An insight into Sir Jackie’s Racing Mind for World Book Day
It is World Book Day on Thursday 2nd March, and we would like to take this opportunity to give you an insight into the racing mind of Race Against Dementia’s founder, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE with a few of our favourite excerpts from his autobiography Winning Is Not Enough.
In his book, Sir Jackie chronicles growing up in a Scottish village while struggling with his undiagnosed dyslexia, the fast-paced and glamorous days of his race-track career and the business ventures that followed his F1 success as a racing driver.
From the start of his life, Sir Jackie faced adversity whether in the classroom, on the circuit or from F1 experts who did not believe in Stewart’s family business Stewart Grand Prix which was launched in 1997.
Today, through Race Against Dementia, Sir Jackie is facing the biggest challenge of his life, to discover a breakthrough in the cure or treatment for dementia. These excerpts highlight how and why we are determined to win this race.
“Winning (over a long period of time) + Integrity + Care = Success”
“The greater challenge for that driver is not simply to win the world championship, or perhaps even to become a multiple world champion, but it is how they have achieved that success.”
“The moment is ripe for one or more of the current generation of drivers to pick up the torch and carry it forward and seek to make the sport even safer.
“Nobody should ever forget that any F1 racing driver is always just a mechanical failure or a tiny error away from paying the ultimate price. Just like fifty-seven of my friends and colleagues.”
“To her eternal credit, Helen never tried to influence me either way. There had been many distressing times over the years when we lost people who we cared about, and she might easily have asked me to stop racing, and I would have found myself in a genuine dilemma, but she never did.”
‘It’s your career,’ she would say. It’s your decision. Whatever you decide I’ll support you.”
“Many of these changes have been for the better, and, by general consent, F1 motor racing appears to be thriving. The sport is safer than ever.”
To learn more about our F1 attitude to our race against dementia, you can read about our industry collaboration, culture change and mentoring here.
