RACING STEWART, THE BIRTH OF A GRAND PRIX TEAM

Maurice Hamilton and Jon Nicholson, Foreword by Jackie Stewart and Paul Stewart, Macmillan 1997.

The birth of a Grand Prix Team does not occur every day. Or every season, come to that. Formula One is a desperately difficult business to break into and when new arrivals do appear very few survive beyond the first year. In 1997, there was a notable exception. Not only did a new tteam make an impression and gain a foothold, it bore the name of Jackie Stewart, one of the most successful and charismatic drivers in the history of the sport.

From the moment Stewart and his son Paul announced their plans in 1996, the team was in the news and has been ever since. Never before has a Formula One team arrived with such a high profile. Racing Stewart tells the story of this remarkable adventure. Stewart-Ford is unique and here, for the very first time, the birth of a Grand Prix challenger is charted in full. Maurice Hamilton and Jon Nicholson were granted unparalleled access to the team from it’s inception and Racing Stewart gives the background to the initial decision to join a business where running a two-car team costs millions. It gets behind the scenes and describes the hardships and the high points which come when trying to gain acceptance in a tough and ruthless sport.

Jackie Stewart, three times a world champion, knew that winning would be out of the question during 1997; survival would be the initial objective. Having reached the pinnacle of the sport twenty-five years ago, Stewart accepted that he was starting the climb all over again. This fascinating and lavishly illustrated book is the story of that climb, the story of the racing Stewarts and the birth of a Grand Prix Team.

Apart from a small and limited area of rolling at the top rear of the dust jacket, both the book and the dust jacket are in excellent condition. A nice item indeed for the Grand Prix enthusiasts.