From Newsgroup: rec.autos.sport.cart

from
https://www.goodwood.com/grr/f1/the-history-of-f1-the-1960s/

If one goes to the above citation they can see the pictures.

Damien Smith
The history of F1: The 1960s

Lennon and McCartney, Morecambe and Wise, Jagger and Richards, Pete and
Dud, Chapman and ClarkrCa sometimes soaring talent always works best in
pairs. In each case, either were weaker and less effective without the
other. But Jimmy Clark never even got the chance to strike out alone, to
find out what life could have been like without the guiding influence rCo
and rCygolden handcuffsrCO rCo of Colin Chapman, who kept the Scottish sheep farmer chained to Lotus throughout his too-short racing career.


Cruelly and senselessly cut off in his prime on 7th April 1968, Clark
was the quietly charismatic talisman of the Formula 1 World
ChampionshiprCOs second decade. In death, he would become a sainted beacon
for a time many consider to be motor racingrCOs end of innocence, when
teams still ran in plain national colours before garish corporate
sponsorship smothered the cars, and before the awesome power of
downforce was truly understood and properly harnessed. Some say Clark,
who died at Hockenheim in a Formula 2 Lotus painted in Gold Leaf
colours, was growing weary of ChapmanrCOs influence, of the fast but
fragile cars that left him with a career record that didnrCOt accurately reflect his true level of dominance in a decade blessed by a host of
other outstanding talents.

Would he really have fled the nest? Where would he have gone? What else
could he have achieved? How devastatingly fast would he have flown with
wings, in the grip of big, fat slick tyres? We can never know. Instead,
we can only remain in thrall to what we did see.

Clark broke through in the first year of the new decade, 1960. But while
his talent was clear, his talisman status wasnrCOt immediate. The Cooper
Car Company was still making hay on the back of the rear-engined
revolution it had led, Jack Brabham claiming a comfortable title in the
new rCylowlinerCO T53. But as ever, F1 evolution was rapid and the new, boxy Lotus 18 was potentially faster, albeit on a more unsettling knife-edge
of performance. Stirling Moss had recognised it and convinced Rob Walker
to make the switch from Cooper to Lotus, the move paying off immediately
in Monaco. But the gut-wrenching horror of Spa, where in separate
accidents Moss and Mike Taylor sustained serious injuries and Chris
Bristow and Alan Stacey lost their lives, ripped the heart from the F1
season. While Moss recuperated, John Surtees made a stunning transition
from two to four wheels for Team Lotus, while Graham Hill almost won the British Grand Prix for BRM rCo but BrabhamrCOs second consecutive title was never in serious doubt.

F1-1961-Monaco-Stirling-Moss-Lotus-18-Climax-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

A switch from 2.5-litre to little 1.5-litre engines for F1 briefly
derailed the new British dominance in 1961, as a potent V6 that had been
honed in F2 gave FerrarirCOs new rCySharknoserCO 156 serious bite. Only a fully recovered Moss, still in WalkerrCOs 18, could offer significant resistance with virtuoso performances at Monaco and the N|+rburgring. But FerrarirCOs glittering year would become shrouded in tragedy, Wolfgang von Trips inadvertently triggering a collision with a shaken Clark at Monza
that would cost the German his life rCo along with 14 spectators. It
remains F1rCOs blackest day. Phil HillrCOs title, the first for an American, barely registered in such a context.

F1-1962-Germany-Graham-Hill-BRM-P57-David-Phipps-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

The British teams, initially angered by the 1.5-litre formula and
threatening a breakaway series that quickly stalled, were back on the
ball in 1962, as ChapmanrCOs stunning all-monocoque Type 25 took on the
neat and initially stack-piped BRM P57. Clark versus Graham Hill. It was great, but here was another monumental rCywhat ifrCO following MossrCOs dramatic departure after hitting the grass bank at St. MaryrCOs in a non-championship race at Goodwood. StirlingrCOs post-accident life still
had another 58 wonderfully enriching years to run rCo but on Easter Monday 1962, the world lost the chance to see how a fully evolved Clark versus
a still at-peak Moss would have played out. It probably would have been
epic.

F1-1963-Monaco-Jim-Clark-Lotus-25-Climax-Rainer-Schlegelmilch-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

Only signature unreliability would rob Clark of a first world title that
year, handing the crown instead to Hill. But nothing would stand in
Colin and JimmyrCOs way in 1963. As Beatle-mania swept across Britain,
Clark soared to seven grand prix wins to beat two-time winner Hill by a
huge (at the time) 25 points.

F1-1964-Germany-John-Surtees-Graham-Hill-Lorenzo-Bandini-David-Phipps-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

If the Lotus didnrCOt fail, Clark tended to win. But during rCO64, in four consecutive races, Jimmy failed to add to his points tally. Not all of
it was down to Lotus rCo Coventry-ClimaxrCOs era-defining V8 let him down
too. But the fragility allowed an inspired John Surtees to make history
at Ferrari, galvanising the Italians and riding roughshod through the
internal political pitfalls (for now) to become the first two- and four-wheeled world champion.

