Jim Clark may have passed away more than half a century ago, but in his 32 short years he left such an enduring legacy that his achievements and skill behind the wheel are still remembered and admired to this day. He was indecently quick in just about anything with wheels and broke records wherever he raced, becoming the youngest Formula 1 World Champion in 1963 and winning a second time in 1965, the same year he triumphed at the Indy 500. A record that stands to this day.
The recently completed Jim Clark Motorsport Museum was opened to the public in mid-July and over 5000 visitors have already been to pay tribute to the double Formula 1 World Champion. Another great Formula 1 legend and good friend of Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE officially unveiled the museum on 29 August, revealing a plaque to mark the event.
Speaking at the unveiling, Sir Jackie said: “I would like to congratulate everybody who is responsible for being able to bring together enough money to do something as nice as this. Really, you should all be very proud of it and I think a lot more folk are going to come to Duns to see it. I’m sure everybody in Scotland will be pleased that they have something as important as this in the Scottish Borders.
“When Jim Clark was racing he was my hero and forever will be. He was certainly the best racing driver I ever raced against, we had a great life together and he was an enormous help to me and taught me so much about the business. The manner in which he drove racing cars was just different to everybody else so I had somebody very good to learn from.”
Doug Niven, cousin of Jim Clark and trustee of The Jim Clark Trust, explained, “Sir Jackie has given the museum and the redevelopment project a huge amount of support and encouragement over many years and I was delighted to show him round the finished product today and see his reaction. The official opening was an opportunity to thank all those people, from across Scotland and the rest of the world who backed this project, financially and with contributions to the new exhibitions, and it was particularly pleasing to see so many people here who had a close connection to Jim, either through racing or his life here in Berwickshire.”
Among those in attendance were Jim’s family and friends as well as fellow patron of The Jim Clark Trust and three-time Le Mans winner, Allan McNish.
The museum features two of Jim Clark’s most famous race cars, image galleries, trophy displays, historic film footage and a simulator. The £1.6-million project came together thanks to the efforts of many individuals and organizations, notably the Scottish Borders Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and The Jim Clark Trust. Admission to the museum is just £5 for adults who can then return as many times as they wish free of charge over the following 12 months. Further information can be found on the museum website.
Images courtesy of Tony Marsh/Live Borders
