1968 South African Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Country:South Africa
Flag Suffix:1928
Grand Prix:South African
Date:1 January
Year:1968
Official Name:2nd AA Grand Prix of South Africa
Location:Kyalami, Midrand, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Mi:2.550
Course Km:4.104
Distance Laps:80
Distance Mi:204.009
Distance Km:328.320
Weather:Very hot, dry
Pole Driver:Jim Clark
Pole Team:Lotus-Ford
Pole Time:1:21.6
Pole Country:United Kingdom
Fast Driver:Jim Clark
Fast Team:Lotus-Ford
Fast Time:1:23.7
Fast Lap:73
Fast Country:United Kingdom
First Driver:Jim Clark
First Team:Lotus-Ford
First Country:United Kingdom
Second Driver:Graham Hill
Second Team:Lotus-Ford
Second Country:United Kingdom
Third Driver:Jochen Rindt
Third Team:Brabham-Repco
Third Country:Austria

The 1968 South African Grand Prix, formally the 2nd AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: Tweede AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix), was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on Monday 1 January 1968. It was race 1 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 80-lap race was won by two time World Drivers' Champion and 1965 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark for Lotus-Ford after starting from pole position. The race is significant as not only the last Formula One race to be won by Clark, but also the last in which he ever competed, due to his fatal crash at the Hockenheimring in Germany three months later. At this race Team Gunston became the first Formula One team to paint their cars in the livery of their sponsors instead of national colours when they entered a private Brabham for John Love[1] and an LDS for Sam Tingle.

This was also Mike Spence's final race, as he too was killed a few months later, while practising for the 1968 Indianapolis 500.

The first six slots on the grid were filled by either previous or future world champions. However the reigning champion, Denny Hulme, only started in ninth.

Clark broke many records during the weekend, such as leading the most Grands Prix (43), having the most laps led (1,943), having the most perfect weekends (11), achieving the most pole positions (33) and finally achieving 25 race wins, beating Juan Manuel Fangio's 11-year-old record.

Classification

Qualifying

The qualifying session was held on 31 December 1967.

PosNoDriverConstructorTimeGap
14 Jim ClarkLotus-Ford1:21.6
25 Graham HillLotus-Ford1:22.6+1.0
316 Jackie StewartMatra-Ford1:22.7+1.1
43 Jochen RindtBrabham-Repco1:23.0+1.4
52 Jack BrabhamBrabham-Repco1:23.2+1.6
67 John SurteesHonda1:23.5+1.9
710 Andrea de AdamichFerrari1:23.6+2.0
88 Chris AmonFerrari1:23.8+2.2
91 Denny HulmeMcLaren-BRM1:24.0+2.4
1011 Pedro RodríguezBRM1:24.9+3.3
119 Jacky IckxFerrari1:24.9+3.3
126 Dan GurneyEagle-Weslake1:25.6+4.0
1312 Mike SpenceBRM1:25.9+4.3
1422 Dave CharltonBrabham-Repco1:26.2+4.6
1515 Ludovico ScarfiottiCooper-Maserati1:26.3+4.7
1619 Jo SiffertCooper-Maserati1:26.4+4.8
1717 John LoveBrabham-Repco1:27.0+5.4
1821 Jean-Pierre BeltoiseMatra-Ford1:27.2+5.6
1920 Jo BonnierCooper-Maserati1:27.3+5.7
2025 Basil van RooyenCooper-Climax1:27.8+6.2
2114 Brian RedmanCooper-Maserati1:28.0+6.4
2218 Sam TingleLDS-Repco1:28.6+7.0
2323 Jackie PretoriusBrabham-Climax1:29.0+7.4

Race

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
14 Jim ClarkLotus-Ford801:53:56.619
25 Graham HillLotus-Ford80+ 25.326
33 Jochen RindtBrabham-Repco80+ 30.444
48 Chris AmonFerrari78+ 2 Laps83
51 Denny HulmeMcLaren-BRM78+ 2 Laps92
621 Jean-Pierre BeltoiseMatra-Ford77+ 3 Laps181
719 Jo SiffertCooper-Maserati77+ 3 Laps16 
87 John SurteesHonda75+ 5 Laps6 
917 John LoveBrabham-Repco75+ 5 Laps17 
NC23 Jackie PretoriusBrabham-Climax71+ 9 Laps23 
Ret6 Dan GurneyEagle-Weslake58Oil Leak12 
Ret9 Jacky IckxFerrari51Oil Leak11 
Ret20 Jo BonnierCooper-Maserati46Overheating19 
Ret16 Jackie StewartMatra-Ford43Engine3 
Ret18 Sam TingleLDS-Repco35Overheating22 
Ret25 Basil van RooyenCooper-Climax22Engine20 
Ret11 Pedro RodríguezBRM20Fuel System10 
Ret2 Jack BrabhamBrabham-Repco16Engine5 
Ret10 Andrea de AdamichFerrari13Accident7 
Ret12 Mike SpenceBRM7Fuel System14 
Ret14 Brian RedmanCooper-Maserati4Oil Leak21 
Ret22 Dave CharltonBrabham-Repco3Differential14 
Ret15 Ludovico ScarfiottiCooper-Maserati2Water Pipe15 

Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1 Jim Clark9
2 Graham Hill6
3 Jochen Rindt4
4 Chris Amon3
5 Denny Hulme2
Source:[2]
Constructors' Championship standings
PosConstructorPoints
1 Lotus-Ford9
2 Brabham-Repco4
3 Ferrari3
4 McLaren-BRM2
5 Matra-Ford1
Source:

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'SA was ahead of the curve' – 50 years of sponsorship in F1. wheels24.co.za. 4 October 2018.
  2. Web site: South Africa 1968 - Championship • STATS F1. www.statsf1.com. 20 March 2019.