For me the greatest driver of all time, and a true gentleman. He never sacrificed his integrity in order to win, he didn't need to. Senna worshippers and younger F1 fans should take note. His drive at Monza in 67 makes Senna's drive at Donnington in 1993 look ordinary.
Both raced in different times, with different cars, tracks and rules. It's very hard to compare them. But there is one thing, that we can all agree on - both are legends.
25 victories, 33 pole positions, 28 fastest laps, 32 podiums, 2 times world champion and only 72 Grand Prix. And he died at the age of 32 so he coulb be in F1 during 10 years more.... just imagine what he could do if he didnt die... Clearly one of the best ever. RIP Clark.
Jim Clark was my dad's hero. Senna was my hero and we'd always argue about who was better. I visited Scotland and went to Jim Clark's museum in Duns. Walking in, the first thing I saw was a picture of Senna when he visited there to pay his respects to the great Jim Clark. No more arguments between me and my dad!
JIM CLARK - By far the greatest driver ever - no doubt. He is and was the Best of the Best. No other driver in history until today was so superior as Clark. This man is the Olymp of driving - the Michelangelo of racing - a dynamic art at the highest level. So smooth, so precise, so fast....simply out of this world. One, who won in Spa by 5 minutes (!) in monsoon rain with only one hand at the wheel (!) because of gearbox trouble...One, who takes back a complete lap (!) in Monza and back into the lead... One, who took pole on the original 22,8 km Nürburgring track by 9 (!) seconds and more....One who won Indy by 2 whole (!) laps...For eternity and by lightyears unmatched in the sport. That`s just four examples of his mesmeric unique genius...
A nice story involving Clark and Stewart: Monza’s Curva Grande was much more challenging than it is now and Stewart was telling how frightened he was when his throttle stuck open at that corner. When everybody was busy praising his heroics, Clark spoke from behind: “Are you saying, Jackie, that you normally lift off there?”
The Senna fans on here trying to undermine Clark only show their ignorance and a complete lack of respect for what the man achieved in the short space of time he was a racing driver. Senna had some major flaws, like all of us, and questionable ethics about what he was willing to do to win a race. Clark never had to resort to this type of tactic, he was too good!
My dad's favorite driver and who he always said was the best. He was gone before I was born and truly seems like a man to honor. I honor my father and Jimmy, they were born on the same day, and by day I mean the EXACT same day and hope dad has went to meet him in heaven.
All the greats have no bravado, to me Jim Clark will always be the greatest driver ever. My late father was a mechanic with the Ecurrie Ecosse team he always said Clark was the best balanced driver he ever saw.
Jim Clark is my hero as well as a relative, he was my grandfathers first cousin (Also a farmer), my family as his were not in to motor racing at all but my Dad told me how when his Dad was reading the paper at breakfast that announced Jimmys death they were all shocked and Dad said that was the first family loss he had ever experienced and realised things become very silent at that time I think now most of the world felt that way
amazing man. to do what he did at that time in history with suspension & tire technology what it was, and a lotus to boot!! a person like jim comes along 'once' in a lifetime. his equal in my sport would be hailwood. away for 11 years, comes to the isle, and wins the formula race. these men are not of us mortals, born with the 'touch' we can only watch and admire from the fenses.......they were soooo good.............
Thanks Speed for this. Worth remembering Jim Clark for sure. I never met him of course, I was 15 in 1968 and the race at Hockenheim was the first motor-sport event I ever attended. I think of it every year. We didn't realize he was dead until the drive home when it was announced on the english language radio station on the Canadian base we lived on.
I can't be arsed arguing with Senna fans, the fact is that Clark was better and that's that! Clark had a level of humility about him, he had no God complex that Senna had, he didn't feel he had the divine right to win, like Senna did, he just drove any racing car better than any person that I've ever seen. Not only a champion in F1 twice (should have been at least 4 times champion were it not for last minute mechanical failures), but he won Indy 500, won sportscars, Touring cars
Stood where he died, completely overcome (at the last real Hockenheim GP). Have a few friends from his home area involved in the Jim Clark museum. One of my driving heroes.
