Misplaced Pages

Thundersports Series

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#397602

132-590: The Thundersports Series was a domestic championship which took place in mainly at Brands Hatch ran circuits, for prototype sports cars and also featured cars that were eligible for Can-Am and Group C 2 racing. To bring some real excitement, noise and spectacle back into British motor racing, after the demise of the British Formula One Championship , the BRSCC invented Thundersports. The new series had its debut on Easter Monday 1983 and

264-593: A Lotus Elite , Clark finished second-in-class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 . Clark made his formula racing debut the following year in Formula Junior , winning the championship ahead of reigning seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion John Surtees . After immediately impressing in Formula Two , Clark was promoted to Formula One with Lotus for the remainder of the 1960 season alongside Surtees and Innes Ireland , making his debut at

396-515: A Lotus Elite , he finished second to Colin Chapman in a ten-lap grand touring race at Brands Hatch . Driving a Lotus Elite, Clark finished tenth at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans ; he partnered with John Whitmore and the ex- Bruce Halford Lister Jaguar, winning the Bo'ness Hill Climb . Chapman was sufficiently impressed to give Clark a ride in one of his Formula Junior (FJ) cars. In March 1960,

528-473: A grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts many British and International racing events. The venue is owned and operated by Jonathan Palmer 's MotorSport Vision organisation. Brands Hatch offers two layout configurations. The 1.198 mi (1.928 km) "Indy Circuit" layout is located entirely within

660-599: A 2-litre Coventry-Climax engine in the Lotus 33 , Clark did not score points until the 1966 British Grand Prix and a third place at the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix . From the 1966 Italian Grand Prix onwards, Lotus used the highly complex BRM H16 engine in the Lotus 43 car, with which Clark won the 1966 United States Grand Prix . He also picked up another second place at the 1966 Indianapolis 500 , this time behind Hill. During 1967 , Lotus and Clark used three completely different cars and engines. The Lotus 43 performed poorly at

792-515: A 3.8-litre Jaguar Mk II ; the German pairing of Peter Lindner and Peter Nöcker in another Jaguar from a Mini-Cooper driven by John Alvy and Denny Hulme , a New Zealand mechanic employed by Jack Brabham. The Club Circuit had six meeting during 1962, and witnessed the coming of Formula Junior. At the Easter Monday meeting, a Formula Junior race saw the lap record tumble to 55.6secs and

924-592: A 3.9-litre Oldsmobile -powered sports car. During the Lombank Trophy Race of 27 December 1965, held at Brands Hatch, driver George Reid Crossman was killed during the last race of the Formula 3 season. [race day program] With the Grand Prix not due back at Brands until 1966, they promoted a non-championship Formula One race to be known as Race of Champions sponsored by Daily Mail . The race

1056-407: A Grand Chelem, of which there had been 66 in total. Clark's record is that he had the most races taking pole, fastest lap, race win, and leading every lap, achieving this eight times in a 32-race span over three years (the 1962 British Grand Prix , the 1963 Dutch Grand Prix that he won by more than a full lap, the 1963 French Grand Prix , the 1963 Mexican Grand Prix , the 1964 British Grand Prix ,

1188-490: A century to win the race. In 1963 and 1965 , Clark equalled Alberto Ascari 's record for the highest percentage of possible championship points in a season (100%). Leading 71.47% of the laps in 1963, Clark long held the record for the highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season and only lost it in 2023 to Max Verstappen . He still holds the Grand Chelem record; as of July 2023, only 26 drivers had secured

1320-426: A circuit by a group of Gravesend cyclists led by Ron Argent, with the permission of the local farmer and landowner, Harry White. Using the natural contours of the land, many cyclists from around London practised, raced and ran time trials on the dirt roads carved out by farm machinery. The first actual race on the circuit was held in 1926, over 4 mi (6.4 km) between cyclists and cross-country runners . Within

1452-477: A continued diversification at BRSCC meetings with fewer 500cc events and more sport-racing machinery. The Kentish 100 was the biggest event yet run at the circuit for Formula Two with two 42-lap heats and attracted a truly International field. Formula Two featured at other meetings but at the August Bank Holiday meeting, Formula 3 proved that it was not yet dead as it was run as the feature event for

SECTION 10

#1732793528398

1584-420: A deflating rear tyre. Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow F1 drivers and close friends, such as Hill, Surtees, Amon, Jackie Stewart , Dan Gurney , and Jack Brabham , all being personally affected by the tragedy. People came from all over the world to Clark's funeral. Colin Chapman was devastated and publicly stated that he had lost his best friend. The 1968 F1 Drivers' Championship

1716-416: A fearsome competitor right from the start. On 16 June 1956, in his first event, he was behind the wheel of a DKW sonderklasse at Crimond , Scotland. By 1958, Clark was driving for the local Border Reivers team for Ian Scott-Watson, racing Jaguar D-Types and Porsches in national events, and winning 18 races. On Boxing Day 1958, Clark raced against the man who would launch him to superstardom. Driving

1848-517: A few laps of retaining his World Championship crown. Just as in 1962, an oil leak from the engine robbed him of the title, this time conceding to John Surtees . Tyre failure damaging the Lotus's suspension put paid to that year's attempt at the 1964 Indianapolis 500 . He made amends and won the Championship again in 1965 , and also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 in the Lotus 38 . He had to miss

1980-492: A few weeks later when the circuit saw Formula Two cars performing in the Kentish 100 with a hard-fought win over Dan Gurney ; both were driving Lotus-Climaxes, Clark's was a works car and Gurney's a private entry. Soon after, the track was sold to Grovewood Securities Ltd. , and John Webb put in charge of Motor Circuit Developments to manage the circuit. This was the year of the new 1.5-litre Formula One and on 3 June 1961,

2112-453: A few years, motorcyclists were using the circuit, laying out a three-quarter-mile anti-clockwise track in the valley. They also saw the advantage of competing in a natural arena just a few hundred yards from the A20 , and with the passage of time, a kidney-shaped circuit came into use. The first motorcycle races were "very informal" with much of the organisation being done on the spot. Initially,

2244-579: A great deal of criticism, and it was agreed that a three-year programme of major safety modifications around the track would be commenced before the start of the 1972 season. The 1972 season was a particularly busy one, with Formula One visiting twice for the Race of Champions on 19 March sponsored by Daily Mail and the John Player-sponsored British Grand Prix on 15 July (bearing the title European Grand Prix), while

