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Post by charleselan on Dec 16, 2017 17:00:40 GMT
I came across this beautiful image of Jim & Dan in their respective Lotus 29's at Indy in 1963 and was struck by many things looking at the photo. Firstly I had forgotten how beautiful the Lotus 29 was, so delicate for an Indy car and wonderfully styled. I immediately thought of Gordon Murray's recent comment about the beauty of the original Lotus 25, and the same applies to the 29, a simply gorgeous looking race car. Secondly Jim is seen in this and some other photos wearing a plain silver Bell helmet with white peak, not his usual dark blue one. I wonder what the story is with this; could it be that he forgot to bring with him his normal dome, or did Bell tell him they were providing a new one for him in America, and did not realise his colours were blue?  |
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Post by Carl on Dec 16, 2017 18:40:12 GMT
Wonderful time capsule! Here is another photo of Clark with his normal helmet during practice. I wonder if another was tried because of turbulence at speed. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by charleselan on Dec 16, 2017 21:22:27 GMT
Wonderful time capsule! Here is another photo of Clark with his normal helmet during practice. I wonder if another was tried because of turbulence at speed. Carl, That is a possibility. Also I have just thought that Jimmy wore his Bell helmet in GP's that year without a peak, something he adopted after the 1962 Belgian GP where the high speed and the lay down driver position created the effect of his head being forced back. Up to that point he was wearing a helmet not manufactured by Bell, probably European by make and the peak was typical of the time in Europe, held in place by a strap around the helmet and tape. It is after Belgium that Jimmy appears to have changed his helmet manufacturer to Bell, or maybe after he went to Indy for the first time. The pictures subsequently show him wearing a peak-less Bell helmet in GP's until 1964 when he adopted the snap on peak as fitted to Bell. So therefore that silver Bell might well be him trying one out for the first time. Do you think I may have Sherlock Holmes worried  . John Charles |
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Post by René on Dec 16, 2017 23:19:51 GMT
Wonderful time capsule! Here is another photo of Clark with his normal helmet during practice. I wonder if another was tried because of turbulence at speed. For one second I thought there was a sound horn on the back of the Lotus to improve the engine noise! Chapman, always ahead of his time. |
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Post by Carl on Dec 16, 2017 23:25:46 GMT
John Charles,
Your ability to detect the overall truth of a situation may well have drawn his attention, especially if you suspect, as Holmes would, that the dapper man lurking behind Clark may be Moriarty.
"Come Watson. The game is by wheel!"
"I'll call a Hansom cab"
"No. These wheels are preternaturally fast. They appear to be wheels on fire / Rolling down the road / Best notify my brother Mycroft / This wheel shall explode!"
"I'll keep the home fire burning and focus on Mrs Hudson's alluring smile..."
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Post by charleselan on Dec 16, 2017 23:39:27 GMT
John Charles, Your ability to detect the overall truth of a situation may well have drawn his attention, especially if you suspect, as Holmes would, that the dapper man lurking behind Clark may be Moriarty. "Come Watson. The game is by wheel!" "I'll call a Hansom cab" "No. These wheels are preternaturally fast. They appear to be wheels on fire / Rolling down the road / Best notify my brother Mycroft / This wheel shall explode!" "I'll keep the home fire burning. I noticed an alluring smile from Mrs Hudson..." The plot thickens Carl. For the man I bought my house from in France was named Moriarty! |
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Post by chrisb on Dec 17, 2017 9:31:08 GMT
wonderful chaps, I do know that Indy was the reason for the yellow stripe - green being considered unlucky at Indy, but I am going to research the change of helmet JC, I do recollect seeing something about sponsorship or Ford asking for this but it is so vague I will check
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Post by charleselan on Dec 17, 2017 13:18:34 GMT
Just to illustrate the helmet worn by Jim Clark prior to Indy 1963 here are two photos of him in early 1962. A glorious shot of him at Monaco and a very interesting one at Zandvoort. The later is quite unusual and shows how close the press photographers could get in those far off days. Both shots show him in the very early incarnation of the Lotus 25, with full rear body work fairing around the gearbox; a truly lovely looking car.   JC |
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Post by chrisb on Dec 17, 2017 22:49:31 GMT
wonderful photo's JC, on facebook there is a group of Jimmy fans and some of the photo's are astonishing and wish they could be collated - my favourite ones of close-ups of Jimmy racing are mainly when he is sticking two fingers up at the photographers, and laughing at the same time, I mean, who could do that and win?
oh, incidentally JC, I think I have found out what sort of top-speed the 1.5ltrs F1 cars reached and i think it is around 175-180mph, but would love to be proved right or wrong here, and if that is the case, 180 mph at Spa - in something that a crosswind could blow you into the trees must have been somewhat testing for the nerves I think
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Post by charleselan on Dec 18, 2017 21:33:34 GMT
wonderful photo's JC, on facebook there is a group of Jimmy fans and some of the photo's are astonishing and wish they could be collated - my favourite ones of close-ups of Jimmy racing are mainly when he is sticking two fingers up at the photographers, and laughing at the same time, I mean, who could do that and win? oh, incidentally JC, I think I have found out what sort of top-speed the 1.5ltrs F1 cars reached and i think it is around 175-180mph, but would love to be proved right or wrong here, and if that is the case, 180 mph at Spa - in something that a crosswind could blow you into the trees must have been somewhat testing for the nerves I think Apparently there were photographer friends of Jim that he used to play up to during a race; the two finger gesture was one and the sticking out of tongue was another. The speeds you quote for those little 1.5 litre F1 cars would be about correct Chris, and that is a fair lick for fragile little contraptions like them. I loved those cars but sadly many then and now deride them for being low on power which is ignorance in the extreme. They were difficult to get the best out of and someone like Jimmy could do that; it is not always down to power, just as David proved in biblical times  . |
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