Auto Racing: The One That Was Missing

Jim Clark had won 18 Grand Prix races and the Indianapolis 500, but one great event had always defied him. It was the German Grand Prix, a murderous gearbox-busting nightmare of 14.2 miles and 174 curves around the Nürburgring, 30 miles southwest of Bonn. In four consecutive years, Clark tried and failed there. This year he wanted to take the German Grand Prix more than ever. He had already won five Grand Prix races this season, and a victory at Nurburgring would make him the first driver in history to win the world championship so early in the season.

When the starter's flag whished down last week, Clark roared off in his dark green Lotus, leaving the other 18 cars in exhaust fumes. Driving with superb skill, he powerslid through some curves, on others clipped the inside edge of the track, raising small puffs of dust. At the end of the first lap, he was already 135 yds. in front, and there he stayed. He set a new lap record on the first go-around (98.7 m.p.h.), then successively improved it on the next two laps (100.4 m.p.h.), broke it again on the tenth (101.1 m.p.h.). Sensing that they were witnessing a truly masterly conquest, the 300,000 spectators cheered tumultuously whenever Clark whizzed past.

The little Scot covered the 15 laps in a record 99.79 m.p.h., swept to the finish about one-half mile in front of Graham Hill's B.R.M. and Dan Gurney's Brabham. Gulping champagne from the winner's trophy, the normally unemotional Clark crowed: "I'm happy as a king! This was the one that was missing! I am the world champion!"