2376-595: A lap down in a similar car. The first Alfa home completed the podium, was the 33TT3 of Rolf Stommelen and Peter Revson . And so to July, 76-laps of the Grand Prix Circuit adds up to just a few hundred yards over 200 miles which Emerson Fittipaldi completed in 1hr 47:50.2secs (108.67 mph (174.89 km/h)), driving the John Player Special Lotus-Cosworth 72D , from Jackie Stewart ( Tyrrell-Cosworth 003 ), Peter Revson in

2508-536: A life-size statue of him in racing overalls stands by the bridge over a small stream in the village of his birth, Kilmany in Fife. The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum can be found in Duns . The Jim Clark Trophy was introduced in the 1987 season and for drivers of cars with naturally aspirated engines but was discontinued after turbo-charged engines were restricted in 1988 and dropped for 1989 . The now Jim Clark Memorial Award

2640-543: A mixture of races, including, for the first time at Brands, saloon cars. This was also the year the Brands grew up, running Formula One cars for the first time on 14 October. Initially, a long-distance race was planned, but in the end a 15-lap race was run which attracted four work entries from Connaught (B-Types for Archie Scott Brown, Les Leston, Jack Fairman and Stuart Lewis-Evans) opposed by privately entered Maserati 250Fs driven by Roy Salvadori and Bruce Halford and

2772-406: A natural amphitheatre offering spectators views of almost all of the shorter configurations from wherever they watch. The 2.433 mi (3.916 km) "Grand Prix" layout has played host to several Formula One Grands Prix, including those with moments such as Jo Siffert 's duel with Chris Amon in 1968 and 1992 World Driver's Champion Nigel Mansell 's first win in 1985 . Noise restrictions and

SECTION 20

#1732793528398

2904-451: A new outright lap record of 54.8secs at an average speed of 82.06 mph (132.06 km/h). The severe winter of 1962/63 caused the cancellation of most sports, which resulted in empty television screens on occasions. The lack of sport to show virtually created Rallycross , for on 9 February a rallycross-type event was staged on the slushy Brands Hatch car parks in front of the TV cameras (not

3036-614: A number of sports car drivers to test the circuit on 5 November, this being the first time that any car other than a 500cc had used it, and they ran clockwise. In 1951, season included seven car meetings, all for Formula 3 and they were again organised the Half-Litre Car Club to which the 500 Club had changed its name since becoming a Limited Company . In February, the Aston Martin Owners Club tested some 1.5-litre sports cars at Brands Hatch preparatory to

3168-790: A racing accident at the Hockenheimring in West Germany. During the four-month gap between the first race, which Clark won, and second of the 1968 season, drivers would compete in other racing formulas. Clark was originally slated to drive in the BOAC 1000  km sportscar race at Brands Hatch but instead chose to drive in the Deutschland Trophäe , a Formula Two race, for Lotus at the Hockenheimring, primarily due to contractual obligations with Firestone . Although

3300-638: A replacement for the dwindling Thundersports series, whilst the C2 Championship would serve to bring international sports car racing seen in the World Sportscar Championship to Britain. This motorsport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown , Kent , England , United Kingdom . Originally used as

3432-824: A round of the ETCC), with victory going to the Alan Mann -entered Lotus-Cortinas of Sir John Whitmore / Peter Proctor and Henry Taylor / Peter Harper . The 1964 season was the busiest so far for Brands Hatch, with 14 car race meeting alone; the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) organised its first meeting in Kent, while the London Motor Car Club organised one in June. The year's Guards Trophy went to Bruce McLaren driving for Cooper in

3564-587: A selection of independents. Archie won from Lewis-Evans, setting a new lap record in the process at a speed of 75.66 mph (121.76 km/h). Politics caused the cancellation of the Boxing Day meeting that year due to the Suez Crisis . As a result of Suez affair, forecasts for 1957 season were gloomy, but the programme ran as planned, the two feature meeting of the year being run for the new Formula Two on Whit Sunday and August Bank Holiday. The year saw

3696-473: A series of mid-speed corners, most notably the dip at Westfield and Dingle Dell and the blind Sheene curve. From there the track then emerges from the left hand and cambered Stirlings Bend onto the short straight to Clearways and rejoins the Indy Circuit for Clark Curve with its uphill off-camber approach to the pit straight and the start/finish line. The British Rallycross Circuit at Brands Hatch

3828-429: A side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips out of the car and killing fifteen spectators. Clark and his car were subjected to an investigation; he was initially accused of manslaughter, before the charges were dropped. At the time, Clark described the accident by saying: "Von Trips and I were racing along the straightaway and were nearing one of the banked curves, the one on the southern end. We were about 100 metres from

3960-424: A stranglehold on the over 1,900 cc class, driving either the works Lister - Bristol or Louis Manduca 's Jaguar C-Type . At the August Bank Holiday meeting spectators could avail themselves of the only permanent grandstand at a British motor sport circuit; it had been purchased second-hand from the defunct Northolt pony-trotting stadium and for the 1956 season, a telephone system was installed linking race control,

4092-492: A study by Andrew Bell of the University of Sheffield. This ranking considers the relative statistical significance of the car maker's contributions. Clark ranked second, behind only Fangio. Objective mathematical models , such as Eichenberger and Stadelmann (2009, 2nd), original F1metrics (2014, 1st), Bell et al. (2015, 2nd), FiveThirtyEight (2018, 12th), and updated F1metrics (2019, 6th), put Clark consistently among

Thundersports Series - Misplaced Pages Continue

4224-546: A success rate of 43.75% and Senna a 50% winning ratio compared to Clark's 70% success rate. Clark's 71-year record of highest percentage of laps in the lead in a season was only broken in 2023 by the Red Bull RB19 , the most dominant car in the history of the Formula One World Championship, driven by three-time World Champion Max Verstappen . Despite his total numbers being eclipsed, Clark

4356-537: A taste of reality when two fatal accidents occurred ( Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey ). Clark, who finished fifth and scored his first points finish, was later quoted as saying in a 1964 interview: "I was driving scared stiff pretty much all through the race." In 1961 , Clark was involved in one of the worst accidents in the history of F1 racing . In the 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September at Monza , Wolfgang von Trips in his Ferrari collided with Clark's Lotus. Von Trips's car became airborne and crashed into

