Editing Jim Clark (section)

==Accident and death==
[[File:Jim Clark Hockenheimring tribute.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A Clark memorial at the [[Hockenheimring]] in Germany]]
On 7 April 1968, Clark died in a racing accident at the [[Hockenheimring]] in West Germany.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 April 1968 |title=Jim Clark dies in 170mph crash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/1968/apr/08/formulaone |access-date=27 December 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> During the four-month gap between the first race, which Clark won, and second of the {{F1|1968}} season, drivers would compete in other racing formulas. Clark was originally slated to drive in the [[BOAC 1000]]&nbsp;km sportscar race at Brands Hatch but instead chose to drive in the [[1968 Deutschland Trophäe|Deutschland Trophäe]], a [[Formula Two]] race, for Lotus at the Hockenheimring, primarily due to contractual obligations with [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]. Although the race has sometimes been described as a "minor race meeting", the entry list was impressive with top-running Matras for the French drivers [[Jean-Pierre Beltoise]] and [[Henri Pescarolo]], Tecnos for [[Carlo Facetti]] and [[Clay Regazzoni]], Team Brabhams for [[Derek Bell (racing driver)|Derek Bell]] and [[Piers Courage]], a Ferrari for [[Chris Amon]], and McLarens for [[Graeme Lawrence]] and [[Robin Widdows]]. Team Lotus drivers [[Graham Hill]] and Clark were in Gold Leaf Team Lotuses and a young [[Max Mosley]] was also in the race, moving up from the Clubman series. The event was run in two heats.<ref name="Marriot 2010">
{{cite magazine|last=Marriott|first=Andrew|date=July 2010|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-2010/50/the-memorial-that-matters/|title=Return to Hockenheim: The memorial that matters|magazine=Motor Sport|issue=50|access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref>

On the fifth lap of the first heat, Clark's [[Lotus 48]] veered off the track and crashed into the trees. He suffered a broken neck and skull fracture, and died before reaching the hospital. The cause of the crash was never definitively identified; investigators concluded it was most likely due to a deflating rear tyre. Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow F1 drivers and close friends, such as Hill, Surtees, Amon, [[Jackie Stewart]], [[Dan Gurney]], and [[Jack Brabham]], all being personally affected by the tragedy. People came from all over the world to Clark's funeral. [[Colin Chapman]] was devastated and publicly stated that he had lost his best friend. The 1968 F1 Drivers' Championship was subsequently won by Hill, his Lotus teammate, who pulled the heartbroken team together and held off Stewart for the crown, which he later dedicated to Clark. There is also a large memorial to Clark at Hockenheim today; because the track has been reduced in length and the old course reforested, the actual location of the crash is in a heavily wooded area.<ref name="Evans 2018">{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Mike |date=2018-10-03 |title=Jim Clark: A quest to find the original memorial at Hockenheimring |url=https://www.macfilos.com/2018/10/03/2018-10-2-jim-clark-a-quest-to-find-the-original-memorial-at-hockenheimring/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Macfilos}}</ref> There was initial speculation as to whether the accident was caused by a driver error or a deflating rear tyre, and Lotus were investigated thoroughly by aircraft crash investigators for three weeks. Many drivers, including Surtees and Brabham, were convinced that the crash was caused by a deflating rear tyre and were adamant that it was not a driver error—simply because they believed Clark was not capable of making such a mistake. In the words of Andrew Marriott of the classic journal ''[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]'' who was covering the race as a young reporter, "Deaths in the sport were a regular occurrence in those days, but surely someone of Clark's sublime talent and skill? People reckoned that the rear tyre had deflated, and there is another theory that the mechanical metering unit on the Cosworth FVA engine had seized and caused Clark to crash."<ref name="Marriot 2010"/>