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| Graham Hill |
Graham Hill
Born: 15 February 1929, Hampstead, London
Died: 29 November 1975
Grand Prix Starts: 176
Grand Prix Victories: 14
Points Total: 289
World Champion: 1962, 1968
Graham Hill was an outstanding driver whose extrovert character was very different from that of his great rival , Jim Clark, although the two shared a steely resolve. As Clark signed for Lotus in 1960, Hill left for BRM, accumulating just 7 points in his first two seasons with them...
By 1962 both the car and Hill's results had improved: his maiden victory in the opening race at Zandvoort was followed by wins in Germany and Italy, snatching the title from Clark in the final race that season. In the next three championship series Hill finished runner-up: to Clark in 1963 and 1965, and to Ferrari's John Surtees in 1964, losing the title by a single point that year.
In 1966 Hill had a disappointing championship, although he did win the Indy 500. In 1967 he rejoined Lotus, now with the new Cosworth DFV engine, and looked set for an assault on the 1968 championship. Team- mate Clark's death early in the season shattered the morale of the Lotus camp; Hill restored it with three victories on the way to a second world title.
He slid down the rankings in 1969, although he took his fifth Monaco victory. A crash at Watkins Glen left him with severe leg injuries and it was clear that his best days were behind him. He retired in 1975 and remains the only man to complete the blue riband treble: the world championship, the Indy 500 and Le Mans.
After retirement, Hill concentrated on establishing his own team. He and five team members were killed in November 1975 when the plane he was piloting crashed in fog near Elstree.