4488-440: A then-record seven Grands Prix during his 1963 campaign, Clark won his maiden title, earning widespread acclaim for his dominant performances . Despite winning the most races the following season , reliability issues with the Lotus 33 saw him fall to third in the standings. However, the chassis would excel in the hands of Clark in 1965 , as he took six victories in another record-breaking season. Lotus then struggled to adapt to

4620-464: A young Max Mosley was also in the race, moving up from the Clubman series. The event was run in two heats. On the fifth lap of the first heat, Clark's Lotus 48 veered off the track and crashed into the trees. He suffered a broken neck and skull fracture, and died before reaching the hospital. The cause of the crash was never definitively identified; investigators concluded it was most likely due to

4752-623: Is an annual award given by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers to Scots who have contributed significantly to transport and motorsport . The Jim Clark Rally is an annual event held in Berwickshire. Clark was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2020, The Economist ranked all champion drivers of F1 history by the relative importance of car quality to driver skill, based on

4884-433: Is considered among the greatest Formula One drivers, with fellow Scot and three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart still considering Clark and Fangio the greatest Formula One drivers ever. Clark is remembered for his ability to drive and win in all types of cars and series, including a Lotus-Cortina , with which he won the 1964 British Touring Car Championship , Champ Car World Series , rallying , where he took part in

5016-455: The 1960 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 6 June. Lotus had lost Surtees, who took part to the Isle of Man TT series; alongside Innes Ireland and Alan Stacey , Clark was one of the acceptable substitute. He retired on lap 49 with final drive failure. His second Formula One race was the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix , held at the extremely fast and dangerous Spa-Francorchamps circuit; there, he got

5148-514: The 1965 South African Grand Prix , the 1965 French Grand Prix , and the 1965 German Grand Prix ). Clark is also one of three drivers (the other being Ascari and Sebastian Vettel have achieved the feat in consecutive races. Alongside Vettel and Verstappen, Clark is the only drivers to achieve a Grand Chelem in three consecutive years, and is the sole driver to accomplish this feat for four consecutive years (1962–1965). Clark finished his career with 274 total points . On 7 April 1968, Clark died in

5280-477: The 3-litre engine era , with Clark only able to win the United States Grand Prix during his second title defence . 1967 was far more successful for Lotus under Cosworth power , with Clark taking four wins throughout the season but again let down by poor reliability. Whilst leading the 1968 World Drivers' Championship , Clark died as a result of an accident during a Formula Two race at

5412-561: The BOAC 500 on 7 April. The winner was the Ford GT40 Mk.1 of Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman from the Porsche 908 of Gerhard Mitter and Ludovico Scarfiotti , these two being the only cars to complete the full race distance of 218-laps. Two laps further down in third was another 907 driven by Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch and fourth place went to another GT40, driven by Paul Hawkins and David Hobbs . Three months later came

Thundersports Series - Misplaced Pages Continue

5544-682: The Borders . He was educated at primary schools in Kilmany and then in Chirnside . Following three years of preparatory schooling at Clifton Hall School in Edinburgh he was sent to Loretto School in Musselburgh , East Lothian. Although his parents were opposed to the idea, Clark started his racing in local road rally and hill climb events driving his own Sunbeam-Talbot , and proved

5676-499: The British Grand Prix on 20 July, won by Jo "Seppi" Siffert . Siffert's victory was noteworthy in that he won in a Lotus 49B which was delivered new to the circuit on the first morning of the meeting. It was completed in the paddock and was entered by the Walker-Durlacher team – a private entrant winning a Grand Prix. In second place just 4.4 secs behind was Chris Amon (Ferrari), with his teammate Jacky Ickx third. Fourth

5808-826: The British Saloon Car Championship , winning every race he entered in 1964 , as well as in French and British Formula Two . He was a three-time champion of the Tasman Series , winning in 1965 , 1967 and 1968 , with a record 15 wins in 32 starts. In rallying , he entered the Rally of Great Britain in 1966. His successes in 1965—winning championships in Formula One, the Tasman Series, French Formula Two, and British Formula Two—make him

5940-542: The Daily Telegraph Trophy . Jim Clark made his Brands Hatch debut at the Boxing Day event, when he drove the Border Reivers -entered Lotus Elite into second place behind Colin Chapman . At the August Bank Holiday meeting in 1958, an 1,100cc sports car became the first to lap Brands Hatch in under a minute. Its creator had been unable to afford to purchase a Lotus, so had designed his own car;

6072-725: The Dutch Grand Prix and scoring his maiden podium four races later in Portugal ; Clark finished third overall at Le Mans that year . Following multiple further podiums in 1961 , Lotus fielded the highly-successful 25 chassis from 1962 onwards. Clark took his maiden win at the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix , achieving further wins at his home Grand Prix in Great Britain and in the United States , as he finished runner-up to career rival Graham Hill . After winning

6204-593: The Ferrari 312PB of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni, with the Porsche 917 of Jo Siffert and Derek Bell a further three laps down in third. Motor Racing is a dangerous game and there had been some fatalities at Brands including the deaths of George Crossman, Tony Flory and Stuart Duncan in the mid-60s. But in October 1971, the season drew to its close with the death of a major driver. Jo Siffert died in an accident in

6336-697: The Ferrari 330-P4 of Chris Amon and Jackie Stewart . These two had lapped the rest of the field twice, third place going to the Jo Siffert /Bruce McLaren Porsche 910 . The year saw many firsts; in July, Tetsu Ikuzawa became the first Japanese ever to win a race in Britain, the first Mini Festival was run at Whitsun and the Mini-Seven Club ran the first ever all-saloon car meeting in February. But

6468-469: The Hockenheimring . Clark held the Formula One records for the most race wins until 1973 , pole positions until 1989 , and fastest laps also until 1989 . He still holds several records in 2024, including the most grand slams (8). A versatile driver, Clark found immense success outside of formula racing in sports cars , touring cars , and American open-wheel racing . Clark was a champion in

6600-455: The Lotus 25 in 1963 , winning seven out of the ten races and Lotus its first Constructors' World Championship. The 1963 Indianapolis 500 saw Clark's debut in the series; he finished in second position behind Parnelli Jones and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours. The 1963 Indy 500 result remains controversial. Before the race, United States Auto Club (USAC) officials had told

