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Born John Young Stewart in Dumbartonshire in 1939, Jackie Stewart was to become was of the greatest racing drivers ever, excelling in Formula One. He was a natural sportsman, especially in those disciplines demanding good eye-hand coordination, and at first it seemed he was destined to race in motorcars. After all, his father had been a motorcycle racer at one time, and his brother was actively involved in the sport. Jimmy Stewart even raced in the British Grand Prix of 1953, although he crashed out. Soon afterwards he was seriously injured in an accident at Le Mans, and was forced to retire from the sport. His parents breathed a huge sigh of relief now that their eldest was out of the dangerous sport, and strongly discouraged Jackie from even considering motor racing as a career.
Instead, Jackie Stewart turned to his second love – shooting. He excelled at this activity, representing his country several times, and his name had already been pencilled in to the team for the 1960 Olympics. However he performed poorly at the final trials and so was omitted from the squad.
Jackie’s father, after giving up motorcycle racing, had set up a family run garage, selling Jaguars. In 1963, a customer had heard that Jackie was quite good behind the wheel and persuaded him to race a Formula Three car at Oulton Park, England, much to his parents dismay. In front of Ken Tyrell, Stewart nonchalantly outpaced the likes of Bruce Mclaren, who was an experienced Formula One driver. Tyrell immediately offered him a place in his Formula Three team, which Jackie gladly accepted. Unfortunately Ken did not have a Formula One team at that time.
In 1965 though, Stewart took a place at the Formula One team KRM, partnering the great Graham Hill. He was in the points in his first race, and won his first Grand Prix, at Monza, in the same year. At the end of the season he finished third in the World Drivers Championship, remarkable for a rookie.
The next year one event would change Jackie Stewart’s outlook on the sport forever. At the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, he crashed, fracturing his collarbone. Even worse though, he was trapped by the steering wheel, and petrol was pouring out all over his body. It was twenty minutes before he was freed, and he was then left waiting even longer for an ambulance to take him to hospital. Whilst recovering, Stewart realised just how poor safety was at Grand Prix venues, with the lack of adequate barriers, emergency services, and car safety. From then on, he vowed to campaign for far greater safety measures, something he was still doing at the arrival of the new millennium.
Returning to racing in 1967, Stewart found himself in the virtually undriveable BRM car. A year later he renewed his partnership with Ken Tyrell, and finished second in the World Drivers Championship. That year saw possibly his greatest race, at the huge, winding Nurburgring in Germany, when he won in the driving rain, competing with a broken wrist!
Still he sought the much-coveted World Drivers Championship, and 1969 was to be his year. He won six Grand Prix that year driving a Matra Ford for Ken Tyrell. His 1970 season was spoilt by Chassis problems, but he won the World Drivers Championship for a second time in 1971 after the car had undergone major surgery. Illness affected Stewart’s 1972 bid, in the form of stomach ulcers, and but for that he might have won. He finished the season strongly though and things looked good for the following year.
In 1973, Jackie Stewart won the World Drivers Championship once more. He now held the record for most Grand Prix wins (twenty seven), and as his hundredth Grand Prix start was beckoning at Watkins Glen, he announced his imminent retirement. Tragically, his team-mate and protégé, Francois Cevert was killed in qualifying for that race, the team pulled out, and the Scotsman’s Formula One career was over as a driver.
In 1997 however, Jackie Stewart returned as the chairman of Stewart Racing, in an environment that, largely thanks to him, was far safer for drivers and spectators alike.
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