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Jody Scheckter | |
|---|---|
 Scheckter at the1979 Monaco Grand Prix | |
| Born | Jody David Scheckter (1950-01-29)29 January 1950 (age 76) East London, Eastern Cape,Union of South Africa |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 6, includingToby andTomas |
| Relatives | Ian Scheckter (brother) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  South African |
| Active years | 1972–1980 |
| Teams | McLaren,Tyrrell,Wolf,Ferrari |
| Entries | 113 (112 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1979) |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 33 |
| Careerpoints | 246 (255)[a] |
| Pole positions | 3 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| First entry | 1972 United States Grand Prix |
| First win | 1974 Swedish Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1979 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1980 United States Grand Prix |
Jody David Scheckter (/ˈʃɛktər/; born 29 January 1950) is a South African formerracing driver and businessman who competed inFormula One from1972 to1980. Scheckter won theFormula One World Drivers' Championship in1979 withFerrari, and remains the only African driver to havewon a Formula One Grand Prix or the World Drivers' Championship; he won 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons.
Born and raised inEast London, Cape Province, Scheckter rapidly ascended through the ranks ofmotor racing upon moving to the United Kingdom in 1971. His Formula One debut came the following year at theUnited States Grand Prix, driving forMcLaren, who he had raced for that year inBritish andEuropean Formula Two. Amongst winning theSCCA Continental Championship inFormula 5000, Scheckter entered a further five Grands Prix in1973 with McLaren. Scheckter earned a full-time drive withTyrrell thefollowing season, taking his maiden win at theSwedish Grand Prix and finishing third in the championship. Scheckter wonhis home Grand Prix in South Africa in1975 and placed third in the standings again in1976, driving the six-wheeledP34; he remains the only driver towin a Grand Prix on six wheels.
Moving toWolf in1977, Scheckter took several race wins—including theMonaco Grand Prix—as he finished runner-up toNiki Lauda in the standings. After a winless season for Wolf in1978, Scheckter moved toFerrari to partnerGilles Villeneuve. Winning three Grands Prix inhis first season for Ferrari, Scheckter clinched the title with his victory at theItalian Grand Prix, becoming the first World Drivers' Champion from Africa. He was unable to defend his title in1980 as Ferrari struggled with the312T5, retiring at the end of the season having achieved 10 race wins, three pole positions, five fastest laps and 33 podiums in Formula One.
Upon retiring from motor racing, Scheckter worked as abroadcaster forCBS,ABC andITV. He founded aweapons simulation business in 1984 calledFirearms Training Systems, whoserevenue eclipsed £100 million by the early 1990s. Scheckter then moved intoorganic farming, owningLaverstoke Park Farm in England. His sonsToby andTomas are both racing drivers.
Jody David Scheckter was born on 29 January 1950 inEast London,Cape Province,Union of South Africa,[1] and educated at Vincent Primary School (East London) andSelborne College.[citation needed]
Scheckter rapidly ascended to the ranks of Formula One after moving to Britain in early 1971. His Formula 1 debut occurred at the US Grand Prix atWatkins Glen in1972 withMcLaren, where he ran as high as third place before spinning and finishing ninth. Immediately becoming a name to watch, he continued his development the following year, winning the1973 SCCA L&M Championship and racing five times in F1. In France, he almost won in only his third start in F1 before crashing intoEmerson Fittipaldi, the reigning World Champion, who said after the crash about Scheckter: "This madman is a menace to himself and everybody else and does not belong in Formula 1."[2] In his next start, the British Grand Prix atSilverstone, Scheckter's spin triggered a major accident which took nearly a dozen cars out of the race. TheGrand Prix Drivers Association demanded his immediate banishment, which was only put off when McLaren agreed to rest their driver for four races.