At the age of 84, Sir Jackie Stewart has a fair bit in his rear mirror. That’s apparent even from his home office in Switzerland as he’s talking to the Listener. Behind him, as he sits arms-crossed, serious but given to the occasional laugh at his own expense, are large paintings of the blue cars he drove in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Those were the days when he became three-time Formula 1 champion and the most famous Scotsman – with the most famous sideburns – in the world. Beneath the artwork and sitting on a printer is an old open-face racing helmet with his trademark tartan band.
Of course, New Zealand kind of knew him before he was famous. He came here to race in the Tasman Series in 1966 and 1967, before his F1 glory days. And, while here, he risked getting his racing licence taken off him after he was pulled over and cited for dangerous driving as he drove two fellow competitors to Levin. He got off thanks to the quick work of a local lawyer and future government minister. More on that later.
The reason for talking to Stewart is a new feature documentary about him. Stewart is narrated by him and executive-produced by Mark, the film-making younger of his two sons.
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