Jim Clark

This is a review of a number of sites in Scotland linked to the late Jim Clark which are little known about except to local residents & racing enthusiasts.

Gentlemen Jim as he was affectionately known was probably one of the greatest racing drivers of his time. A time when motor racing was all about participating & winning, not the money & glamour obsessed sport it has now become where sponsorship deals are more important than anything else.
He was born in Kilmany in Fife on the 4th March 1936, when he was four years old he moved with his parents to a farm in Duns in North Berwickshire.

Just after his 17th birthday his career as a motor racing driver started racing a Sunbeam Talbot Mk3 Saloon after joining the Berwick & District Motor Club. He also raced his friends DKW, Porsche & his Sunbeam Talbot on the local airfields at Winfield & Chaterhall.
In 1958 he successfully raced a D-Type Jaguar at the Spa Grand Prix & by the following year he made his debut at Le Mans with co-driver Sir John Whitmore & finished second in their class.
After his first single seater racing car event on Boxing Day 1959 at Brands Hatch he was spotted by Reg Parnell who invited him to join his Aston Martin racing team. The project never materialised so Clark joined Colin Chapman's Lotus racing team instead in 1960 & remained loyal to him for the rest of his career.

It soon became clear that Jim Clark was a very talented driver, in 1962 he was their number one driver & one year later he became world champion for driver & manufacturer. He repeated that again in 1965 & also became the first British driver to win the Indianapolis 500 race in the USA. At home he was awarded an OBE.

Jim would race anything, grand prix cars, Le Mans racers, rally cars or just raced prepared production cars.

Sadly in 1968 in Hockenheim in Germany, he was killed in an accident when his car plunged into trees, it was suspected a tyre blew out but safety measurers in those days weren't as good as they are today. Had that been a modern car with the latest safety features Jim would have probably survived the accident.

After he died his parents decided to donate the trophies & memorabilia he had collected over his short career to the Duns town council. With the help of a public appeal the Jim Clark room was opened in 1969.

THE JIM CLARK ROOM
The room is part of a council building situated in the Border town of Duns, it is tastefully laid out; it contains a unique collection of trophies, photographs, scale models, video display & other memorabilia. If you have a wheel chair you will need assistance to gain entry to the room.
Notes: Jim Clark Room, 44 Newtown Street, Duns, Tel 01361 883960. The room is in the centre of the town & well signposted, it is open 10.30-13.00 & 14.00-16.30 Monday to Saturday & 14.00-16.00 some Sundays, check first.

JIM CLARK CHILDHOOD HOME
Edington Mains Farm is where the Clark family moved when Jim was six years old, it no longer belongs to the Clark family & therefore not open to the public but the current owner is more than happy for anyone to inspect the house from the gate.

JIM CLARK MEMORIAL CLOCK & GRAVESITE
The clock was designed by his friend Ian Scott-Watson & is situated on the main street of Chirnside, not far from Duns. It is easily spotted with a model Lotus sports car on the top of the tower the clock is mounted on.
Chirnside Parish Church Cemetery is where Jim Clark is buried. Entering the gate of the churchyard permits access to his grave, walk to the left & you will find it at the top of the churchyard by the wall. There is a guide on how to find it on the notice board at the entrance.

JIM CLARK STONE
Just outside Chirnside on the south side from Berwick you'll see a small stone memorial to Jim Clark as you enter the village.

JIM CLARK MEMORIAL STATUE
This is actually located mile away in Kilmany Fife, about 10 miles south of Dundee off the A92 road. It's not signposted & therefore many people pass it without knowing.
It was in Kilmany where he was born, he lived here until he was six years old when his parents decided to move to Duns.
After his sudden death a statue was erected thanks to the efforts of St Andrews & district Motor Club & the Ford Motor Company.
Turn off the A92 at Kilmany, about 200 yards down the road pass a row of rather charming cottages & the statues is located just off the road close to park entrance.

Picture # 1, Outside the Jim Clark Room in Duns.
Picture # 2, Jim Clark statue in Kilmany, Fife.
Picture # 3, Jim Clark clock in Chirnside.
Picture # 4, Jim Clark gravesite in Chirnside.
Picture # 6, Jim Clark stone at Chirnside.