Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time Formula 1 World Champion, will be honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club in Long Beach on Thursday April 18. The “RRDC Evening with Sir Jackie Stewart presented by Firestone” is the RRDC’s 14th banquet annual honoring auto racing’s most influential leaders and icons. It will be held prior to the 49th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The Firestone brand will return as presenting sponsor of the RRDC banquet for the 13th year.
Tickets may be purchased at here. All are welcome, but this event is expected to sell out, so early reservations are recommended.
“Having Firestone support the RRDC Long Beach dinner for more than a decade is a true privilege,” said RRDC President Bobby Rahal. “Firestone has an unrivaled heritage in motorsports dating back to the first Indy 500® in 1911. We always welcome Firestone’s support, and salute the brand’s long-standing success and contributions to the sport.”
Previous RRDC honorees were Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Brian Redman, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, George Follmer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Johnny Rutherford. David Hobbs, Rick Mears and Jacky Ickx. These “RRDC Evenings” are acknowledged as highlights of the auto-racing social calendar, drawing fans and luminaries from all forms of motorsports.
The dinner’s proceeds will help support Race Against Dementia, founded by Stewart, as well as the RRDC’s young driver initiatives, including its groundbreaking SAFEisFAST.com program and the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997 and has been providing opportunities for talented young American race-car drivers since 1990. The Mark Donohue Foundation, a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization, was formed to further support the SAFEisFAST.com initiative. Information about the Foundation can be found on the RRDC’s website.
Image from the Stewart Collection.
Born in 1939, Stewart was involved with cars from an early age. Leaving school at age 15, (his dyslexia undiagnosed until much later), he found his personal voice in sport, first as an Olympic-class shot, then in motor racing.
In shooting, Stewart won the Coupe De Nations twice (British and Mediterranean Championships). He also won the Championships of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, as well as the British Grand Prix of Shooting. Sir Jackie retired from shooting aged 23.
Stewart’s motor racing career took off internationally in 1965 when, at Monza, he scored the first of his 27 Grand Prix Championship victories. During his Formula One career, he was crowned World Champion three times and achieved a total of 27 victories, out of 99 races.
In 1988 he formed Paul Stewart Racing with his son Paul. Subsequently, in 1996, they formed Stewart Grand Prix, which was sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1999.
He has been a Rolex Testimonee since 1968 and an Ambassador for Moët Hennessy since 1969. Stewart also enjoyed 40 years with the Ford Motor Company and is currently engaged on a multi-year contract with Heineken.
Stewart is the founder of Race Against Dementia, President of Dyslexia Scotland, Founder and former Chairman of the Grand Prix Trust, President of the Springfield Youth Club, Vice-President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club and the British Dyslexia Association.
He was awarded the OBE in 1972 and was knighted in 2001. He earned an Honorary Professorship from the University of Stirling and received eight Honorary Doctorates from US, Scottish and English Universities.
The RRDC Evening with Sir Jackie Stewart, Presented by Firestone will be held on Thursday, April 18, at the Hilton Hotel, 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, Calif., with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $325 per person ($275 for RRDC members) and space is limited. Tickets purchased after April 1 will cost $350 per person ($300 for RRDC members). Sponsor packages are also available. Please contact Tim McGrane at tmcgrane4@gmail.com.
Tickets may be purchased here.
About Firestone Racing:
The Firestone brand has participated in world-class motorsports events for more than a century, and racing has played an integral role in building and shaping Firestone into the time-tested, iconic brand it is today. Harvey Firestone, the brand’s founder and a pioneer of sports marketing, was one of the first to use racing as the ultimate proving ground for his tires. Ever since Ray Harroun’s Firestone-equipped Marmon Wasp won the inaugural Indianapolis 500® in 1911, Firestone has worked to constantly evolve and advance race tire technology. Overall, Firestone tires have carried the winner of the Indy 500 to victory circle 74 times – more than double all other tire manufacturers combined. Firestone has served as INDYCAR’s sole tire supplier since 2000, and the brand’s on-track success translates to durable, dependable performance and uncompromising quality on the open road.
About Race Against Dementia:
Race Against Dementia was founded by Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, after his wife Helen’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, funding early-career researchers to accelerate progress towards a cure for dementia. With over 55 million people affected globally and someone diagnosed every three seconds, Race Against Dementia is taking immediate action to drive significant breakthroughs and develop leaders in the field.
Supporting Race Against Dementia can help talented research scientists continue to seek preventative treatments and cures for dementia. https://www.raceagainstdementia.com/
“I now face one of the biggest challenges of my life. I will put all my efforts into finding a cure for this horrendous illness.” – Sir Jackie Stewart OBE
About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.
In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar – SAFEisFAST.com – featuring RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers’ questions on the site in a feature called ‘Ask a Pro.’
Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer, and John Clagett is Secretary.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award, and supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at RRDC.org.
