April 7, 1968. Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg. One of the track’s car racers spears off the circuit at nearly 170 mph, killing him. But this was no track day accident; It was the last moments of quite possibly the best racing driver of all time: Jim Clark.

One of the greatest car racers of all time, Jim Clark, died doing what he loved 57 years ago today

Some people are just born to it. In Jim Clark’s case, “it” is racing. His teammates and crew celebrated him for his raw talent and near-telepathic mechanical sympathy. But even with an almost supernatural ability to tell when something was off with a car, Clark’s entry into a Formula Two race at Hockenheimring in West Germany would prove to be the champion’s last drive. 

According to an article from The Guardian following the crash, Clark’s car had just exited the “Shrimps Head” curve when his car blasted off the track and into the nearby woods. “Suddenly, Jim’s car broke out,” said Chris Irwin, another British car racer. Irwin was about 250 meters behind Clark at the time. “It looked like something mechanical.”

It was, in fact, a fault with the car that caused the tragic accident. A rapidly deflating rear tire robbed Clark of his corner-exit traction. Paired with the wet conditions of the day, the accomplished racer was hopeless to keep the Lotus planted on the legendary track. Clark had a broken neck and a skull fracture. In that moment, the world had lost a tremendous talent. 

The choice that changed Clark’s life

Clark’s ill-fated drive was the result of a choice between two races. The first was a 1,000-kilometer race for Ford at Brands Hatch in England. The second was the one that ultimately claimed Clark’s life, the Hockenheimring Formula Two race with Lotus.

Clark did, however, leave quite the record. In addition to 25 career wins, Clark still holds the record for the most “Grand Slams” of any F1 driver. To lend a little perspective, a Grand Slam is qualifying on pole position, winning, snagging the fastest lap, and leading every lap of the race. Clark did it eight times, two more than Lewis Hamilton and three more than the legendary Michael Schumacher. 

Who knows how things would have been had Clark entered the Brands Hatch race with Ford. Either way, the blisteringly fast Scottish car racer made his mark. Now, nearly 60 years after his passing, many racing fans consider him one of the greatest motorsport talents of all time. And a visit to Hockenheim will reveal a solemn reminder: a corner bearing the name “Jim Clark Kurve.”