Britain's Greatest Ever Oval Racer?

[BootsOntheSide]

I know this poll could just as easily go in the other forum, but as it's 500 day tomorrow and Dan Wheldon's in contention for the win, I was wondering who you thought is the greatest oval racer Britain has produced. Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill all showed form in the race in the 60s, Nigel Mansell won four oval races in his CART championship year, and Manning and Wheldon seem impressive. Considering that oval racing is so under-appreciated in Britain, I feel that my nation has done well to produce such impressive drivers, but who is the best at this discipline?

[Fish_Flake]

I'd have to say Jimmy. He was the best in all disciplines.

[Down F0rce]

I'm going with Jim Clark. Great driver, great guy and started his carrer less than 10 miles from where I am right now

[Snrub]

You're right, the UK does produce a disporportionite number of top drivers. Top oval racers the UK has produced far fewer, but I think that's mostly opportunity. I picked Clark, but he's also one of the all time greats of any kind of racing.

[DNQ]

Jim Clark, for sure. Hill was the next best on that list.

[Tim Northcutt]

Jim Clark is my pick, too.....but Nigel Mansell would be second...once he figured out the intricacies of rolling restarts on ovals, he was rock solid....also knew when, where and how to pass...I can remember some moves he made at places like Milwaukee and Indy that other drivers of lesser talent wouldn't dare try to put a race car, but he pulled them off smoothly

[Rob29]

John Cobb

[racer69]

Clark, but he was good in anything

The way Wheldon is going at Indy, he is showing himself to be a real talent.

[Jordi]

Clark. After all, he was the best driver in his time.

[F1naWeb]

Clark, for sure.

But Mansell was a good one and Wheldon is doing great

[ghinzani]

Barry Lee I think!

[BSchneiderFan]

Jim Clark. Greatest driver ever, so of course our best oval driver. Insanely talented, and feared only one other driver...

[Lee Janotta]

Jim Clark's the best answe anytime the question starts with "Britain's Greatest Ever"

[ensign14]

Sorry, no Segrave? No Earl Howe? No Freddie Dixon? In fact, no-one from the Brooklands era, when entire CAREERS were spent in oval racing?

Having said that, Jim Clark. Greatest ever.

[Goose21]

El Lione! Red Five. Mansell knew how top run here at Indy.

[BullittStang]

I have to go with Mansell. He did things in a race car at speeds that are just unheard of. I remember the 1993 Indy 500, it was the closing laps of the race and it was between Arie Luyendyk in first, Nige in second, and Fittipaldi in third. I remember Nige was tearing up the laps and was pushing so hard he actually brushed it against the wall, not once, but twice, and he never slowed down. Plus, he still had torn muscle tissue in his back from his accident at Phoenix.

Then I had a chance to see him in action in person at the New England 300 at New Hampshire. That race is considered by many people to be the best 1-mile oval race in history. For the last 50 laps, Nigel and Paul Tracy were going at it tooth and nail and it didn't matter whether traffic was in the way or not.

Then in 1994, the year of the Penkse-Mercedes pushrod uber engine at Indy. Just when you thought that Penske was going to make it boring and just run away and hide, Nigel comes alive. In a performance reminiscent of Nige's drive at the 1987 Silverstone, Nigel started clokcing in a series of race fastest laps and was cutting down the Penske lead by almost a second a lap. He was the only driver to turn laps faster than the 2 Penskes, and I'm certain he could have caught them and challenged them if it wasn't for that idiot Dennis Vitolo.

[krt917]

I'm a big fan of Clark and, if I were considering all-round greatness, he would be above Nige. However, Clark was part of a revolution that gave him a technical edge and he only did a few oval races, whereas Nige was in the Championship full-time (ish!) and had to learn the nuances of setting a car up for an oval. And then he drove the wheels of it.

Result: I'm gonna go for Red Five!

[Neil C]

krt, you make a very good case for Nige. But I voted for Clark. I had a chance to peer inside and poke about Clark's Indy winning Lotus. Anyone who could drive that beast at speed for 500 miles get's my vote. I'm not sure Mansell could have done it (as quickly).

[krt917]

Fair enough - I was humming and harring (spelling?!) for some time before deciding. Has to be one of those two really, though Jackie could have been amazing, I think, if he'd been prepared to do some more oval races.

[Knowlesy]

I would say Mansell or Clark. Mansell picked it up in such a short time though whilst carrying a pretty horrendous injury....