PACE BEING SET BY YOUNGER DRIVERS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29897, 10 August 1962, Page 9

PACE BEING SET BY YOUNGER DRIVERS

[By

Bruce McLaren]

LONDON, August 30. AS we thought in April ** the struggle for the work championship appears to tx taking place among a new and younger set of drivers— Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark John Surtees, Dan Gurney and myself. They have al raced in New Zealand at dif ferent times, Graham an< Dan with the BRM's in 1960 and Jimmy a year later witt Team Lotus. This season Stirling Mosi is out of the running, al though trying desperately t< get fit and back to the spor again after his Goodwooc shunt—and last year’s work champion, Phil Hill, is handi capped with a Ferrari whicl was capable of winning handi down last season, but has no' progressed since, and conse quently Phil has been over whelmed by the British V-B’s Clark

If I was put on a spot and asked to name my best friend among the drivers. I think it would be Jimmy Clark. He

has a quiet manner ordinarily, but acquits himself very well at parties. He has a noticeable Scottish accent, and after each race he dashes back over the border to his farm in Duns, Berwickshire, to look after his sheep. Jimmy started racing for fun with a DKW saloon, was given a drive with the Border Rievers Lister Jaguar team, and graduated to Team Lotus starting this season as No. one driver. He has already

two Grand Epreuves to his credit Like most of us. ; Jimmy takes an occasional i drink, but doesn't make a habit of it, and being a very eligible bachelor, he has his share of girl friends. Hill

Graham Hill’s moustache is his distinguishing feature. He has a brand of irrepressible dry humour, and there is no fear of a dull party with Graham around. If anyone came up the hard way it was Graham. At one stage he was on the dole, and was working on racing cars whenever he got the chance. By devious means he managed to get a job as a racing mechanic, drove the cars he worked on once or twice, and was inevitably “noticed." Graham raced in Team Lotus for a season before going to B.R.M.'s, a team to which he has been exceedingly loyal, in spite of numerous set-hacks. Gurney

“I couldn't eat and drive for Ferraris as well, so I quit,” says tall, drawling’ Californian, Dan Gurney. He tried B.RM.’s when they weren’t having a very good run, and when he was offered the chance of a drive with the German Porsche

teem, which was reputedly going to make a shattering come-back, he jumped at it. He won his first Grand Epreuve .with the fiat-eight Porsche at Rouen a few weeks back. Dan is the sort of person you can't help liking. He breaks into a wide grin at the drop of a crash helmet, and is never too busy for a chat with anyone. Dan. I would say. is one of the steadiest drivers in the game today. He finished in every GT. last year, which is quite an achievement. One thing • these three drivers have in common is that they all drive motor-can too quickly for my liking, they are all tremendous sports, and any one of them is quite liable to win the world championship.