Jim Clark: six decades of a magical 1965

Written by Lorenzo Baer, edited by Rohan Brown

In a career built on great achievements, it's hard to choose a moment that better sums up Clark's talent than the 1965 season | Credit: ANEFO

DIVEBOMB Motorsport pays tribute to one of the greats of the sport, the “Flying Scotsman” Jim Clark. In the 60th anniversary of his greatest season, we provide readers with a special on the driver's remarkable achievements in 1965 across a number of different series and tournaments.

Intro

It's true that some drivers have had truly memorable years in their racing careers: how can we forget Lewis Hamilton in 2014 with 11 wins, three second-place and two third-place finishes, which earned him a foothold on the podium in 16 of the 19 F1 races contested that year.

Or the nearly unbeatable Schumacher-Ferrari duo in the 2004 F1 season, when the driver achieved no less than 13 wins in 18 events. These are certainly spectacular results, demonstrating the genius of these drivers in the pinnacle of global motorsports.

However, even more memorable performances can be found by going back a few decades in time, and one of them will turn 60 in 2025. The milestone was achieved by Scotsman Jim Clark, considered one of the finest drivers of the history, under the badge of Team Lotus during an outstanding 1965 season.

The story Clark forged that year is remarkable not only because of Jim's undisputed walk

towards the F1 title, his most well-known achievement that year, but also of the little-remembered fact that the “Flying Scotsman” attained an almost unimaginable string of triumphs throughout the year in other categories.

Despite being involved in several categories in 1965, Clark, not even for a second, lost focus on his goals during the year | Credit: Jim Clark Trust

These would be victories in single-seaters, open-wheelers, sports and saloon cars, driving a plethora of machines and culminating in an incredible mark of 26 overall victories and a dozen podiums throughout 1965. 

Other incredible records can be also attributed to Clark that year, such as three Grand-Slams in F1 Grands Prix and three victories achieved on the same day, driving three different cars: the Lavant Cup, St. Mary's Trophy and the Sunday Mirror Trophy - all in Goodwood’s Easter meeting in April '65. 

These feats remain as the summit of Scotsman’s career, demonstrating once more the pilot’s versatility to the world and completely astonishing the few remaining critics of his talent, who still attributed much of the driver’s fortunes in previous years to the mechanical side of the pilot and car combination. 

It would be impossible to detail all of Jim Clark's triumphs throughout 1965 in the limited space of this article, but we tried our best to summarize in the following lines some of the driver's key performances during that unforgettable season.

Formula One

Clark started 1965 with a ‘bang’: a victory on the first day of the year at the South African GP | Credit: Jim Clark Italian Fan Club

Appearances: 13*

Overall Wins: 8* 

Win Ratio: 61.5%

Cars: Lotus 25 and Lotus 33

It's no surprise that the category Jim Clark had focused most on in recent years would also be the one in which the Scotsman would reap some of his greatest glories during 1965. In F1, from the very first race of that season, Clark and Lotus seemed like the duo to beat.

And the streak would begin on New Year's Day 1965, with the South African Grand Prix (GS)**, the official season opener. Clark would deliver a superb performance, easily outperforming his rivals from Ferrari, Cooper, Brabham and other favorites for the year.

But this would be just the first act, with Clark subsequently claiming victories in the Belgian, French (GS), British, Dutch and German (GS) Grands Prix, results that easily propelled Jim Clark to the 1965 world drivers’title. 

To top it all off, the driver would also claim two victories in non-championship F1 races during the year: the XIV Gran Premio di Siracusa (Italy) and the Sunday Mirror Trophy (United Kingdom).

Formula Two

Lotus team leader Colin Chapman was not only Clark's boss but also a great personal friend, always present to share the successes and failures of the Scottish driver | Credit: Goodwood Estate

Appearances: 9

Overall Wins: 5 

Win Ratio: 55.5%

Car: Lotus 35

At a time when F1 drivers also made regular appearances in grassroots series, it's no surprise that Clark also left his mark in F2, a category he held dear. During 1965, Clark raced in F2 for Ron Harris, the official partner of Team Lotus in the category. 

And despite facing fierce opposition, including from some of his F1 rivals and other upcoming talents, the “Flying Scotsman” proved once again solid in his performances, winning two national titles in the category that same year.

The first would be the Trophées de France (French F2), in which Clark would snatch the top spot in three of the four races: the XXV Grand Prix Automobile de Pau, the XIII Grand Prix de Rouen and the XXIV Grand Prix d'Albi.

Next would be the Autocar F2 Trophy (British F2), which would add two victories to the final tally: the XIII London Trophy and the II British Eagle Trophy.

Tasman Series

It's hard to understand today how an off-season tournament was something important in F1, but the Tasman Series was a huge event at the time and which drew huge media coverage | Credit: Lotus Cars

Appearances: 9*

Overall Wins: 6*

Win Ratio: 66.6%

Car: Lotus 32B

Another single-seater category that Clark would highlight in 1965 was the Tasman Series – a prestigious interseason tournament at the time – which was held annually in Australia and New Zealand, during the summer months of the southern hemisphere.

