Lotus triumphs in historic return

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The A1-Ring saw a triumphant return to racing in June for the Lotus 48 in which Jim Clark won the 1967 Jarama F2 Championship round, and races at ZoIder and Keimola. It was 29 years since its last outing.

First driven by Graham Hill in the Tasman Championship at Warwick Farm, Australia, in the February – where it wrecked its Hewland gearbox – chassis R1 subsequently fared better with a stronger ZF unit. Jackie Oliver raced it in ’68, placing second at Hockenheim, and then contested the Argentine Temporada for new ow tier Gerry Kinnane, who gave John Watson his break at Thruxton in ’69. He crashed, but the chassis was repaired in Belfast, reappearing with 48 R2 in Kinnane’s Irish Racing Cars team.

Engine failure during practice at Thruxton 1970, with Barrie Smith driving, was its swansong. Owned privately since, the old warhorse was acquired in a dilapidated state by Ecurie Brisk’s Bob Tabor in ’97, and was restored by Simon Hadfield’s team. Hadfield raced it to a class win Classic GP F2 in Austria.