...why do we have to argue about who is the greatest...why do we have to compare...it does not matter...I have been blessed enough and fortunate enough to have been alive to witness Jimmy Clark and Ayrton Senna...and I still miss both of them to this day....
@clarkanorak Senna asked some painter to make a huge painting for him in which all the Formula 1 greats would be portrayed. Senna had some provisions. Drivers like Stewart, Fangio, Lauda, Ascari and Fittipaldi would be included in the background, but NO Alain Prost. Also Senna wanted Jim Clark to be at the very center of view as if being ahead of the others afterall "He was the best driver ever." Senna's own words. Don't know what happened to that painting or if was ever completed after '94..
Too many Senna fans are seduced by the romanticism and the enshrined imortalisation of Senna because he died in front of millions on tv. Clark died alone in a forest in the middle of Hockenheim,in the days before F1 became the global phenomenon that it has become.I feel a lot of younger F1 fans are completely ignorant of the likes of Clark, Fangio, Nuvolari, etc.Senna was good, yes he is now a legend, but Clark for me eclipses him for a number of reasons, one being what he done at Monza in 1967
@vince065us I am a relative of Jim Clark and I will never forget Jackie Stewart. Jim and him were good mates even shared an apartment together in London, after his death Jackie started the GPDA so he wouldnt lose any more of the friends he had in formula 1 great men both glad one of them is still alive.
I never saw the great man drive as I wasn't born until the early seventies but I've seen footage of him and he could drive anything. Don't forget that he also drove a Lotus Cortina in the British saloon car championship
Add the highest % of podiums in a season. 90% in 1963. Plus Clark never intentionally crashed into another driver to win the title. He should what it means to win honor.
Watch YT vid of Jimmy at Nurburgring in the Lotus 49, so it must have been 1967. Everyone else is taking air and landing all crossed up, but only Jimmy found the right way to send the 49 over the leap with the correct amount of angular momentum so that it rotated to a landing on all four corners, straight and on the power. He made everything look so easy.
Ian Phillips spoke of being at the BOAC 500K sportscar race.Ironically,Jim was to have competed in that race,but had to fulfill a sponser's obligation in Germany.....
@forr3st32 I never knew that Sir Jackie went through so much to promote driver safety.I was only two when Jimmy was killed.He was an icon.God bless you.
vince065us Could today's best have competed with Jim Clark? I think he had a level of ability never seen since in a racing car. When he really needed to call on it no-one else stood a chance. His reputation on and off the track was impeccable. For me the greatest ever, by a margin.
Hockenheim Germany, instead of the one in Mexico right? Must be near Paris France, London England, and New York.... Lincolnshire (a real place 😐....it is near Boston.... Lincolnshire, the original).
Being the best is not the same as being the greatest, for me Senna is today the greatest F1 driver ever and Jim Clark is the best driver the world has ever seen. Both in the same car, track and tyres etc Senna might be on pole but Clark would win every time. People like Schumacher, hamilton and co are not in the same league.
Degeneration x....Clark was the greatest ever! Senna great yes, but poor driving etihics. Clark was the most bad ass F1 driver of them all....even Senna said so.
Was Jim the best driver ever? Hard to say, BUT one thing about racing in the 60s was that drivers had to be out there every week earning a paycheck competing in different series. These days drivers are paid mega-millions and their contracts limit them to one series. So is Lewis Hamilton a better driver than say Jimmy Johnson - we just don't know. But look at Clark - when he went to Indianapolis he was a dominant driver immediately. He probably should have been awarded the win for the 1963 Indy 500 but the 'establishment' didn't want to black flag Parnelli Jones, whose car was leaking oil all over the place.
Jimmy made today's F1 drivers look like a bunch of selfish morons. His best pals were Hill and Stewart who also happened to be his biggest rivals. Today F1 team mates can barely look at each other yet Jimmy would often stay at Hills house for months.
Senna wasn't great. He was legedary. all the f1 and former f1 drivers will agree with me on that. Jim Clark was a master in his time, but he never drove a 1200 hp rocket like those men in the 80's. You have to suisidal to get in a car like that
