The greatest individual racing season of all time

by Alex Johnston

This achievement will never be topped, or even matched. This particular season and string of performance is something motorsport, or any sport, will never see again and that honour goes to a feisty, talented Scotsman by the name of Jim Clark.

In 1965 Clark took part in 63 races, winning 31 - including the Indy 500, the Formula 1 world championship, races in touring cars and more.

It began with the Tasman Series - where Clark won five out of eight racing rounds, seeing off competitors like Bruce McLaren (you may have heard of him), Jack Brabham, Phil Hill and Graham Hill.

Further races (and championships) were won in British Formula 2, Trophées de France (equivalent to French Formula 2) as well as wins in the Australian Drivers Championship and the British Saloon Car Championship.

Additionally, Clark became an Indy 500 winner; winning the famous race by two minutes, leading 190 out of 200 laps and becoming the first non-American to win at Indianapolis since Gaston Chevrolet almost half a century earlier in 1920. In order to compete, Clark did not enter that year’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Despite the above race non-entry, Clark would still win the F1 Championship that year, winning six (Kyalami, Spa-Francorchamps, Clermont, Silverstone, Zandvoort, Nordschleife) of nine races he competed in to win his second and final Formula One World Championship title, including three grand chelem (win, pole, fastest lap) races.

Clark would celebrate his incredible year in modest style, with a crowd pouring out to the streets of his hometown to witness his open top bus parade.

Motorsport tragically bid farewell to Clark at the age of 32 in 1968 as a result of injuries sustained in a Formula 2 crash in Germany but his legacy lives on, and although many of his statistics and records have been beaten by drivers with more races and more reliable cars, his race entry/race win percentages and laps led percentages remain some of the highest ever and some of the most impressive.

Next time you’re having the ‘greatest of all time’ debate amongst your fellow enthusiasts, you might consider Jim Clark, he is certainly worthy of the accolade.

📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, Goodwood, IMS Museum.