6732-513: The Rothmans World Championship Victory Race . This non-championship event for Formula One and Formula 5000 cars was arranged to mark Jackie Stewart and Ken Tyrrell's joint World Championships. The race was 40 laps in length; 'Seppi' lost control of his BRM P160 on lap 15, hit the bank at Hawthorn Hill, the car was engulfed in flames and he was asphyxiated before he could be extricated. The circuit came under

SECTION 50

#1732793528398

6864-614: The Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne , where he defeated the Ferrari 246T of Chris Amon by just 0.1 seconds after 55 laps of the 3.1 km (1.92 mi) circuit, the closest finish in the history of the Australian Grand Prix . The 1968 Tasman Series and Australian Grand Prix would prove to be his last major wins before his untimely death, which occurred on 7 April 1968. In what would be

6996-729: The Silver City Trophy , was contested over 76 laps of the GP Circuit by Grand Prix cars. Entries were received from Cooper, Lotus, BRM, UDT-Laystall and Yeoman Credit. Victory went to Stirling Moss driving the pale green UDT-Laystall Lotus 18/21 Climax from Jim Clark abroad the works Lotus 21 Climax and Tony Brooks driving the BRM P57 Climax. The 7 August meeting saw the Guards International Trophy for Intercontinental Formula cars. In effect

7128-698: The Team Yardley McLaren-Cosworth M19A , Chris Amon in the Matra-Simca MS120C , Denny Hulme Team Yardley McLaren-Cosworth M19C , with Arturo Merzario taking the last point in the Ferrari 312B 2. The following year, 1973, was less hectic; the BOAC 1000 was cancelled when the date offered by the FIA was unsuitable, and the year had an unfortunate Race of Champions . Peter Gethin driving a Formula 5000 Chevron-Chevrolet B24 beat

7260-507: The 1950s and firmly established the venue as one of Britain's top racing circuits. The track continued to expand during 1953 and 1954, with the addition of Druids Bend by lengthening the circuit, a pit lane and spectator banks and reversing the racing direction to clockwise. While Formula III racing was unquestionably close and exciting, it did have its limitations and now the paying public wanted some variety and more powerful cars to watch. The change in direction of racing traffic resulted in

7392-643: The 1966 RAC Rally of Great Britain in a Lotus Cortina, and sports cars . He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1959, 1960, and 1961, finishing second in class in 1959 driving a Lotus Elite, and finishing third overall in 1960, driving an Aston Martin DBR1 . He took part in a NASCAR event, driving a 7-litre Holman Moody Ford at the American 500 at the banked speedway at Rockingham on 29 October 1967. Qualifying in 25th place (out of 44), he worked his way up to 12th before retiring with engine failure. Clark

7524-560: The 1967 British , United States , and Mexican Grands Prix, and at the 1968 South African Grand Prix . Concurrent with competing in the F1 World Drivers' Championship, Clark competed with Lotus in the Australasia -based Tasman Series , run for older F1 cars. He was series champion in 1965 , 1967 , and 1968 . He won fourteen races in all, a record for the series. This included winning the 1968 Australian Grand Prix at

7656-495: The 21st century. Clark's record of seven wins in a season was not equalled until 1984 when Alain Prost won seven races for McLaren , and was not broken until Ayrton Senna won eight races in the 1988 season, also for McLaren (Senna's teammate that year was Prost who again equalled the old record by winning seven races). Clark's record is favourable compared to Prost and Senna's as the 1963 season only consisted of 10 rounds while 1984 and 1988 were run over 16 rounds, giving Prost

7788-421: The 6-litre Lola T70 . The Motor Show 200 for Formula Two cars saw a young Austrian named Jochen Rindt win in the Roy Winkelmann -entered Brabham BT18 . The 1967 Race of Champions (still sponsored by Daily Mail ) saw the first of two major victories by American cars at Brands when Dan Gurney brought the Eagle - Weslake T1G over the line first by 0.8 seconds from Lorenzo Bandin's Ferrari 312 /67. So good

7920-427: The A20, and the huge crowd saw the non-championship Silver City Trophy Formula One race won by Jack Brabham in the works Cooper-Climax by just 4.4 seconds from Graham Hill in the BRM P48 , after the gearbox of Jim Clark's Lotus expired after leading 22 laps of the 50-lap race. The fastest lap was set jointly by Clark and Brabham, in 1min 40.6sec, at a speed of 94.82 mph (152.60 km/h). Clark had his revenge

8052-440: The BBC to televise a grass track meeting, the first motorcycle event to be televised on British TV. Following World War II, cinders were laid on the track of what was by then known as Brands Hatch Stadium and motorcycle racing continued. That was until 1950 when the 500 Club managed to persuade Joe Francis, that the future for his stadium lay in car and motorcycle road racing. The group behind 500 c.c. single-seater racing cars

SECTION 60

#1732793528398

8184-410: The BOAC 1000 was the British round of the World Championship of Makes. On 16 April, what was to be the last BOAC 1000 resulted in a complete Italian benefit race with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo filling the first six places. The 235-lap race was won by Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari 312PB, with the average race speed of 105.12 mph (169.17 km/h), from Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson ,

8316-417: The BRM P261 from Jim Clark (Lotus 33) with Jochen Rindt fifth in the Cooper- Maserati and in sixth position, a further lap adrift, was Bruce McLaren in the McLaren - Serenissima . The event was notable for the only F1 appearance of the Shannon SH 1 in the hands of Trevor Taylor which lasted just one lap. This was also the year that John Surtees won the Guards Trophy on August Bank Holiday Monday driving

8448-443: The British built Lotus, officials would have black flagged Jones. Despite this, neither Lotus nor their engine supplier Ford protested the result, reasoning that winning as a result of a disqualification when Jones had led for 167 of the races 200 laps (Clark led for 28 laps) and had set the lap record speed of 151.541 mph (243.9 km/h) on lap 114, would not be well received by the public. In 1964 , Clark came within just

8580-415: The Formula One cars and James Hunt made his F1 debut in Hesketh Racing 's March 731. Before the start of that season, £50,000 was spent upon a new grandstand adjoining the Grovewood Suite, while opening seating and new pits were built to comply with FIA requirements. There were also improvements made between Westfields and Stirlings. Jim Clark James Clark OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968)

