Flying Scots: Who is Sir Jackie Stewart?

Jackie, who was born in 1939 and is still alive, actually starts his life not far from cars and racing. His family owned a Jaguar dealership called Dumbuck Garage in Dumbarton, Scotland. While he was working as a mechanic here, his older brother Jimmy was a locally famous racing driver. While Jackie was aiming to become a pilot like his brother, Jimmy had an accident in a Le Mans race he participated in and after this incident, his family did not want Jackie to become a pilot. They directed him to another field of success, "Shooting", and he reached a level that almost qualified him for the Olympics.

Having retired from shooting in 1962, Jackie remained in motorsport as a mechanic. A good mechanic, Stewart was presented with a great opportunity by a regular customer of his shop, Barry Filer. Barry wanted Stewart to test drive his car. This offer and its continuation made him a great pilot.

Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships and twice finishing as runner-up over those nine seasons. He was the only British driver to win three championships until Lewis Hamilton in 2015.

After the test, Ken Tyrell, one of the Formula Junior bosses of the time, learned about his performance and reached Jackie through his brother. After that meeting, Jackie started racing with Cooper, the F3 team of the time and raced there for two full seasons.

By 1965, Jackie wanted to appear in Formula 1 and signed a contract with the team of the period, British Racing Motors (BRM). He competed with the BRM team for three seasons. He managed to make a name for himself by placing third in his first season and first place in the championship held under the name of "Tasman Series" at that time.

By 1968, he had become someone who set his sights higher. Jackie Stewart, who signed for the Matra International team that season, finished second with 4 podiums in his first year and declared his first World Championship in the next season with 7 podiums and 63 points. After this championship year, the Matra team merged with the Tyrell Racing Organization and went through a transition period, and Jackie finished fifth that season.

Jackie, who then started racing with Elf Team Tyrell (Tyrell) in 1971, spent three seasons there and eventually left his Formula 1 career. In these three seasons, he won two World Championships and finished second in one season.

According to some, he is one of the fastest pilots ever, perhaps one of the best. A pilot who left his mark on an era with his calmness and unique attitude. The man who retired himself at the peak of his career. Of course, the reason why we remember him so well is not just because he was a good pilot. In addition to being a successful pilot, what he did after his retirement and his achievements in different fields.

After his racing career, Sir Jackie Stewart made good use of the business relationships he gained during these years. He worked on projects in the engine, tire, fuel, and oil industries. It has campaigned with major governments on issues such as driver education, mandatory seat belt wearing, and road safety. Around this time, he took a step that would not lag behind motorsports. He led the Paul Stewart Racing Team to the F3 championship with his son Paul Stewart. In 1996, one of his biggest steps was that the Ford Formula 1 factory would supply engines and that a new organization called Stewart GP would be established. Later, this organization gave up its name to Jaguar Racing.

He is President of the Springfield Club, Scottish Motor Racing Club, and Dyslexia Scotland. Vice-President of the British Dyslexia Association and Founder, Trustee, and Chairman of the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust. Deputy Chairman of BRDC and Deputy Chairman of the Scottish International Education Foundation and was on the International Advisory Board. Although Jackie had many successful works, he was crowned with the award of Knighthood in 2001. He became a name that fully deserved the title of "Sir" with the services he provided to motorsports and the engine manufacturing industry.