Mr Motor Racing

Few drivers held a candle to Jim Clark - the acknowledged master of 1960s motor racing - but those who ran him close included fellow American Dan Gurney, motorcyclist turned car racer John Surtees and Mr Motor Racing himself, Graham Hill. With Clark as the reference point, Hill was sometimes referred to as an inferior driver - a grafter who worked hard to match his peers without the natural talent to back it up. This was clearly a flawed analysis of a driver who was world champion twice (in 1962 and '68) and while he may have lacked the last ounce of Clark's unique speed behind the wheel, Hill was a versatile and formidable competitor in all types of car, achieving notable success in Ronnie Hoare's Maranello Concessionaires Ferraris during 1963 and '64. At Goodwood in '64, Hill chases Gurney's Shelby Daytona Cobra on his way to his second consecutive victory in the blue riband Tourist Trophy aboard the faithful 330P 0818. Victory at Goodwood followed a second place at Le Mans and preceded wins in the Paris 1000KMs at Monthlery and the Trofeo Bettoja at Monza. Not bad for a driver whose main focus was on the F1 driver's title for BRM - which slipped from his grasp only at the final round in Mexico gifting the title to John Surtees. As if to emphasise his versatility Hill remains - 40 years after his death - the only driver to have won the Driver's World Championship, Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 - motor racing's coveted triple crown.

 



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