8712-406: The Lotus was then disqualified following a protest over an aerofoil, but was reinstated before the evening was out. Third place went to Denny Hulme in the McLaren from the Ferrari of Clay Regazzoni ; a lap down in fifth spot with the March of Chris Amon with Graham Hill sixth in the other Lotus. Rindt's winning speed was 108.69 mph (174.92 km/h). Although the World Championship sports race

8844-423: The Motor Show 200. The former race gave the McLaren marque its maiden Formula One victory when Bruce, driving his own car, led home the field ahead of Pedro Rodríguez in the BRM P133 and his new team-mate, Denny Hulme. Sponsorship on racing cars was just beginning and a television executive was distressed by the 'sailor man' on the side of the Gold Leaf Team Lotus and threatened to withdraw television coverage if

8976-414: The Rallycross Circuit used in the 1980s and 1990s). The event had been quickly organised by Raymond Baxter of the BBC and the London Motor Club , and saw Timo Mäkinen win easily in the works Austin-Healey 3000 . The second Motor -sponsored Six-Hour saloon car race , was a round of the inaugural European Touring Car Challenge . It was run in appalling conditions on 6 July. The large crowd witness

9108-454: The Sachs crash until his car owner J. C. Agajanian ran down pit lane and somehow convinced them that the oil leak was below the level of a known crack and would not leak any further. Colin Chapman later accused USAC officials of being biased because Clark and Lotus were a British team with a rear-engine car. Many, including journalist and author Brock Yates , believed that had it been an American driver and car in second place instead of Clark in

9240-418: The Works Cooper and set a new lap record. The August Bank Holiday meeting saw for the first time, involvement of the national press with the Daily Telegraph sponsoring the main event of the day. The old cinder track had been 0.75 mi (1.21 km) in length, but the tarmac circuit was lengthened to 1.000 mi (1.609 km) and now ran anticlockwise. The Maidstone & Mid-Kent Motor Club invited

9372-426: The accident was caused by a driver error or a deflating rear tyre, and Lotus were investigated thoroughly by aircraft crash investigators for three weeks. Many drivers, including Surtees and Brabham, were convinced that the crash was caused by a deflating rear tyre and were adamant that it was not a driver error—simply because they believed Clark was not capable of making such a mistake. In the words of Andrew Marriott of

9504-406: The beginning of the curve. Von Trips was running close to the inside of the track. I was closely following him, keeping near the outside. At one point von Trips shifted sideways so that my front wheels collided with his back wheels. It was the fatal moment. Von Trips's car spun twice and went into the guardrail along the inside of the track. Then it bounced back, struck my own car and bounced down into

9636-549: The biggest 'first 'was the arrival of Formula Ford which was to become the providing ground and starting place for so many drivers. The first Formula Ford race was run on 7 July and was won by Roy Allan in a Lotus 51 . 1968 proved to be a busy season, with no less than five International meetings; the first was the Race of Champions followed by the BOAC 500, the British Grand Prix, the Guards Trophy, and

9768-558: The car was called a Lola and its creator was Eric Broadley . The highlight of the 1959 season was again the Kentish 100 , with no less than 40 drivers (including 10 Grand Prix names) fighting for just 16 grid positions. Jack Brabham won both 42-lap heats driving the works Cooper- Climax . The feature race at the Boxing Day meeting was for Formula Junior , a new International Formula for single-seater racing cars using production engines up to 1,100 cc; works entries were received from Elva , Gemini , Lola, Cooper and Lotus. This new formula

9900-904: The car's eligibility. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Clark holds the following Formula One records : ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) ( Races in bold indicate pole position ) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Lakeside in 1965 and Levin and Teretonga in 1967 did not count towards Tasman Cup points. (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italic indicate fastest lap.) For reasons of space, only those Formula Two events which Clark attended are shown. Innes Ireland took over Clark's car and finished in 9th place. Races cancelled due to bad weather. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) † Events with two races staged for

10032-476: The classic journal Motor Sport who was covering the race as a young reporter, "Deaths in the sport were a regular occurrence in those days, but surely someone of Clark's sublime talent and skill? People reckoned that the rear tyre had deflated, and there is another theory that the mechanical metering unit on the Cosworth FVA engine had seized and caused Clark to crash." There have been many stories about

10164-451: The country and making the approach to Clearways very much faster. From South Bank there followed a long straight dipping into and out of the next valley to the right-hand Hawthorn Bend followed by Portobello Straight to Westfield Bend leading to the dip to Dingle Dell, Dingle Dell Corner and the difficult left-hand Stirling's Bend. A short straight then brought the circuit back to Clearways at much higher speed than hitherto. John Hall said, "For

10296-400: The country's first major sport car race since the mid-1970s was a resounding success. The series began in 1983, starting out as a seven race series, five of them being raced at either Brands Hatch, or one of the tracks they operated. By the end of series it remained at Brands Hatch only. Come 1989, the series was down to just nine cars for its final race. The BRDC C2 Championship was meant as

10428-520: The creation of Paddock Hill Bend a fast sweeping downhill right-hander. At the bottom the Paddock Hill, a quarter-mile extension to the circuit was added which took the competitors up the other side of the valley to a right-hand hairpin, which is called Druids Hill Bend . This new section re-joined the old track at another tricky corner, Bottom Bend , and the result was a circuit lengthened to 1.240 mi (1.996 km). The first race winner on

10560-464: The crowd." In his later testimony, he recalled the collision had become unavoidable, saying: "Trips was head of me, driving on the center of the track. Suddenly he slowed down. Since my Lotus was faster than the Ferrari, I tried to overtake him. In the same instant the Ferrari surprisingly pulled to the left, and a collision became unavoidable..." Clark's first Drivers' World Championship came driving

10692-469: The difficulty of the curve, due to the straight that precedes it, it is one of the track's few overtaking spots. The next corner, Druids, is a hairpin bend, taken after an uphill braking zone at Hailwood Hill . The track then curves around the south bank spectator area into the downhill, off-camber Graham Hill Bend , and another, slightly bent stretch at the Cooper Straight , which runs parallel to

10824-412: The drivers that they would black flag any car that was seen to be leaking oil onto the track. Late in the race, Jones' front-engined roadster developed a crack in the oil tank and began to leak oil. With the track surface already being slippery this resulted in a number of cars spinning and led to popular driver Eddie Sachs crashing into the outside wall. USAC officials were set to black flag Jones after

