Originally Posted by Jeff Helmbolt

In 1965 I was 12 years old and a member of the Boy Scouts of America. There was a monthly magazine you could subscribe to called "Boys Life". In the May issue there was an article about Jimmy Clark and the new rear engined Indy car entered in the 500. It was that article that hooked my on open wheel racing. I made myself a promise that someday I would attend the 500 and hopefully meet Jimmy Clark. Well, we lost Jim Clark to an accident but after all these years my wife and I will attend the 92nd running of the Indy 500. I have had the great fortune to meet some of my boyhood racing heros including Mario Amdretti, the Unser brothers, Colin Chapman of Lotus, Emmerson Fittipaldi, Roger Penske to name but a few. I can't wait to get there and possibly meet more of my racing heros while fullfilling that boyhood promise to myself.

Originally Posted by Jeff Helmbolt

Hey Rick, Thanks for the reply. Say......Any chance you might want to sell that ticket stub? I didn't think so. Wouldn't mind having a photo copy of it.

Side note: In the early 80's I got to meet Colin Chapman at the Long Beach Grand Prix. While speaking with him I asked him how it was having Jim Clark as his driver? Without a moments hesitation his eyes got teared up and all he could say was "Jimmy was the last of the gentleman drivers. I miss him every day". What a class act. At that same event we met with Nicki Lauda. I asked him who his favorite 3 drivers were. His reply was Jaun Fangio, Nicki Lauda and Jim Clark.

Rain or shine, Tower Terrace here we come. 43 years in the making. Can't wait.

Originally Posted by Rick J. Borden



Jeff, I certainly could make a photocopy of that ticket.  I really wonder what that particular ticket might be worth? 
Colin Chapman was certainly way ahead of his time.  I've heard before that ihe became really disheartened with Jimmy's death and also Mike Spence's death who you may recall died testing one of Colin's Lotus turbines. 
The year Jimmy won most likely featured the best set of rookies ever with Johncock, Andretti, and Unser Sr.
I would love to have been at the Long Beach Grand Prix and met both he and Nicki Lauda.   

Originally Posted by Jeff Helmbolt



Rick, If it's not a big deal could/would you make a copy of that ticket and possibly we could make arrangements to meet somewhere at the track prior to the start of the race. We are sitting in the Tower Terrace.
For those folks that might be interested, look up online at Wikipedia the 1965 Indianapolis 500. It will give you the entire field of drivers and how they finished. The list of names will cause your jaw to drop. It makes you wonder how a little Scot with a rear engined car pulled it off against that field of talent.

Originally Posted by Rick Borden



Jeff, I just bought tickets in tower terrace.  Meeting you prior to the race and getting you a photocopy won't be a problem at all.  I'd be happy to do it.  I could even mail you a copy. 
I'll just bet that 1965 driver list is awesome.  My older brother always felt that Jimmy was the best driver that he had ever seen.  He is not the first Indy fan to have said that to me.  There was something about the guy (notwithstanding his F1 championships) that really made people sit up and take notice.  If you think about it, of all the years he competed, 1967 was the only one in which he was not ireally n the hunt.  I think by that point the Lotus chassis had been replicated and improved upon so much by other designers that it really lost its edge.  That is just my opinion.  Something about the 1965 race that I feel gets lost sometimes is the fact that Gordon Johncock finished 5th in a roadster. 

Originally Posted by Scott Donegan

Jimmie Clark was a great driver, but in 65 he had a big equipment advantage so it was no surprise he won in his and Lotus' third year.  Yes the field was loaded with talent but they did not have equipment equal to the factory Lotus.  The result was a very boring race.

Originally Posted by Jeff Helmbolt


I would agree to a point. With Clark leading 190 laps and winning with a margin of 1 min. 59 sec. over Parnelli it would seem boring. But from a historic view nothing could top it. It ended the golden age of motor racing in America (front engined open wheel) and brought us into the "modern" era of rear engines. aerodynamics, safety, etc.... with Colin Chapman and Jimmy Clark leading the way. Also it paved the way for a broader international field of cars and technology in American racing. To witness as an American at America's crown jewel of racing that moment in history would have been mind bogling. That kind of history rarely repeats itself in a life time. Kind of like being at Kitty Hawk when the Wright brothers took to the air. Maybe at the time it would be hard to appreciate, but given time and not appreaciate it would be crazy. Lots of records have since been set and broken at Indy, and lots of great drivers and new technology have evolved over the years, but for modern open wheel racing in America it all started that day. Was Jim Clark the greatest of all time? Hardly. He was the right driver with the right equipment at the right time. That's why they call it "History".