On this day... 01 January (1968) - Jim Clark wins his last Grand Prix
- Jan 2, 2019
- 2 min read
Jim Clark won the season-opening South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, but it turned out to be his last race; three months later he was killed at the German Grand Prix.
He bowed out in style, breaking a number of records at the time, including leading the most grand prix appearances (43), most pole positions (33) and most race wins (25).
1945
Jackie Ickx was born in Belgium. Although he is better known for endurance racing - he won Le Mans six times - he competed in F1 between 1967 and 1979. During this time he won eight races and finished second in the championship in 1969 and 1970. He retired from racing after being involved in a crash with Stefan Bellof at Spa; Ickx walked away, but Bellof was killed. He subsequently was involved with developing young race talent through the Renault Academy.
1965
Another season opener in South Africa , this time at East London, and another success for Clark in his Lotus Climax - he also took pole position and recorded the fastest lap. It was the debut for Goodyear tyres as they set out to break the monopoly of Dunlop. Jackie Stewart also made his debut at the race.
1937
Twenty-eight years before Clark's win, Pat Fairfield won the South African Grand Prix in the first ERA built for a private customer.
1981
Hungary's first Formula One driver, Zsolt Baumgartner , was born in Budapest. He competed in 20 F1 races for Jordan and Minardi and later went to the US as test driver for the Minardi ChampCar squad, until they left the championship in 2008.
1981
American driver Mauri Rose died in Royal Oak, Michigan at the age of 74. Rose was an Indianapolis regular and competed in two American Grand Prix in 1950 and 1951; his best result was third in 1950. In 1967 he was invited back to Indy to drive the Chevrolet Camaro pace car.
1963
Jean-Marc Gounon was born in Aubenas, France; although was better known as a sports car driver he competed in nine grand prix for Minardi and then Simteck in 1993 and 1994.
1951
German driver Hans Stuck , who competed in 74 grand prix between 1974 and 1979, was born in Grainau. He was the second of three generations of racing Stucks - his father Hans Villez von Stuck drove in F1 from 1951 to 1953; both of his sons - Johannes and Ferdinand - also raced.
1938
Driver Carlo Franchi was born in Milan, Italy. He entered the 1978 Italian Grand Prix driving a Surtees TS20, but failed to qualify. He never took part in a race under his own name, preferring the pseudonym of 'Gimax', and his son also raced under that name.
1928
American race driver Hap Sharp was born in Tulsa. He competed in six F1 races between 1961 and 1964, all in the USA or Mexico. He committed suicide after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1992.
1901
Marcel Balsa was born in Saint-Frion, France. He competed in the 1952 German Grand Prix in a privately entered BMW. He began his racing career after World War Two in a Bugatti Type 51.
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