10956-490: The favourite, a 7-litre Ford Galaxie driven by Dan Gurney and Jack Brabham, floundering in the wet and the Jaguar dominated the race. Victory went to Roy Salvadori and Denny Hulme from Peter Linder and Peter Nöcker after the winners on the road, Mike Salmon and Pete Sutcliffe being disqualified for engine irregularities. The Guards Trophy was run for sports cars and went to Roger Penske driving his Zerex Special , which

11088-582: The first non-American winner of the race in 49 years . Born in Fife and raised in the Scottish Borders , Clark started his racing career in road rallying and hillclimbing . By 1958, Clark had graduated to sports car racing in national competition with Border Reivers , racing the Jaguar D-Type and Porsche 356 , where he attracted the attention of Lotus founder Colin Chapman . Driving

11220-418: The first of seven victories for Clark and Team Lotus that year, he won the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in extremely foggy and rainy conditions. After starting eighth on the grid, he passed all of the cars in front of him, including early leader Graham Hill . About 17 laps into the race, with the rain coming down harder than ever, Clark had lapped the entire field except for Bruce McLaren , and

11352-616: The first of what was to become the traditional Boxing Day meeting down in Kent. A total of 15,000 spectators arrived at the Christmas meeting to watch a programme of seven races with the added attraction of ox-roasting and Stirling Moss . It was Jim Russell 's year, for he dominated the Formula 3, winning the Autosport National Championship, as well as four of the meeting. Cooper T39s and Lotus Mk.9s dominated sports car racing while Archie Scott Brown had

11484-473: The first race for the newly introduced FJ took place at Goodwood . Clark finished first ahead John Surtees and Trevor Taylor . Clark had made an earlier FJ appearance in a one-off race at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day, 1959, driving a Gemini-B.M.C. for Graham Warner of the Chequered Flag garage, Chiswick . Clark made his Formula One (F1) Grand Prix debut, part-way through the 1960 season, during

11616-527: The first time ever, Britain will have a Grand Prix track within 20 miles of London.'" The new track was planned to be completed in time for the August Bank Holiday meeting and was ready for testing in June. The debut of the new track came in August as planned, with works entries from BRM , Cooper, Ferrari , and Lotus together with independents such Yeoman Credit Racing , Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti and Scuderia Centro Sud . Record traffic jams were reported on

11748-485: The first-ever 80 mph lap (actual speed was 80.29 mph (129.21 km/h)) by John Fenning , aboard a Lotus 20 -Ford. The 'Trio' meeting in July saw the end of an era when a 500 took the chequered flag for the last time with Mike Ledbrook , driving a Cooper-Norton Mark 8 in the 500 and 250cc race. At the Boxing Day meeting, Hulme won the Formula Junior race driving the prototype Brabham BT6 -Ford, setting

11880-505: The full International season starting. The 1952 season saw the emergence of Stuart Lewis-Evans . Les Leston raised the lap record to 71.15 mph (114.50 km/h) (50.6sec) – the first time that 70 mph (110 km/h) had been exceeded. 1953 saw the introductions of raised spectator protection banks. This was to be Parker's year for he won the Autosport Formula 3 Championship taking seven races at Brands on his way

12012-642: The glamour of the Indy 500 ; Jackie Stewart won the race in the Matra MS80 owned by Ken Tyrrell and went on to win his first World Championship with it. The BOAC 500 was once again the British round of the Manufacturers' World Championship and was a Porsche benefit, 908s taking the first three places, the winners being Jo Siffert and Brian Redman; the second place car of Vic Elford and Richard Attwood

12144-480: The grandstand and the marshals' posts, while a modern hospital was opened at the circuit, complete with operating theatre. As larger-capacity cars become more common, 500 cc racing began to decline, but the formula still gave close, exciting racing. The first year that public car race meetings were organised by other than the BRSCC was 1956 – in June, the 750 Motor Club joined forces with the Club Lotus to offer

12276-666: The greatest Formula One drivers ever. In 2024, Motor Sport ranked Clark as the greatest racing driver of all time. In 1965, Clark was awarded the American Broadcasting Company 's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1988. He was also inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. That same year, he

12408-474: The handlebars. A rostrum position in the day's 250cc race was a great achievement, but an even better was not very far away. Just one week later, and again at Brands, Sheene took his first race win, and he did it is style by an incredible 12 seconds. And the best was yet to come, for he dominated a field of 350cc machines, riding special 250cc Bultaco (with an enlarged 280cc capacity). The Manufacturers' World Championship came to Brands in early 1968, followed by

12540-422: The knife-edge connects back to the Indy Circuit, but in an anti-clockwise direction. Subsequently, cars proceed from Cooper Straight, swooping up the old link road and returning to Paddock. Brands Hatch was originally the name of a natural grassy hollow that was shaped like an amphitheatre . Although the site was originally used as a military training ground, the fields belonging to Brands Farm were first used as

12672-402: The lost lap and the lead. He was narrowly ahead of Brabham and Surtees starting the last lap. As his car had not been filled with enough fuel, it faltered and finally coasted across the finish line in third place. In his Indianapolis 500 win, Clark led for 190 of the 200 laps, with a then-record average speed of over 150 mph (240 km/h), to become the first non-American in almost half

12804-452: The new formula was caused by the escalating costs of Formula Three, Formula Two and the decreasing number of non-championship Formula One events as more and more countries demanded a Grand Prix. The winner of the first Formula 5000 race was Peter Gethin driving a McLaren M10A with Chevrolet power. Indianapolis-style single-car qualifying was introduced for the 1969 Race of Champions , but it simply did not catch on – perhaps it did not have

12936-678: The number two car. It was just that the man was very "soft" on his car and so he tended to last the race distance as a result. Cedric Selzer, If You Have Come Second You Have Lost, Winning the World Championship with Jim Clark At the time of his death in 1968, the 32-year-old Clark had achieved 33 pole positions and had won 25 races from his 72 Grand Prix starts in championship races. He had more Grand Prix wins (25) and pole positions (33) than any other driver, including five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio , despite winning three fewer World Championships; he also won most of

13068-440: The offering item was not obscured, so Graham Hill was black-flagged to have the decal covered! It was March 1968 at a minor club meeting when 17-year-old rider Barry Sheene lined up on the starting grid, on a works 125cc Bultaco , for his first race. It was an impressive debut by anyone's standards. Sheene had worked his way up to second place and threatening the leader, Mike Lewis, when the bike seized and spat its rider off over

