Jim Clark Trivia Quiz

Answer: March 4th, 1936

James Clark was born on March 4th, 1936 to a farming family in Kilmany, Fifeshire, Scotland.

Answer: Mercedes-Benz CL500

Jimmy joined the Border Reviers' team in 1958 after impressing in hillclimb events in 1957. He won 12 races with the D-Type and had many successes with the Lotus Elite between 1958 and 1962.

Answer: Lotus

Jimmy joined Lotus in 1960 after taking an offer from Colin Chapman, the designer of Lotus cars. Jimmy would never drive anything else in F1 besides a Lotus.

Answer: Zandvoort

Chapman was planning on only racing Jimmy in Formula Junior events in 1960, but when realising he had a major star on his hands, almost immediately Jimmy was given a seat in the F1 squad. Jimmy would impress by running a spectacular fifth on his debut only for him to retire with gearbox problems.

Answer: Wolfgang von Trips

Unfortunately for Wolfgang, after colliding with Clark (no fault of Clarks or von Trips), Wolfgangs car was sent into the spectator area. Eleven spectators were killed while Wolfgang was also killed when thrown from his car in a tragic accident. And it was not the only tragic accident Jimmy witness - at Spa in 1960, Jimmy witnessed the death of his team-mate Alan Stacey and another young British driver, Chris Bristow. Jimmy would end that race with a blood-spattered car, and almost walked away after that race.

Answer: Spa-Francorchamps

Despite his deep hatred for the place after the events of 1960, Jimmy won the 1962 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps, his first Grand Prix victory, and would subsequently win the Belgian GP in 1963, 1964, and 1965.

Answer: 73

Clark would set a record of 73 points after wins in Belgium (Spa), Holland (Zandvoort), France (Reims), Britain (Silverstone), Italy (Monza), Mexico (Hermanos Rodriguez) and South Africa (East London). It would set a record for most wins a season (7), a record not beaten until Alain Prost equaled it in 1984. Jimmy also set a record for most points in a season and the points record would not be beaten until Alain Prost beat it in 1985.

Answer: 6

Jimmy won 6 races in 1965 and would also wrap up his second World Championship. He won in South Africa (East London), Belgium (Spa), France (Clermont-Ferrand), Britain (Silverstone), Holland (Zandvoort) and Germany (Nurburgring). However, after Germany, Jimmy's luck deserted him and he failed to finish another race.

Answer: 33

Jimmy would take 33 pole positions in his career, his first coming at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix and his last coming at the 1968 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.

Answer: Ford

Colin Chapman had persuaded Ford (in partnership with Cosworth) to build a Formula One engine after Clark's impressive showing at Indianapolis from 1963 to 1965. The Ford DFV was not even tested before the 1967 Dutch GP, yet the engine stayed reliable and Clark took an historic win. The Ford DFV would become the most successful engine in Formula One history.

Answer: 1967 Mexican GP

Jimmy's second last victory was in Mexico in 1967 with the dominant Lotus 49-Ford. His last race win would be in South Africa at the beginning of 1968.

Answer: 5

Jimmy would win the British GP 5 times - 1962 at Aintree, 1963 at Silverstone, 1964 at Brands Hatch, 1965 at Silverstone and in 1967 at Silverstone - and all for Lotus.

Answer: 1965

Jimmy would first compete at the Brickyard in 1963 and would finish second in a rear-engined car against the front engined 'Roadsters' which dominated American racing at that time. In 1964, Jimmy suffered tyre problems and was not competitive. However, in 1965 on his third attempt, Jimmy won the Indianapolis 500 easily against feeble opposition. Lotus would change the face of Indianapolis as they introduced the rear-engined car to the American establishment.

Answer: One time

Amazingly, Jimmy would only finish second once in his entire career of 71 races - he won 25 times or had the bad luck to retire. He finished in second place at the 1963 German GP at the Nurburgring.

Answer: Hockenheim

In an insignificant Formula 2 race, Jimmy was racing a Lotus through the thickly wooded track when it is thought that his tyre deflated. Jimmy then lost control of his car because of the deflation and his car cannoned off into the trees at around 120mph.

The engine and gearbox was torn off the car while the cockpit hit the a tree amidships. Jimmy lost his life almost immediately. On hearing of the incident later, Chris Amon would state 'If it could happen to him, what chance did the rest of us have? I think we all felt that.

It seemed that we'd lost our leader.' Colin Chapman, meanwhile, was devastated by his loss and would never become close to another driver.