Here is an unusual pair of photographs: the Start of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 20, 1963 seen almost simultaneously from opposite sides of the grid.
On pole in Lotus 25 n. 4 is Jim Clark and next to him in n. 9 is Dan Gurney in his Brabham BT7 with a Climax 1.5 liter V8, then Graham Hill in a BRM P57 which was a 1962 car with a new 1.5 liter V8 and a 6-speed gearbox, and finally on the far side, or the near side as you may prefer, is Jack Brabham in another BT7.
The front row of the grid had Gurney two tenths behind Clark, Hill another two tenths down and Brabham six tenths behind Clark’s pole time. Clark made a slow getaway and the initial leader was Brabham, followed by Gurney. But Clark came through for the lead on the fourth lap, pulled away and was never again challenged. Both Gurney and Brabham retired with engine problems. Graham Hill was second until he ran out of fuel shortly before the finish and coasted across the line for third, having been passed as he coasted along by John Surtees who drove the only Ferrari, a 156/63.
Ferrari had had an extra car, but no extra drivers, and before the race it was thought that they might ask Phil Hill to step into it as his ATS had never got to England, but that was not to be.
Photos by Nigel Snowdon and Colin Waldeck ©The Klemantaski Collection – http://www.klemcoll.com
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