Date 1 January 1968 | Course length 4.104 km (2.550 mi) | |
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Official name XIV South African Grand Prix Location Kyalami, Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa Course Permanent racing facility Distance 80 laps, 328.320 km (204.009 mi) | ||
The 1968 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on Monday 1 January 1968. It was the first round of the 1968 Formula One season. 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.
This was also Mike Spence's final race, as he too was killed a few months later, while practicing for the 1968 Indianapolis 500.
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.