LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jackie Stewart: Races
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Motor racing was part of the family as the young Jackie was growing up, for his brother Jimmy - eight years his senior - was a driver for Ecurie Ecosse. However, young Jackie was more interested in clay pigeon shooting. He was an excellent shot, winning many tournaments at home and abroad, and was hoping to take part in the 1960 Rome Olympics, but missed the team when he had an 'off day' at the final trials. It was to be the biggest disappointment of his sporting life, worse than anything that he ever suffered during his racing days. Jackie's circuit career began in a casual way, at the wheel of a Healey Sprite and a Marcos, before he joined Ecurie Ecosse in 1963. Driving the team's GT and touring cars, Stewart virtually swept the board.
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The skill with which Stewart set about improving safety standards ... revealed much about his business acumen. Ken Tyrrell, the team owner with whom Stewart formed such a dominant partnership, once claimed that Stewart was "the best racing driver today and as a businessman, he is even better." Among other things, these comments were prompted by the fact that the young Scot had turned down a five-year contract with Tyrrell when he first entered Formula One, opting instead for a one-year deal. Later Stewart would also turn down the chance to drive for Enzo Ferrari, fearing the effects of the politicking that dogged the scuderia. He was every bit the canny Scot.
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In response, Stewart campaigned with Louis Stanley (BRM team boss) for improved emergency services and better safety barriers around race tracks. "We were racing at circuits where there were no crash barriers in front of the pits, and fuel was lying about in churns in the pit lane. A car could easily crash into the pits at any time. It was ridiculous." [32] As a stop-gap measure, Stewart hired a private doctor to be at all his races, and taped a spanner to the steering shaft of his BRM in case it would be needed again. Stewart pressed for mandatory seat belt usage and full-face helmets for drivers, and today a race without those items is unthinkable.
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Stewart came to the Indianapolis 500 in 1966. He drove to sixth place at the wheel of the Bowes Seal Fast Spl. and was voted as Rookie of the Year although Graham Hill, another first-timer, won the race. Stewart returned to Indianapolis in 1967 and then spurned the race to concentrate on his F1 career.
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Jackie stayed with BRM for a third season in 1967, but it was a disappointing year with the H16 car proving woefully unreliable. His second place with it in Belgium was a remarkable achievement, especially as he was obliged to hold it in gear for much of the race. The only compensation was a drive for Ferrari in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch, where he shared a P4 with Chris Amon, the pair taking second place and clinching the championship for Maranello. Of more importance... was his developing working partnership with Ken Tyrrell and Matra, Jackie taking the French Formula 2 car to victory in four of the last five races of the season as a prelude to a Formula 1 effort in 1968.
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Entering the 1973 season, Stewart had decided to retire. He ... won at South Africa, Belgium, Monaco, Holland, and Austria. His last (and then record-setting) 27th victory came at the Nürburgring with a convincing 1-2 for Tyrrell. After the fatal crash of his teammate François Cevert in practice for the 1973 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Stewart retired one race earlier than intended and missed what would have been his 100th GP.
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