Sir Jackie Stewart & ELF - connected for decades

14 czerwca 2023

They say first love never dies. However, there are many other equally strong feelings that can last for many years. Friendship, trust - they all perfectly reflect the relationship that connects the ELF brand with Sir Jackie Stewart. The „Flying Scot”, who Formula 1 fans know as a three-time world champion and two-time runner-up. And although Sir Jackie's F1 career ended in 1973, after only 9 years, his relationship with the ELF brand is endless...

A boy who lives among cars

Sir Jackie Stewart was born on June 11, 1939 in Milton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, just fifteen miles west of Glasgow. Already the years of his childhood he had to spend among the roar of engines. The family of little John Young Stewart dealt with the sale of Austin cars, and later also Jaguar. What's more - Jackie's father was an amateur motorcycle racing driver, while his brother Jimmy was a professional racing driver. In the colors of Ecurie Ecosse, he even started in 1953 in the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone. And although Jimmy had to retire from the race, the fourteen-year-old Jackie Stewart was then able to get to know the world of F1 from the inside, thanks to his brother, at such a young age.

Straight from school to work in the garage

After attending Hartfield Primary School, Jackie moved to Dumbarton Academy at the age of 12. He experienced learning difficulties due to undiagnosed dyslexia. Moreover, the condition was not understood or even widely known at the time, and as a result, Jackie was regularly criticized and humiliated by both teachers and peers. As a result, he was unable to continue his high school education after the age of 16 and began working in his father's garage as an apprentice mechanic.

Interestingly, he was diagnosed with dyslexia only in 1980, when his eldest son Mark was diagnosed with this disease. Seeing in him similar symptoms that he himself experienced as a child, Jackie himself submitted to the diagnosis - the disorder was not detected in him until the age of 41. But as he admitted: „When you're dyslexic and you find something you're good at, you put more into it than anyone else. You can't think like smart people, so you always think out of the box”. And this is exactly the thinking that characterized Jackie Stewart throughout his racing career, and continues to this day.

Thrifty like a Scot…

Stewart's first car was a bright green Austin A30 with „real leather seats”, as he admitted years later in an interview. The Scot bought it shortly before his 17th birthday for £375, which he had saved from tips he received from working in the family garage.

…fast as a Jaguar

One day, Barry Filer, a client of the family business, showed up at the Stewarts' workshop and asked Jackie to test some cars at Oulton Park. In 1961, Filer also supplied him with a Marcos, in which Stewart scored four wins, and Jackie drove an Aston DB4GT once. To ensure that a racing career was the right plan for the years ahead, he tested a Jaguar E-type at Outlon Park in 1962, matching Roy Salvadori's time in a similar car the year before.

Two years of start-ups in example at Goodwood (where he won in a Cooper T49) were enough to attract the attention of Ken Tyrrell. The latter invited Jackie to the track at Goodwood for a test, during which he competed with Bruce McLaren in the highly competitive T72-BMC Formula 3 car. Stewart regularly improved McLaren's times, and as a result Tyrrell offered him a place in his line-up. It was in the Formula 3 team owned by Ken Tyrrell and in that way Jackie Stewart's great motorsport career began.

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In 1965, Jackie Stewart signed a contract with the BRM (British Racing Motors) team to compete in Formula 1 alongside Graham Hill. In his debut race in South Africa, he finished sixth, and in his first season he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. A year later, he reached for another victory, this time in Monaco. However, it was necessary to wait until 1968 for the greatest success. It was then that the Tyrrell team was promoted to F1, and Jackie Stewart became involved with the constructor again. As it turned out - until the end of his career.

Tyrrell in the heart, ELF in the hood

With the help of the ELF brand and Ford, Tyrrell fulfilled his dream in 1968 by introducing the team to Formula 1 as Matra International, taking advantage of the cooperation with this French manufacturer. One of the drivers was Jackie, for whom Tyrrell's support in the past years was an important step on the way to Formula 1. It was at this moment that the fate of Jackie Stewart and the ELF brand inextricably intertwined - the Scot has been driving with a huge logo on the car ever since. What's more, he was a serious contender for the championship title, winning as many as three Grands Prix in the Matra MS10 model. A year later, Matra fully focused her efforts on supporting Tyrrell's team in the fight for the crown. It was in 1969 that Jackie Stewart, driving the Cosworth-powered Matra MS80, won his first title. But the best was yet to come…

Under the ELF banner

It was ELF, which was already visible on the Matra MS80 car, which soon became the title sponsor of the Tyrrell team. He now competed in Formula 1 as ELF Team Tyrrell. One of the significant points in the shared history of the ELF brand and Jackie Stewart was winning the Monaco Grand Prix in the Tyrrell 003 car in 1971. It was only the second win of the season, which in its own way added wind to the sails of all team members. As Sir Jackie Stewart remarked years later, „that was a big meaning for me, because Monaco is still the sort of star of them all and the one you really want to win”. As a result, the team reached with Stewart for the second championship title out of three that the „Flying Scot” won in his career.

Talent like no other

In his career, Sir Jackie Stewart took part in 99 races, took 43 podiums and won 27 races. He became world champion three times - in 1969, 1971 and 1973, each time with the ELF logo on the car. He has worked with many well-known brands, but the cooperation with the ELF brand turned out to be one of the most recognizable. What's more, it became the basis of a kind of relationship based on passion and love for motorsports, and above all - it manifested concern for safety.

Fast but safe

Sir Jackie Stewart often said that to get to the finish line first, you must first get to the finish line. He himself believes that the biggest thing he has done in his life has was to make motor racing safer. In the times when he competed, a number of shortcomings in this area could be seen with the naked eye - there were norunoff areas along the tracks, the cars themselves were dangerous, moreover, no deformable structures were used, and the drivers... were lying on fuel tanks. The activities of the ELF brand and Sir Jackie Stewart in this area have contributed to the introduction of many changes aimed at making motorsport a much safer field.

A relationship for many years

The appearance of the ELF brand in Formula 1 not only added splendor to the races and made them recognizable among the public. It was the years spent together in Formula 1 that resulted in the long-term relationship between Sir Jackie Stewart and the ELF brand. This should not surprise anyone - on many archival recordings, it is the ELF logo that catches the eye the most on the Scot's car or suit. And, as we all know, long-term relationships are the most important things in life.

A truly unique ambassador

It is not without reason that Sir Jackie Stewart is still the ambassador of the ELF brand to this day, and the Queen of Motorsports herself is constantly close to him. Sir Jackie Stewart - three-time Formula 1 world champion and at the same time the most famous British racing driver - to this day appears at many Grands Prix, always arousing respect among competitors. He is a character that is clearly associated with the ELF brand, and at the same time carries many positive associations - fair competition, care for safety, but also skills behind the wheel. It's a real pride to have such a brand ambassador.

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