There are eras in every sport that are like no other; eras where giants take the field, or in the case of racing, legends thunder around the track. The sixties and the seventies were this time in Formula 1 and the 1962 U.S. Grand Prix, held on October 7, 1962, is a perfect example.
Coming into the race, Graham Hill was battling Jim Clark for the championship. Hill was in the lead and Clark needed a victory to remain a serious threat. Ferrari, whose drivers were not in contention for the championship elected to stay home and not make the trip across the Atlantic to the famed race track, so they were not a factor in the race. Competition was still fierce, however, with a list of competitors that reads like racing royalty. Jack Brabham was in a modified version of his car, Roger Penske was in a Lotus, Jim Hall was in Brabham’s old Lotus, Dan Gurney was in a Porsche, and Bruce McLaren in a Cooper-Climax T60. Moreoever, John Surtees was in Roy Salvadori’s car and local competitors, including Tim Meyer in a Cooper, were making a good showing.
Qualifying was held on Friday and fast laps were the rule of the day with Graham Hill, his team mate Richie Ginther, Jim Clark, and Jack Brabham all posting lap times faster than the previous year’s lap records. Clark went back out and destroyed the track record, previously held by Stirling Moss. On Saturday a light rain fell and prohibited anyone from bettering their time of the day before.
Race day dawned sunny and bright, and very chilly due to a stiff wind that blew throughout the day and threatened to bring rain showers despite the sun. As the green flag was thrown Clark leapt to the lead with Hill charging into second. The two champions, battling for the championship, began to pull away leaving Brabham, McLaren, and Ginther racing in a pack behind them. The track record was shattered on Lap 3 and the cars charged around the track with breathtaking speed. On lap 12 Hill took the lead from Clark, who had gotten caught in traffic. On lap 19 Clark ran a lap at 1:15.4, much faster than his qualifying time and it was no time before he had regained the lead and kept it. Clark was comfortably in the lead with Hill rolling behind him, while behind them a new battle emerged. Bruce McLaren was all over the back of Dan Gurney in an attempt to grab third. McLaren, driving a Cooper was fast and smooth, and on lap 57, took the place from Gurney. Gurney’s Porsche would quickly start losing power after that, causing him to retire the car.
At the end of the race, only Clark and Hill were on the lead lap. Clark began to steady his pace and remain consistent as the laps ticked off. He won the second consecutive U.S. Grand Prix for Lotus, with Hill coming in second, and McLaren third. Brabham was fourth scoring the first points for the Brabham team in F1.
The 1962 U.S. Grand Prix was a battle of champions. The drivers who made the sport what it is today, with their passion, discipline, devotion, and sacrifice fought each other at every race, pushing themselves and their cars to the limits. In an epic era, the 1962 U.S. Grand Prix was an epic race.
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