Friday
May132011
Video of the week: Clark and Hill Debut the Sensational Lotus 49!
Friday, May 13, 2011 at 11:36AM This fantastic promotional video on the Lotus 49's maiden victory is well worth a watch! Historians remember the Dutch GP of 1967 as one where Jim Clark won in a car he had never even driven before the race weekend. Watching this video, one is reminded that Graham Hill not only qualified on pole, but was leading the race until a mechanical failure put him out of contention. Clark might have been holding back at the start, but once Hill was out, he poured on the speed, taking the innovative new car and brand new Ford DFV engine to victory right out of the box!
I love the moment at 6:32 where Hill, now out of the race, pats the engine's designer Keith Duckworth on the shoulder as if to say "No worries, mate! We'll get her right!"
tagged 1967, 49, Dutch GP, Graham Hill, Grand Prix, Jim Clark, Lotus, Zandvoort, maiden victory, video in Video of the Week
1967, 49, Dutch GP, Graham Hill, Grand Prix, Jim Clark, Lotus, Zandvoort, maiden victory, video in Video of the Week
Reader Comments (3)
Wonderful film -- it takes me back. And the Zandvoort course is certainly beautiful.
Is there are consensus, or even a near-consensus, about ranknig the great drivers? Clark, Moss, Fangio, Senna, Schumucher and others. In terms of style, Clark always seems to do much less wheel-twisting in videos I've seen and therefore appears, at least, to be the smoothest. I'm sure many of your readers have opinions about this. Sorry to have posted this question belatedly.
I think most people would say that Clark was the best driver ever. I know Jackie Stewart thinks so, and he has known all of the greats personally.
Sorry about that typo -- it should be SchumAcher obviously. And thanks for your reply.
I know there are problems with comparing drivers of different eras since the cars differed so much, but I think you're right about Clark. I'd still be interested in hearing other opinions.