Sir Jackie Stewart OBE competed in ninety-nine Grand Prix and won three Formula 1 Driver’s World Championships. Trackside – stopwatch in hand – his wife, Helen, was with him for almost every mile raced.
In 2014, Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Spurred into action, this has become the most important race of Sir Jackie’s life.
In 2016, he founded Race Against Dementia to make dementia research funding work harder. Our pioneering programmes, inspired by Formula 1 teams, give researchers the tools, support and mindset to accelerate progress.
From one family’s determination came a new approach to dementia research – built to move faster, think differently and challenge convention.
Having met as teenagers at the Dino’s Café in their hometown of Helensburgh in Scotland, Helen became the stopwatch of Jackie’s life for over 60 years – her razor-sharp mind timing his laps to the millisecond with unfaltering accuracy.
Trackside at race weekends, Helen witnessed the terrible danger – and death – synonymous with Formula 1 at the time. With Jackie retiring from racing in 1973, Helen supported his successful campaigning for greater safety – on the racetrack and on the roads.
“Without me, he wouldn’t be World Champion!”
Despite leaving school at 15 with undiagnosed dyslexia, Jackie excelled in sport, first as an Olympic class shot and then – most famously – as a racing driver.
In 1965, Jackie scored his first Grand Prix Championship at Monza, going on to achieve 27 Grand Prix victories and three Formula 1 Drivers World Championship crowns. Many consider Jackie as the leading driver of his era.
Establishing Paul Stewart Racing with his son in 1988, they went on to create Stewart Grand Prix, which was bought by Ford in 1999. Red Bull Racing on today’s grid shares its DNA with Stewart Grand Prix.
Today Jackie is involved in numerous charitable organisations, including Dyslexia Scotland, the Grand Prix Trust and the British Racing Drivers’ Club, as well as founding Race Against Dementia in 2016. Jackie was awarded the OBE in 1972 and became Sir Jackie Stewart in 2001.
Since 2016 Race Against Dementia has become a catalyst for progress – identifying exceptional talent early, backing bold ideas, and unlocking research that might otherwise never be funded.
Our funding model has grown too – building a global, connected network of Fellowships, Ignition Fund and Teams programmes to accelerate progress against dementia.
In 2023, Sir Jackie and Helen’s son, Mark, became Chair of Trustees, continuing the family’s leadership of Race Against Dementia. He serves alongside his brother, Paul, who is also a trustee, supported by a wider community of staff, partners and supporters working to accelerate progress in dementia research.
‘My mother’s diagnosis may have been the starting point for Race Against Dementia, but we’re driven by the millions of families affected by it.
I’ve been fortunate to meet many of the researchers Race Against Dementia supports, visit their labs, and hear firsthand about the breakthroughs they’re pursuing - it makes me incredibly proud of what we’re helping to make possible.’
Mark Stewart
Dementia is one of the greatest global health challenges of our time – and the need for bold, decisive investment has never been greater.
Race Against Dementia remains focused on strengthening the dementia research ecosystem by attracting new talent, backing bold early-stage ideas and expanding our Formula 1-inspired training model. Through greater investment in AI and data science, and stronger collaboration across neuroscience, technology and industry, we aim to drive faster progress in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Breakthroughs in dementia research depend on the people who fund and support it.