Using a special type of Formula (2500cc versus the then-standard 1500cc of F1), the championship could be considered an “F1 championship with steroids”, offering a bit more freedom regarding adjustments and solutions. This invariably attracted top names in motorsports, who enjoyed this type of alternative format.

For Clark, this meant a chance to expand his trophy cabinet early in the year - and it didn’t take long for this cabinet to receive its new additions - victories in Levin, Wigram and Teretonga (New Zealand), as well as Warwick Farm (Australia). This helped him to easily secure the Tasman Series trophy - his first overall title of the year. 

And to round it up, Clark also claimed two victories in small non-championship races during the tournament. First, the “Flying Farewell” at Levin, and then the Lakeside "99."

British Saloon Car Championship (BRSCC)

Clark, aboard a Lotus Cortina, listens to Chapman's final advice before the start of a BRSCC event | Credit: Gentleman Drivers

Appearances: 6

Overall Wins: 3

Win Ratio: 50%

Car: Lotus/Ford Cortina Mk1

In addition to single-seaters Jim Clark was also an accomplished touring car driver, particularly in the Lotus Cortinas specially prepared by team Lotus for the British Saloon Car Championship (BRSCC). In 1964 he was the undisputed champion of the discipline, hoping to repeat the feat in 1965.

However, the “double” was not to be achieved due to Clark's commitments in other categories, which ultimately hindered a more consistent BRSCC campaign - with the Scotsman missing a significant number of races.

But that didn't stop Clark from achieving individual victories in the competition, such as the St. Mary's Trophy (overall win), Anerley Trophy (Class C win) and the International Gold Cup (overall win).

Clark's two overall victories in the BRSCC were impressive feats in themselves, given that he had to fend off the Ford Mustangs equipped with 4728cc engines (while his Cortina had a 1594cc one), that were beginning to dominate the British series.

Sports Cars (BRDC/BARC/SCCA)

Sports Cars were far from being Lotus's finest products, but Clark still took these vehicles to triumphs in 1965 | Credit: Goodwood Estate

Appearances: 7

Overall Wins: 2

Win Ratio: 28.5%

Cars: Lotus 30 and Lotus 40

Sports cars were also on the Scottish driver's radar during 1965, with Clark having the opportunity to drive these vehicles in a handful of races held primarily in the United States and United Kingdom.

Despite not achieving much success in this category in the USA, largely due to the inherent problems of the Lotus 30 and 40 (considered some of the worst cars ever produced by the Hethel-based manufacturer), Clark managed to perform superbly with these vehicles in the British Isles. These appearances would culminate in two victories in BARC/BRDC events: the Senior Service 200 (Silverstone) and the Lavant Cup (Goodwood). 

However one of Clark's greatest results in the category during the year wouldn't be a victory, but a second-place finish at the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. 

Considered by experts to be one of the most impressive race grids in history, with multiple Formula One, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans winners, Clark saw the victory slip through his fingers just for a few seconds, finishing the race second behind the American Hap Sharp.

Sports Car Club of America Saloon Races

One must think what Ford and the SCCA had to offer Clark to get him to compete in the almost unknown 3h of Sebring | Credit: Lotus Cortina Fan Club

Appearances: 1

Overall Wins: 1

Win Ratio: 100%

Car: Lotus/Ford Cortina Mk1

Returning to saloon cars, but not quite, we must mention a special race Clark participated in in March. Known as the Marlboro 250 (officially the Sebring 3 hours), the event was sanctioned by the SCCA and served as a warm-up for the traditional 12 Hours of Sebring.

Clark had been invited to attend as a special representative of Ford of America. The Scottish driver was the event's biggest international star - who obviously with the approval of Colin Chapman, as he saw the event as at least an opportunity to publicize the Ford-Lotus partnership.

Faced with competition that was far from the most qualified, Clark had no difficulty putting on another spectacular performance. Carefully driving the Cortina backed by Lotus and Ford, the driver secured another victory ahead of his teammate Jack Sears.

United States Auto Club (USAC/IndyCar)

The great jewel in Clark’s 1965 crown was certainly the long-awaited victory in the Indianapolis 500 | Credit: IMS

Appearances: 1

Overall Wins: 1

Win Ratio: 100%

Car: Lotus 38

Despite numerous titles and victories throughout the year, perhaps the most iconic moment of 1965 for Clark and Lotus occurred in May at the renowned Indianapolis 500.

Since 1963, Clark had seen his attempts to secure the Borg-Warner Trophy, the ultimate symbol of achievement in the race, frustrated: that year, Clark finished second, and in 1964, only 24th.

But 1965 promised a different outcome. Clark and Lotus embarked on a long and meticulous preparation process for the race, which involved testing sessions since March, with the team departing en-masse for the United States in late April.

This meant a rift with F1 itself, something that didn't sit well with the category's stewards. In protest, Colin Chapman, head of Lotus, decided to decline to participate in the Monaco Grand Prix, focusing exclusively on the Indy 500.

And the strategy paid off: Clark would have an exemplary race, leading almost from start to finish. The 500 Sweepstake finally belonged to the Scottish driver, further enhancing the legacy of that fantastic 1965.

* Counting championship and non-championship races/victories

** “GS” stands for Grand Slam, when a driver scores the pole, win, the fastest lap, and led every lap of a race