Sir Jackie Stewart knows how to drive. In fact, he probably talks about apexes, weight transfer, and tire degradation in his sleep. Being a Formula 1 World Champion is impressive in itself, but Stewart did so in arguably one of the most dangerous, competitive, and fast eras in motorsport.
He’s also amazing at flinging a vehicle around the race track—and then applying Yoda-like wisdom to explain what’s going on. Turns out that YouTube is full of clips featuring Stewart on the limit in all sorts of machines…from six-wheeled Formula 1 cars to Ford Tempos. Here are our favorites.
This one’s an hour long, and well-worth the watch. In it, Stewart explains how to drive quickly, smoothly, and save fuel while doing it. “This is you in a high-performance passenger car…” he begins, over the swell of a synthesized soundtrack… Better grab a drink and plan on taking notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE-jkSwyD-E
Here, the very famous six-wheeled Tyrell is put through its paces, with Stewart giving a play-by-play commentary. “A lot of grunt…” he says.
Benetton-Ford might not have been pleased when it heard Stewart complaining about how the car was laid out inside…
It doesn’t always go to plan; here, Stewart stuffs a 1988 TWR Jaguar XJR-9, after explaining that even in his first year of racing, he’d driven 26 different cars, which meant he had to quickly learn how to adapt to different race cars. Still, it ended up in the weeds…
Jackie Stewart wasn’t a big fan of the March-Judd 881, for several reasons, but it was nice to see how discretion had the better part of valour that day. “It was fast, but it wasn’t comfortable…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOiWlpo_92s
The “Camel-Lotus-Honda will not go down as one of the great cars in the history of motorsport,” he begins, and explains why. This one’s fun.
Footage by Roman Polanski, from the highly-recommended “Weekend of a Champion” documentary shows Stewart at his prime, at Monaco in the wet, driving as quickly as he can…and then hops into a Fiat Shellette by Michelotti and explains what just happened.
Here, Stewart drives an Indianapolis 500-winning Indycar, in a fascinating display of skill at a damp, dirty Mid-Ohio.
The 1973 German Grand Prix, held at the Nürburgring, described by Stewart. It’s as insane as you know it will be.
Ford Escorts and rally cars—including the fearsome RS2000? Of course, Stewart is the man for the job.
Even if Stewart’s endorsement makes you yearn for a Tempo, good luck finding one…
Image Source: foxsports.com
