27/02/2024
1963 British Grand Prix, Silverstone : Jim Clark, Lotus-Climax 25 FWMV 1.5 v8, Team Lotus, Winner.
AUTHOR
Michael Tee ©️
Team Lotus arrived without issue, although Trevor Taylor would have to drive with a carburettor engine after a series of failures. Cooper-Climax arrived with no issues, also providing a brand new T66 for lead driver Bruce McLaren, his old car passing to privateers RRC Walker Racing Team. Brabham-Climax rebuilt their cars after the Reims race and so were fighting fit for Silverstone, while Ferrari only brought one driver in the form of John Surtees, but the two cars caused rumours to flurry that one car had been set up as a "special" for Surtees to take pole in before racing in the other.
The Scot gradually pulled away at the front of the field ahead of Gurney, while the crowds were entertained by a British brawl for third, with Graham Hill defending from John Surtees. This soon became a battle for second once Gurney dropped out with an engine failure like his team mate, before Surtees snatched the position away from Hill on the last lap, the latter running out of fuel on the run to the line. Clark led home a British one-two-three to secure his fourth win in a row and extend his Championship lead.
With a huge roar of engine, tyres and crowd, the flag dropped to start the British Grand Prix of 1963, with most of the field having dodge around Tony Maggs who had stalled before the start.[2] As the cars behind neatly swept by the Cooper-Climax without issue there was a shock at the front, for pole sitter Jim Clark was not leading. For once in 1963, the Scot had made a poor start, allowing Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren and Graham Hill to get in front before the first corner. Indeed, Clark's poor start further enhanced the suberb getaways by the two Brabham-Climax cars, with Gurney trailing team owner Brabham for a one-two on the opening lap.
However, Clark had previously proved to be as much of a fighter as he was a leader, and before the end of the second lap, Hill and McLaren were behind the green-gold Lotus. Next time through, Gurney had fallen to the Scot's charge, which carried Clark to the lead before the end of the next lap, Brabham also falling two seconds behind in the process. To those who had not seen the start, the order after four laps would have resembled their predictions, as Maggs screamed out of the pits to begin his race three laps down, just as John Campbell-Jones limped in.
There were three battle packs behind the leading Lotus in the early stages of the race, the most action packed being the battle for second. Brabham still led from Gurney, with the American fending off McLaren and Hill, while John Surtees was an ominous presence behind in the only scarlet Ferrari in the field. A few seconds back came the second pack, Trevor Taylor heading Jo Bonnier, Innes Ireland, the other two BRMs, Jim Hall and Chris Amon.[Bob Anderson was a further few seconds back in the lead of the privateer brigade.
Mechanical gremlins, however, were never far away from the Grand Prix cars of the 1960s, and so it proved when McLaren's engine expired through Chapel on lap seven. Taylor was the next man to disappear, the Englishman stopping in the pits with a fuel pump issue, moments after Ireland had charged past to sprint after the brawl for second. Ireland's pursuit was over before it began, however, as the BRP-BRM developed an ignition fault and so had to stop for repairs.
With Clark beginning to disappear, six seconds clear before the end of the eleventh lap, Brabham, Gurney, Hill and Surtees became the centre of attention, the quartet running nose-to-tail through the sweeping Silverstone bends. A rather more bruising scrap was being fought behind, Bonnier battling with Richie Ginther and Lorenzo Bandini in the other two BRMs, although all three kept running. Elsewhere, Formula One's trio of privateer motorcyclists Jo Siffert, Anderson and F1 débutante Mike Hailwood engaged in a private truel which was well more well mannered than the battles above.
The dancing Lotus did indeed vanish over the horizon a few laps later, with Gurney and Brabham swapping as Hill lost time by being taken by Surtees. The scarlet car was ahead of the BRM, featuring an orange band across the nose for their home race, for two laps before the counter response came, as Maggs claimed the first victim of his charge from the back, Jim Hall neatly tucking into the wake of works Cooper-Climax to drag himself back into contention. Bandini was coping well with Ginther and Bonnier, the latter pair's experience not quite enough to deal with the former's youthful exuberance, while Siffert dragged Hailwood away from Anderson as the latter looked to preserve his privately owned Lola-Climax.
With all of the on track action, the early mechanical issues were almost entirely forgotten, Taylor and Ireland having already rejoined, pitted and subsequently rejoined again although both were under investigation. Both were noted to have been push-started from the pits, illegal according to FIA rules, and while that was being discussed, Gurney came past the pits on his own with a small gap to Hill and Surtees. Brabham's engine had expired round the back of the circuit, leaving team mate Gurney to fight on alone, although as news of this filtered to the pits, Ireland and Taylor were disqualified.
By the halfway point, Clark was beginning to ease his pace, the dancing Lotus now twenty seconds clear of Gurney who was now running on his own. Hill and Surtees continued to scrap together, meaning they had lost more and more time to Gurney ahead, although they were in no danger from behind as they were thirty seconds ahead of another scrap. Ginther was now ahead of Bandini and Bonnier in their latest shuffle, with Amon and Hall the last of those on the lead lap, the latter pair well away from the rest and about to fall a lap behind.
There was more drama to be had on lap 42, with Bandini suffering a gear level failure, selecting neutral instead of any driving gear at all on the fast run to Stowe, with the BRM throwing itself into a spin. The Italian reacted quickly to bring the car back under control and continue with hampered changes, but was left frustrated as Clark came sweeping through to leave him a lap down, Ginther and Bonnier having disappeared from the scene unhampered. Gurney, Hill and Surtees were beginning to close up again, the American getting caught in heavy traffic and so the two Englishman could close the gap, with Siffert and Maggs using the leaders' charge to drop their nearest challengers.
Once clear of the traffic, Gurney was able to build the gap back up again, and soon the race became fairly tame, although Surtees remained a persistent threat to Hill, causing both to lose time as they exchanged blows. Then, with just twenty laps to go, their scrap became a duel for second, Gurney's Climax deciding to dump all of its oil on the exit of Stowe with a cloud of blue and white smoke pouring from the bottom of the car. Late issues also hit Anderson, Amon, Bonnier and Siffert, with the race now well and truly done.
Clark began to wind the Lotus down to a bare minimum pace, running in top gear for the final few laps to preserve his fuel after an issue before the race cost the Scot some fuel in one of the rubber fuel tanks.The same could not be said for Hill, with the BRM still dancing infront of the Ferrari on the last lap.[2] Hill was doing all he could to keep fuel in the tank and the Ferrari behind, but on the final run to the line the BRM engine drained the tank and died, allowing Surtees to dart past for second and leave Hill to coast home for third. Regardless, it was a British one-two-three at Silverstone with Clark making it four wins from the opening five races, and his fourth in a row as the season hit the halfway mark.
Report : Tee's Notes
Photo : The Telegraph
