Roger Clark
Roger Clark (c.) and Jim Porter (1968)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 British
|
| Born | 5 August 1939 |
| Died | 12 January 1998 (aged 58) |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1973–81, 1984, 1995 |
| Teams | Ford, privateer |
| Rallies | 21 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 5 |
| Stage wins | 51 |
| Total points | 1 |
| First rally | 1973 East African Safari Rally |
| First win | 1976 Lombard RAC Rally |
| Last rally | 1995 Network Q RAC Rally |
Roger Albert Clark, MBE, (5 August 1939 – 12 January 1998) was a British rally driver during the 1960s and '70s, and the first competitor from his country to win a World Rally Championship (WRC) event when he triumphed at the 1976 RAC Rally.
The son of a motor dealer also named Roger Clark, after an education at Hinckley Grammar School from which he graduated with 5 O Levels, like his younger brother Stan Clark - also later a rally driver - he joined his fathers' business as an apprentice. He learned about cars as a mechanic, and then helped the business take on new sales franchises. By 1975 there were four Roger Clark Cars Ltd. garages in the Leicester area, retailing under franchise agreements Alfa Romeo, Ford, Jensen, Lotus, Renault and Porsche.
Clark married Judith Barr in 1965, and the couple had two sons.
Clark passed his driving test in 1956, and immediately joined the Leicester Car Club, where he met , who was his co-driver for 20 years.
Initially borrowing a Ford Model Y from his father's garage, he made his rallying debut at club level in 1956 in a pre-WWII Ford Prefect. The car used number plate 2 ANR, which Clark retained throughout his career, and often used for later private entries. After moving to compete in a 1950s Ford 100E van, in 1960 Clark and Porter began being placed after switching to a BMC Mini Cooper. In this car they won the East Midlands Rally Championship (1961 and 1962), came fourth overall and a class win in the International Circuit of Ireland (1963), third in the Motoring News Championship (1963), and third in his first Circuit of Scotland (1963).
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