F1-1965-Germany-Jim-Clark-Lotus-33-Climax-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

But nothing could stand in the way of Clark and Lotus in 1965. The
greatest season for a single driver in history? Victories in six of the
first seven grands prix made him champion by 1st August rCo a new record;
add in the ground-breaking and dominant victory at the Indy 500, plus
further title success in F2 (racing drivers werenrCOt blinkered by F1 back then), surely it has to be. It could have been, on merit and with a
fairer wind, his fourth consecutive F1 title.

F1-1966-Mexico-Jack-Brabham-Brabham-BT20-Repco-Jochen-Rindt-Cooper-T81-Maserati-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

Again, a rule change derailed the form book in rCO66, this time wily
Brabham and his partner Ron Tauranac taking the initiative at the dawn
of the rCyreturn to powerrCO 3.0-litre era, with a sensibly conceived and brilliantly executed car propelled by an engine from little-known
Australian parts supplier Repco. The solid, trusted engineering that had
made the Brabham company the most prolific builder of customer racing
cars in the world now delivered Jack a deserved third world title as a
driver, and the following year another for his Kiwi team-mate Denny Hulme.

F1-1967-Germany-Denny-Hulme-Brabham-BT24-Repco-Rainer-Schlegelmilch-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

Meanwhile, Bruce McLaren took his first steps into F1 team ownership
having already established his eponymous constructor in Can-Am. And Californian Dan Gurney walked away from potential driversrCO titles at
Brabham to give flight to his beautiful Eagles, Weslake V12 power
carrying him to an unforgettable victory at Spa in 1967.

But what was happening at Lotus that same year would carry greater significance for F1rCOs future. ChapmanrCOs energy and sheer force of personality inspired Ford to back a new project, as Cosworth produced an exclusive game-changer: the Double-Four Valve (DFV) V8. Attached to the
back of the beautifully simple Type 49 as a fully-stressed member, the combination would change F1 for ever through the following decade, and
in ClarkrCOs hands would win first time at Zandvoort. But again, fragility would be the downfall as costly creases were ironed out. Surely Lotus
would be back on top in rCO68.

F1-1968-Mexico-Hill-Lotus-Cosworth-49B-Jo-Siffert-Jackie-Stewart-Matra-Cosworth-MS10-David-Phipps-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

Chapman was furious to lose his DFV exclusivity, but nothing would stand
in ClarkrCOs way of beating FangiorCOs F1 win record with his 25th grand
prix victory on New YearrCOs Day. But then, unthinkably, he was gone, lost
in a still unexplained accident in an inconsequential F2 race. The F1
world reeled rCo and then knuckled back down, as it always has. Hill,
newly returned to Lotus, stepped up, pulled a devasted Team together and delivered the title he knew would probably have been his friendrCOs. It remains one of F1rCOs most heroic season performances.

But a new force, in a pale shade of Matra blue, was coming up fast on
the rails. Jackie Stewart had emerged bright, shiny and more or less
fully formed back in 1965, winning for BRM at Monza. HerCOd been checked
by a serious accident at Spa the following year, and appalled by the
lack of medical care he received. That sowed a new seed. StewartrCOs conviction would turn the wheels for a new campaign, and one that would
prove controversial with the rCyold guardrCO. If you think itrCOs too dangerous, donrCOt do it, they said. Not good enough, said a belligerent Jackie.

F1-1969-Germany-Jackie-Stewart-Matra-MS80-Ford-Rainer-Schlegelmilch-MI-Goodwood-28102020.jpg

But ClarkrCOs natural heir rCo with increasingly long hair, that looked more rCyAbbey RoadrCO than Silverstone paddock rCo was more than just a clamouring voice for change. He was also devastatingly fast behind the wheel of his
Ken Tyrrell-run Matra MS80. As The Beatles recorded their swansong album
in the summer of rCO69 and left the next decade clear for others to soundtrack, Stewart became world champion for the first time. ClarkrCOs
shadow would linger long and lasting, but the new benchmark was adamant
his dear friend rCo like too many others around him rCo would not have died
in vain.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images

Sign up for event announcements and our weekly newsletterSIGN UP
Related Articles
httpswww-goodwood-comglobalassWhen the F1 title-decider was the last lap
of the last race | Thank Frankel itrCOs Friday httpswww-goodwood-comglobalassVideo: The heroes of the 1960s | The
Maestros part one
httpswww-goodwood-comglobalassTwo Formula 1 races in one weekend is
nothing new
httpswww-goodwood-comglobalassOn this day in... 1968
TAGS
FORMULA 1

F1 1960

F1 1961

F1 1962

F1 1963

F1 1964

F1 1969

F1 1965

F1 1966

F1 1967

F1 1968

JIM CLARK

GRAHAM HILL

JACK BRABHAM

JOHN SURTEES

STIRLING MOSS

DENNY HULME

JACKIE STEWART
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2