

           Thank you for pleasantly jarring my memory!  Having read and absorbed every issue of Road & Track (sometimes several times) for four decades from the mid-60s, I immediately recognized the great artistry of Werner Bührer. In my youth, enthusiasts were spoiled by Road & Track, Sports Car Graphic and Car and Driver, all excellent with great content and writing.

Cheers, Carl

Attachment Deleted

a-e.li/lifestyle/werner-buhrer/

[René]

Love those drawings and thanks for the link, Carl! 

I did a lot of illustration work a long time ago and also drawings of race cars (of course  ) and at one stage even dreamt of making a profession out of it. But that's not that easy. Ah well, I can not complain.

[mikael]

Yes, an interesting link indeed (which I missed at first). Thank you, Carl :-)

[chrisb]

I managed to find a book on Jimmy that quite honestly I had forgotten about, a lovely book by Bill Gavin, who was friends with Jimmy and really gives a brilliant insight as to why Jimmy was so successful and why he was so quick, the other thing was it was published in 1966/67 before the Cosworth and before the tragedy in 1968: , definitely a book worthy of any bookshelf

the other point Bill made was just how successful Graham would have been had it not been for jimmy