The 1965 South African Grand Prix, officially known as the XI South African Grand Prix, was the opening round of the 1965 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Prince George Circuit in East London on the 1st of January.[1] The season opener for 1965 would be remembered as the debut of future World Champion Jackie Stewart, although it was his countryman Jim Clark that ultimately stole the show.[1]
The Team Lotus racer had been defeated in Mexico just five weeks previously, an engine failure on the final lap ruining his title hopes.[1] Yet, amid the New Years celebrations across the world, the Scot bounced back with a stunning pole position.[1] He would line up alongside defending Champion John Surtees on the front row of the grid.[1]
A strong start for Clark saw him catapult himself into the lead, although he was almost overshadowed by team mate Mike Spence as he launched himself into second.[1] The pair duly began to pull away together, the two Lotuses quickly escaping the clutches of third placed Surtees.[1] Dan Gurney, Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren were also running well just behind Surtees, although the actual on track action was few and far between.[1]
Clark's pace proved too much for his less experienced team mate, with Spence spinning on lap 43 to put himself right in the sights of Surtees.[1] The Champion began to wind up the pressure on the second Lotus over the following laps, and a second spin on lap 60 put Spence down in fourth behind Hill.[1] Clark, meanwhile, continued to pound on up front, and despite a brief scare when the officials waved the chequered flag a lap early, the Scot duly collected a record sixth Grand Chelem.[1]
Debutante Stewart would end his maiden Grand Prix in sixth, becoming one of the few drivers to score on their F1 debut.[1]
Background
Entry list
The full entry list for the 1965 South African Grand Prix is outlined below:
| No. | Driver | Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Model | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Practice Overview
Qualifying
Report
Qualifying Results
Grid
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Race
Report
Results
Milestones
- Debut for Scottish racer Jackie Stewart.
- Fourteenth career win for Jim Clark, putting him a clear second on the all time winners list.
- Sixth Grand Chelem for the Scot to put him top of that all time list.
Standings
Victory for Jim Clark at the season opening race meant that the Scot led the Championship from the get go, with the scale of his victory already making him favourite for the title. Defending Champion John Surtees was the Scot's closest challenger for Ferrari, while Graham Hill would leave South Africa in third. The rest of the points were split between Mike Spence, Bruce McLaren and the impressive debutante Jackie Stewart.
Unsurprisingly, it was Clark's Lotus-Climax outfit that led the Intercontinental Cup for Manufacturers, with Spence's fourth place denying points to their rivals. Ferrari were in second after Surtees' second, while BRM left in third with their partnership of experience and youth. Rounding out the scorers at the opening round were Cooper-Climax thanks to McLaren's fifth place.
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References
Images and Videos:
References:
| V T E |   South African Grand Prix
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| Circuits | Prince George Circuit (1934–1963), Kyalami Circuit (1965-1993) |  |
| Championship Races | 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986–1991 • 1992 • 1993 | |
| Non-championship races | 1934 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1960 • 1960 • 1961 • 1966 • 1981 |
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