The Greatest Race
by cricketjeff on July 25, 2010. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
If there should be a heaven I shall watch one motor race,
Where gods of men compete in pouring rain,
And Stirling Moss and Fangio will battle for a place,
While Schumacher will find his touch again.
My death may be unwelcome but all’s not completely dark
If I’ll see Ayrton Senna head to head with Jimmy Clark.
We’ll gasp at Nicki Lauda and “Professor” Alain Prost,
While Mike the Bike and Surtees tag along.
Ascari will be drifting letting Piquet count the cost
And even BRMs will be on song.
Whoever else is racing they’ll be far behind the mark
When I see Ayrton Senna head to head with Jimmy Clark.
With Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell passing Graham Hill at speed
And Damon pushing Dad down every straight,
Andrettis old and young compete to see who must concede
And Ronnie Petersen will prove he’s great
But all these racing marvels will seem grannies in the park
When I see Ayrton Senna head to head with Jimmy Clark.
The Bentley boys will be there, and Bugattis, ERMs,
With Vanwall, Cooper-Climax, Lotus too.
From all of motor racing there will be the finest gems
But nothing there will match the mighty two.
Climb aboard the train to heaven, when it’s time to disembark
We’ll all see Ayrton Senna head to head with Jimmy Clark.
Author notes
Ayrton Senna would have been 50 years old this year, those who raced against
him said he was the greatest of all time, and he had the results to back that
up. He died at Imola in 1994 a race where another driver (Ratzenberger) died in
practice which prompted the formation of a driver’s safety group which Senna
would have lead. When Senna’s car was examined after his death they found an
Austrian flag tightly furled, Senna had intended to wave it after winning the
race in tribute to Ratzenberger. Three million people watched Senna’s funeral
cortege in Brazil and the government declared 3 days of official mourning.
My other hero, Jim, or Jimmy, Clark, was the most dominant driver of any era in
GP racing, he started 72 races, 33 of them from pole position, won 25 and set
28 fastest laps. He was F1 world champion twice as well as at F2 and various
other levels, he finished the Indi 500 three times, winning once by 2 clear
laps and finishing second on both other occasions. He competed at Le Mans (his
best there was a 3rd) won World Championship rally stages and died in a
pointless Formula Two race at Hockenheim when I was 10, the first time I
remember crying for any reason other than being hurt.
Oh and the only reason Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and others aren’t in the
poem above is I assume they’ll outlive me by years!
English