HSCC to mark 50th anniversary of Clark's death at Donington Park

The first day of the HSCC's opening race meeting of the season on April 7-8 falls exactly 50 years from the day Clark was killed in a Formula 2 accident at Hockenheim in Germany, and the club plans to mark the occasion.

A one-minute silence will be held before the first race on Saturday afternoon and the event schedule will include an appreciation of the Scot's achievements.

The weekend's race programme will include some of the types of car raced by Clark across his decade of racing, including Lotus Cortinas, Lotus 18s, Lotus 23Bs and single-seater racing cars from the era before slicks and wings.

The prime celebration of Clark's life will be held at his home town of Duns in the Scottish borders over the anniversary weekend and will centre on the redeveloped Jim Clark Museum.

A tribute race meeting, featuring Historic Formula 2 cars, will also be held at Hockenheim over the weekend of April 21/22.

The life of the double world champion, who was just 32 when he died, has a special poignancy for the HSCC as the Club's CEO Grahame White was a friend of Clark and had breakfast with him on the day of his death.

"April 7 1968 is a date I will always remember," said White. "I was at Hockenheim that day working as a Sportkommissare (sport commissioner) for the Automobile Club Von Deutschland.

"Motor racing changed that weekend because everybody considered Jim Clark to be the one driver who would never be killed racing.

"I don't think he ever quite knew what all the fuss was about in relation to his ability in a racing car. He was totally natural in a car."