Jim Clark won both the Formula One World Championship and the Indianapolis 500 in 1965.
Clark, a Scottish driver representing Britain, claimed his second F1 drivers’ championship for Team Lotus in 1965. He scored 54 championship points, finishing ahead of Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart. His Lotus-Climax was highly competitive, and the title confirmed him as one of the era’s outstanding all-round drivers.
On May 31, 1965, Clark won the Indianapolis 500 in a Lotus 38 powered by a Ford V8. He led 190 of the 200 laps and became the first non-American winner of the race since 1920. The victory was also the first Indy 500 win for a rear- or mid-engined car, ending the long dominance of front-engined roadsters.
Clark had to miss the 1965 Monaco Grand Prix to compete at Indianapolis, but the decision produced a unique achievement. Other drivers, including Graham Hill and Mario Andretti, won both the F1 title and the Indy 500 during their careers, but not in the same calendar year.