Early involvement with cars was in the family business, Dumbuck Garage, in Scotland, where Jackie worked as an apprentice mechanic. Jackie's brother Jimmy was a racing driver with a growing local reputation and it was only natural that Jackie would become involved in motor racing too. Soon Jackie was testing cars at Oulten Park. The Formula Junior Team heard of this young Scotsman from a track manager. Jackie came down for the test and took over a car that Bruce McLaren was testing. McLaren at that time was already an experienced Formula One driver and the new Cooper F3 was a very competitive car in its class. Soon Stewart was besting the times of McLaren causing McLaren to return to the track for some quick laps. Again Stewart was faster and Tyrrell seeing the obvious, offered Stewart a spot on the team. This would be the beginning of a great partnership that would see them one day at the pinnacle of the sport. But this was still 1963 and Jackie Stewart still had a lot to learn. In 1964 he drove F3 for Ken Tyrrell and won his first race at Snetterton. On his debut in South Africa he scored his first Championship point. Before the end of the year he won his first race at Monza. 1966 saw him almost win the Indianapolis 500 on his first attempt only to be denied by a broken scavenge pump with eight laps to go. All the world seemed at his feet, until Spa. A sudden downpour made the course treacherous and cars were sliding off the track at an alarming rate. Stewart unable to control his car crashed into a ditch. He was in considerable pain, trapped by the side of the car, which had been pushed in. Together with Louis Stanley, the leader of the BRM team he launched a campaign to improve safety standards and medical facilities in the case of injury due to his accident. And so he began a long uphill fight that still continues to this day. His speed was readily apparent to all those around him yet some questioned his courage because of his outspokenness in favor of greater driver safety. His driving style was marked by almost machine like consistency. When Tyrrell moved up in class to Formula 1 Stewart joined him. In 1969 at the wheel of a Matra-Ford he won the World Championship for himself and Ken Tyrrell. In 1971 he repeated as champion racing a Tyrrell. The following year saw him missing some races because of illness brought upon by stomach ulcers. In 1973 his final year, was marked by triumph and tragedy. His third and final World Championship was marred by the death of his friend and protg Francois Cevert. Jackie Stewart followed through with a decision that he had made at the beginning of the year and retired from racing. His 27 Grand Prix wins were not equaled for another 20 years. In 1997 Jackie Stewart returns to Formula 1 not as a driver but team owner in partnership with his son and Ford Motor Company.