13200-403: The only driver in history to have won multiple championships in a single season alongside a World Drivers' Championship. Clark was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. James Clark was born into a farming family at Kilmany House Farm, Fife , the youngest child of five, and the only boy. In 1942, the family moved to Edington Mains Farm, near Duns , Berwickshire , in

13332-477: The opening 1967 South African Grand Prix , so Clark used an old Lotus 33 at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix , retiring with suspension failure. Lotus then began its fruitful association with Ford-Cosworth . Their first car, the Lotus 49 featuring the most successful F1 engine in history, the Ford-Cosworth DFV , won its first race at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix , driven by Clark. He won with it again at

13464-466: The ownership of Brands Hatch was in the hands of Motor Circuit Developments (MCD), which saw the arrival of another MCD-inspired single-seater formula in the shape of Formula Atlantic . The BOAC 1000 saw Alfa Romeo take their first major success in 20 years, with the chequered flag being taken by the 33TT3 of Andrea de Adamich and Henri Pescarolo , who completed the 235 laps at a speed of 97.17 mph (156.38 km/h). They were followed home by

13596-401: The pit lane. After the straight, the circuit climbs uphill though the decreasing-radius Surtees turn, before moving onto the back straight where the track's top speeds can be reached. The most significant elevation changes on the circuit occur here at Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Hill , which leads into Hawthorn Bend (with some parts approaching 7%). The track then loops around the woodland with

13728-649: The prestigious 1965 Monaco Grand Prix to compete at Indianapolis but made history by driving the first mid-engined car to win at the fabled Brickyard, as well as becoming the only driver to date to win both the Indy 500 and the F1 title in the same year. Other drivers, including Graham Hill , Mario Andretti , Emerson Fittipaldi , and Jacques Villeneuve , also won both crowns but not in the same year. The FIA decreed that from 1966 new 3-litre engine regulations would come into force, and Lotus were less competitive. Starting with

13860-588: The proximity of the Grand Prix loop to local residents mean that the number of race meetings held on the extended circuit is limited to just a few per year (usually for higher-profile series such as the BTCC and the BSB ). The full Grand Prix circuit begins on the Brabham Straight , an off-camber , slightly curved stretch, before plunging into the right-hander at Paddock Hill Bend, with gradients of 8%. Despite

13992-633: The race has sometimes been described as a "minor race meeting", the entry list was impressive with top-running Matras for the French drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo , Tecnos for Carlo Facetti and Clay Regazzoni , Team Brabhams for Derek Bell and Piers Courage , a Ferrari for Chris Amon , and McLarens for Graeme Lawrence and Robin Widdows . Team Lotus drivers Graham Hill and Clark were in Gold Leaf Team Lotuses and

14124-455: The races he finished and was often winning, or in a podium position, when he had to retire due to mechanical failures, without which he could have equalled, if not beaten, Fangio's World Championship record. Fangio himself called Clark the greatest driver ever. Although many of his records in total numbers were later eclipsed in part due to more races started and improved reliability, Clarke's percentage-related ones remain either unbeaten or near

14256-634: The racing was on a straight strip approximately where Cooper Straight came to be when the track was tarmacked. Brands Hatch remained in operation during the 1930s, but after being used as a military vehicle park and being subject to many bombing raids during World War II , it needed much work before it could become a professional racing circuit. In 1932, four local motorcycling clubs joined forces (Bermondsey, Owls, Sidcup and West Kingsdown) and staged their first meeting that March. Motorcycle racing quickly resumed after World War II and in 1947, Joe Francis (managing director of Brands Hatch Stadium Ltd.) persuaded

14388-564: The redundant 2.5-litre F1 cars from pre-1961. The race was a 76-lap affair over the GP Circuit; Jack Brabham won in the works Cooper T53 -Climax from Jim Clark (works Lotus 18 -Climax) and Graham Hill (BRM P57). The following year 1962 did not see any major meetings at Brands, but on 1 October, the longest race staged so far took place. This was the Motor -sponsored Six-Hour Saloon race. The field of 35 entries included some foreign entrants and victory went to Mike Parkes and Jimmy Blumer driving

14520-408: The revised track was Stuart Lewis-Evans , at the wheel of a Cooper - Norton Mk.8, with a new name at the inaugural meeting. That name was N. G. Hill who was a 'graduate' of the racing school. As the season progressed larger engine machines began to appear starting with small and medium capacity sport cars, then Formula Libre machines. However, most races were still run for Formula 3 and 1954 saw

14652-461: The second-place finisher, the widest gap on record. Clark wrote an autobiography, which was published just after his first world championship, titled Jim Clark at the Wheel. The book was updated after his Indy 500 victory. Of what made Clark such a good driver, Stewart said: "He was so smooth, he was so clean, he drove with such finesse. He never bullied a racing car, he sort of caressed it into doing

14784-481: The things he wanted it to do." When Clark died, fellow driver Chris Amon said: "If it could happen to him, what chance do the rest of us have? I think we all felt that. It seemed like we'd lost our leader." Clark is buried in the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire . A memorial stone can be found at the Hockenheimring circuit, moved from the site of his crash to a location closer to the modern track, and

14916-636: The title. Some 50,000 people packed into the Daily Telegraph International and as the season came to an end Parker raised the lap record to 74.38 mph (119.70 km/h) (48.4secs). During 1953, the Universal Motor Racing Club was established, with a racing school set up at Brands Hatch. The Half Litre Club, later to become the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC), ran many races throughout

15048-429: The top. In 59 entries and 58 races (he missed a race weekend due to an injury), Clark achieved 33 poles (56.9%), 34 finishes (58.6%), 25 wins (43.1% wins to races, 73.5% wins to finishes), and 8 Grand Chelems (pole position, fastest lap, race win, and led every lap of the race); in those 34 races he finished, Clark led 70.3% of the laps and 68.0% of the distance. Some of his Grand Chelems and percentage records persist into

15180-421: The tyres on Jim Clark's car lasting four races. This is true, but also the brake pads lasted three times longer than those of any other driver. Derek Wild used to say that you could put all the gearboxes on the bench in front of him in random order and he could tell which gearbox came out of Jim's car as it showed less signs of wear. The point is that the standard of preparation was no different between Jim's car and

