"If this can happen to Jimmy, what chance do the rest of us have? I think we all felt that. It seemed like we'd lost our leader." - Chris Amon, commenting on the death of Jim Clark at Hockenheim in 1968.
Well, what if it didn't happen to Jimmy? What would that mean for Motorsport as a whole, and how would those ripples spread?
A week before Jim Clark was killed he was involved in a minor accident with Jacky Ickx during the first lap of the Formula 2 Barcelona Grand Prix. The Point Of Departure is in this time-line this accident doesn't happen and instead a heavier crash occurs a few laps later, again involving Clark and Ickx. This accident is enough to tweak Clark's neck and keep him out of the car in Hockenheim . . . The resulting history of Formula One is very, very different.
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From The Pages of Auto-Racer Magazine;
31st March, 1968 Barcelona - The Barcelona Grand Prix, Montjuïc Park
A bright and clear day at Montjuïc Park has seen Jackie Stewart triumph over an excellent field to win the Juan Jover Trophy under these pleasant Catalan skies. Driving the nimble MS7 for Ken Tyrrell's Matra International outfit the young Scot was never seriously threatened as he comfortably held off Henri Pescarolo round the twists and undulations of the mountain park in this beautiful Spanish city. New Zealander Chris Amon managed a solid third for Ferrari to round out the podium.
The most notable incident of the Barcelona Grand Prix actually occurred on the fourth lap. Young Belgian, Jackie Ickx (Ferrari) made an excellent start from 5th on the grid and, such was his keenness to forge to the front of the pack that he almost collected Jim Clark, out-braking himself and only narrowly avoiding the twice World Champion at the first sharp hairpin turn "El Anguilo". Not to be denied however Ickx got his head down and charged hard looking to catch the Scottish maestro and prove himself a man for the future.
As Ickx trailed Clark across the start/finish straight at the end of the third lap he was close enough to consider trying again. Jinking out of Clark's slipstream as the pair howled across the start line the pair were neck and neck, Ferrari vs Lotus, through the long gentle left-hand uphill curve which powers through the Estadio and Rasente sections towards El Anguilo. Unfortunately, as Ickx, who had the inside line and was well positioned to make the move, hit the breaks the tail of the Ferrari stepped out and, trying to correct, Ickx drifted into the side of Clark's Lotus.
The resulting tangle of wheels occurred at one of the fastest seconds of the circuit and the result could've been far worse for both men. Fortunately Ickx's Ferrari clattered the inside barrier and, divorced from it's two left hand wheels, slid to a comparatively gentle halt on the entry of the hairpin. The Lotus span a number of times down the centre of the track with Clark frantically trying to regain control, unfortunately he ran out of space and his car shot backwards into the hairpin and clouted the low crash barrier with a resounding thump.
Ickx climbed from his car much chastened but unhurt. Clark required the assistance of marshals and some well-meaning spectators to be extracted from the sorry remains of his Lotus 48 complaining of neck pain and a injured knee but otherwise unharmed. It makes Clark's attendance at the opener of the official European F2 Championship next weekend doubful, but those in the know say he will be fighting fit to defend his lead in the F1 World Championship at Jarama in May.