He would probably be racing at Alpine now. Would’ve pushed Mick for the 2020 title. This left a lot of what if’s, but u believed in him. Well, RIP Anthoine.
See your point. But you have to know this is a quite common german saying for "All the best". Its origin is in theatre and it is about "ironically" wishing the exakt opposite of what should happen to one another. But yes in this case, it's hard to watch.
Spring 1968 was a real nightmare. Clark, Spence, Scarfiotti and Schlesser would die April 7th, May 7th, June 8th and July 7th. But just like Senna and Ratzenberger, only the greatest one is remembered.
Perhaps it's interesting to an international audience to hear what Kurt Ahrens, the other driver in the interview who had won the Hockenheim GP the prior year, had to say about the events. They had both shared a car from the track to the TV studio (a 1.5h drive) and soon started talking very deep topics, such as family and career planning, Clark was asking about his kids and mentioned that he couldn't contemplate having kids while racing - he seemed surprised to get to know Jim Clark, the big international star, as a very personable and open person who would talk to him, a german amateur, directly on eye level and with such openness and honesty; I think they both were very authentic, humble and gentle characters and noticed that in each other, both far more in the "do" than the "show" or "talk about it" camp, and without the overboarding ego present in other race car drivers - you may notice that about Ahrens, the way he gets embarassed about being called one of the frontrunners for the race; I think it's save to say they have gotten along really well, during the interview he even jumps to Jim's defense for not knowing details about his (competing) car. Well anyways, as they had both just stepped out from training at the track directly to make the scheduled TV appearance (Ahrens had just driven the fastest training lap and was only told there in the studio), so they both hadn't thought to bring cash with them - so they soon found themselves in the unlikely situation of having to convince a gas station clerk that these two penniless, sweaty and probably oil-stained figures were the two-times Formula One champion and the local hero driver on the way to the big prime-time TV interview, and that they would get compensated for the gas later... his response reportedly went along the lines of "ok, sure... if that's Jim Clark, then I'm Cassius Clay!" :) During the race, it was not reported to the other drivers what had happened at all - so he first heard of it when entering the pits after the race; his father came over and was first to tell him - at that moment, he said, his heart stopped. Even today he seems haunted by the realization of having driven by Clark's crash site in the woods next to the track several times, not knowing what happened there. He would never say that himself, but I think that day he also lost someone who could have become a lifelong friend. It certainly influenced his own decision to quit racing altogether, right when he had finally earned a F1 cockpit spot at Brabham.
Jim was killed 6 years before I was born but as time had gone by he has become I just idolise him the more I learn about him. As a driver sportsman and as a gentleman
Thank you for sharing this precious film. I've not seen it before. It's so poignant mindful of the date. Jim is not ultimately comfortable but gives a good account to the interviewer. The magnitude of his loss is huge. Such a waste of life and talent.
I had only seen snippets of this interview before, so it is incredibly moving to get to see the full interview, given what happened the very next day. On that day, with news coming in of Clark's death, an American disc-jockey on a Los Angeles radio station said to his listeners : 'If you a mourning the death of the great driver Jim Clark, put on your headlights'. The whole freeway lit up at midday. Incredible. It gives me a lump in the throat whenever I think of it.
Currently Researching a Different Driver but Never a Waste to Take a Break and Listen to Jim. Compelling Footage of a Driver in his Prime. You are Not Forgotten.
Only 32, he could have been racing well deep into the 70's... very hard to say, Chapman's Lotus cars killed way to many greatests, he would have been probably in the car in which Rindt died too.
Same way Enzo‘s Ferrari did. High speed but less safety. Iam 42, but i like drivers like Jim Clark or Graham Hill or Jochen Rindt were awesome and real man.
He somehow doesn't look right at all on the film and pictures from the terrible following day, but here, despite the feeble and daft presenter he looks about 25 and sounds so happy - I just want to put my hand through the screen and lift him away to safety back here in the UK.
Just realised this is the day before he left us, very upsetting even after all these years. Record Achieved Most races with pole, win, fastest lap, and leading every lap 8 Highest percentage of possible championship points in a season 100% in 1963 and 1965[N 1] Highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season 71.47% in 1963. GOAT by a mile.
Could easily and should have won about 5 or 6 titles in F1 were it not fit his car failing at the last minute. He’d have won the 68 title were he not killed that year.
Kurt Ahrens Jr in this video never raced in Formula One the following years after Clark was killed, Kurt proceeds to only race in prestigious sports cars.
In the Netflix documentary on Fangio, Fangio said he had his 2 big accidents when he was tired. I wonder if Jim’s sharpness to sense something not right, was that little bit dulled by this night time TV appearance so close to the race. Very sad to watch, only read about him, never saw him race. Easily could have been the 62 and 64 champion too. Leading clinching final race when car broke down those 2 years.