15312-416: The works MG MGB of John Rhodes and Warwick Banks . The British Grand Prix returned in 1966, the inaugural year of the 3-litre Formula One. The works Brabham- Repco BT19 were first and second in the hands of Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme; Brabham completed the 212-mile race in 2hrs 13mins 13.4secs (95.49 mph (153.68 km/h)) lapping everyone except Hulme in the process. Third was Graham Hill in

15444-663: Was Denny Hulme in a McLaren M7A , from Surtees in the Honda RA300 one lap down, and Jackie Stewart a further lap down in the Matra-Ford MS80 . Easter Monday 1969 saw another brainchild of John Webb and the BRSCC's Competitions Director Nick Syreett come to fruition. This was Formula 5000 which was based upon the American Formula A, the cars being single-seater chassis powered by American V8 and V6 stock-block engines of up to 5-litre capacity. The need for

15576-469: Was a British racing driver from Scotland , who competed in Formula One from 1960 to 1968 . Clark won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Lotus , and—at the time of his death —held the records for most wins (25), pole positions (33), and fastest laps (28), among others . In American open-wheel racing , Clark won the Indianapolis 500 in 1965 with Lotus, becoming

15708-402: Was a very young Stirling Moss . The Half-Litre Car Club for 500cc Formula 3 organised that first race on 16 April, with 7,000 spectators coming to witness these cars complete in 10 races. Don Parker won the first race. Before the year was out, five meetings had been held, with the events running to a similar programme. The June meeting was a Moss benefit for he won all five races he entered in

15840-409: Was able to master difficult Lotus sportscar prototypes, such as the Lotus 30 and 40 . He also had an ability to adapt to whichever car he was driving. Often other top drivers would struggle to find a good car setup, Clark would usually set competitive lap times with whatever setup was provided and ask for the car to be left as it was. At the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix , he won by nearly five minutes over

15972-407: Was almost five minutes ahead of McLaren and his Cooper. In the 1967 Italian Grand Prix at Monza after starting from pole, Clark was leading in his Lotus 49 (chassis R2), when a tyre punctured. He lost a lap while having the wheel changed in the pits. Rejoining sixteenth, he advanced through the field, progressively lowering the lap record and eventually equalling his pole time of 1m 28.5s, to regain

16104-465: Was based on a Cooper F1 chassis. The British Grand Prix came to Kent in 1964 and was to be shared with Silverstone in alternate years until 1986. Also the race was given the courtesy title European Grand Prix and the management rose to the occasion. The date was 11 July, a cool and dry day which saw Jim Clark at his best in the Lotus 25 winning by 2.8secs from Graham Hill in the BRM P261 , who

16236-489: Was designed and constructed by Trevor Hopkins, a four-times British Rallycross Champion. Completed around 1981, the circuit spans approximately 0.9 mi (1.4 km). A notable feature is the starting point on the startline, followed by a right turn and descent on loose terrain at Paddock Hill Bend. After navigating the left-right Esses at the bottom, the circuit rejoins the Indy Circuit, leading up and around Druids hairpin. A 90-degree left turn through Langley's Gap and across

16368-607: Was followed home by John Surtees in the V8 Ferrari 158 ; fourth and one lap down was Jack Brabham driving a car bearing his own name. A further lap down in fifth place was Lorenzo Bandini in the V6 Ferrari with Phil Hill taking the final World Championship point in a Cooper. The race average was 94.14 mph (151.50 km/h) and Clark set the fastest lap at 1min 38.8secs (96.5 mph (155.3 km/h)). The Motor Six Hours had its third and final running on 6 June (still

16500-478: Was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, a member of their inaugural class. In 1964 he was awarded an OBE . * Clark won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 . Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points Colin Chapman withdrew the entry following a dispute with the scrutineers about

16632-513: Was now BOAC 1000 , but measured in kilometres, not miles, it was another Porsche benefit, the fearsome 917s taking the first three places from a 908; the first car home was the Pedro Rodríguez/ Leo Kinnunen car from Vic Elford/Denny Hulme and Richard Attwood/ Hans Herrmann . The 908 was driven by Gijs van Lennep and Hans Laine . The race was run over 235 laps at a speed of 92.15 mph (148.30 km/h). By 1971,

16764-519: Was run in two 40-lap heats with victory going to Jim Clark ( Lotus 33 ), while his teammate Mike Spence , won the second and taking the overall victory. The first 100 mph lap was set by Clark in 1min 35.4secs. The longest race ever run at the Kentish Circuit took place on 22/23 May, this being the Guards 1000 consisting of two 500-mile races for production saloon cars. The overall winner was

16896-405: Was subsequently won by Hill, his Lotus teammate, who pulled the heartbroken team together and held off Stewart for the crown, which he later dedicated to Clark. There is also a large memorial to Clark at Hockenheim today; because the track has been reduced in length and the old course reforested, the actual location of the crash is in a heavily wooded area. There was initial speculation as to whether

17028-516: Was the 500 Club and it, together with the owners, invested the sum of £17,000 on a tarmac surface. Thus Brands Hatch was born as a motor racing venue, and on 16 April 1950, the opening meeting was scheduled for the first purpose-built post-war racing circuit in England, approval having been given by the RAC following a demonstration by a handful of 500s in February. Amongst those giving the demonstration

17160-449: Was the public's response to the race (run in two 10-lap heats and a 40-lap final) that John Webb decided to make the race an annual event. The other great American victory was to come when the be-winged 7-litre Chaparral 2F -Chevrolet driven by Phil Hill and Mike Spence won the BOAC 500 run over 211 laps of the Grand Prix Circuit at an average speed of 93.08 mph (149.80 km/h), from

17292-411: Was to prove the death-knell of 500 cc racing. In January 1960, Kent County Council gave planning permission for the extension of Brands Hatch – an extension which would double the length of the track offering a choice of long or short circuits. The new 2.650 mi (4.265 km) track used, all of this existing one with the extension of Kidney Bend; South Bank became a long, uphill 160° sweep out into

17424-457: Was two laps behind, with Gerhard Mitter and Udo Schütz third. The International race calendar for 1970 opened with the Race of Champions . March Engineering made its Formula One-winning debut when Jackie Stewart won driving Ken Tyrrell's March- Cosworth 701. The British Grand Prix returned to Brands Hatch on 19 July and saw victory go to Jochen Rindt by less than 33 seconds from Jack Brabham, who had run out of fuel. The Austrian driver of

#397602