Weekend of a Champion

[Widows Son]

/DRIVE just posted a video on the University of YouTube on a Roman Polanski film "Weekend of a Champion" about Jackie Stewart @ the '71 Monaco Grand Prix. As a young person in my 40's, I found the interview very cool. BTW, who was that English gentleman talking to Jackie at the scene where they are talking about redesigning the gear shift?

The interview with Jackie at the middle of the YouTube vid was very interesting - his commercial outlook and views on safety were remarkable.

Jackie Stewart / 'Weekend Of A Champion' Film - /SHAKEDOWN Trackdown - YouTube

[Three Peaks]

I've been a Jackie Stewart fan for a very long time. He, and drivers like him, drove when it took steel balls to drive the cars of their day. The cars had very little in the way of safety devices and the whole race organizations were more about speed and winning than about keeping their drivers out of harms way as much as you can in a car doing 160 mph.

Jackie was a driver's driver and understood every aspect of driving fast in a way that many drivers of his time just didn't have the grasp of. The fact he was also at the forefront of safety innovation isn't surprising given his humanity and sense of the overall racing community and culture.

Seeing him interviewed during and after his racing career is enlightening to the culture that existed at the time, and his sense of humor and outlook toward life and racing came out clearly when he became a commentator after his race career was over. A gentleman in every sense of the word but not afraid to speak out to influence changes as he saw fit to improve safety and the racing culture itself.

A very impressive driver in any type of car and respected to this day.

Bob

[LMH]

Graham Hill is the driver talking to Stewart about the gear shifter. A true gentleman racer in the classic mold. His son is world champion Damon Hill.
Larry