[2] Scheckter'sMcLaren M23 bore the number zero during the Canadian and American Grands Prix of 1973. Scheckter is one of only two F1 drivers to compete under this number, the other beingDamon Hill. During the practice for the American event at theWatkins Glen circuit, FrenchmanFrançois Cevert, who was due to be Scheckter's Tyrrell teammate for 1974, was killed in an appalling accident at the fast uphill Esses corners. Scheckter was behind Cevert when he crashed, and he stopped his McLaren, got out of his car and attempted to help Cevert out of his destroyed Tyrrell, but the 29-year-old Frenchman had been cut in half by the circuit's poorly installed Armco barriers and was already dead. Witnessing Cevert's dreadful accident left an indelible mark on the South African and caused him to abandon his reckless ways, becoming a more mature and calculating driver as a result.[3]
Tyrrell gave Scheckter his first full-time drive in F1, signing him for the1974 season. After failing to score from the first three rounds with the006 model, a switch to the007 chassis rewarded Scheckter with his first points finish at theSpanish Grand Prix.[4] Despite a collision withTom Pryce, Scheckter finished third inBelgium, thus scoring his maiden F1 podium.[5] Having finished second inMonaco, Scheckter passed polesitting teammatePatrick Depailler at the start of theSwedish Grand Prix and held on to win the race.[6][7] He scored top fives in the next two events, before benefiting from a puncture forNiki Lauda'sFerrari to win inBritain and take over the championship lead.[8] Scheckter finished second inGermany but retired early inAustria with a blown engine.[9][10] Scheckter profited from reliability woes for the two Ferraris to finish third inItaly, a result that took him to within a point of standings leaderClay Regazzoni.[11] His championship challenge suffered a bitter blow inCanada; running third, Scheckter crashed after the race's halfway mark due to a brake failure.[12] Though he was still eligible to win the title at the season finale atWatkins Glen, Scheckter retired with a fuel pressure problem while holding off eventual championEmerson Fittipaldi in fourth place.[13] Scheckter finished third in the championship.[14]
Scheckter's1975 began with two non-scores; he finished 11th inArgentina after colliding withJochen Mass at the start, then retired inBrazil with an oil tank issue.[15][16] At his home race inSouth Africa, Scheckter won in emphatic fashion, passingCarlos Pace for the lead on lap 3 and leading every lap from thereon.[17][18] InSpain, Scheckter suffered an early engine failure, whilst a puncture demoted him from a points position inMonaco.[19][20] Scheckter worked his way to second inBelgium, though he failed to score points in the subsequent three races.[21] This included a strong run atZandvoort, where a potential third place was scuppered by a late engine failure.[22] During the final laps of a weather-affectedBritish Grand Prix, Scheckter went off, but was nevertheless credited with third place as the race wasred flagged and the countback rule was applied.[23] A horrible race followed at theNürburgring, as Scheckter dropped from third to 20th at the start and later crashed out due to a tire failure.[24][25] Eighth places inAustria andItaly, where Scheckter spun from third on lap 2, preceded a final points score with sixth in theUnited States.[26][27] With just four points finishes across the season, Scheckter dropped to seventh in the standings.[28]
Having started1976 with two points finishes from the opening four races, Scheckter and teammate Depailler switched to Tyrrell's radical, six-wheeledTyrrell P34. After finishing fourth inBelgium, Scheckter gave the six-wheeler its maiden podium inMonaco (a second place), as well as its only win at theSwedish Grand Prix.[29][30] He then finished second in two successive races inBritain andGermany.[31][32] A crash caused by a broken suspension ended his race inAustria, though Scheckter returned to the top five in the next three events.[33] At theUnited States Grand Prix, Scheckter battledJames Hunt for the victory all race, but eventually came up short and took second.[34][35] Despite retiring with overheating problems inJapan, Scheckter had done enough to end the year third overall.[36] Despite scoring points in ten of the 12 races he contested with the P34, Scheckter later went on record as saying the car was "a piece of junk" and left the team after 1976.[37]
Scheckter joined the newWalter Wolf Racing team in1977. At its maiden race inArgentina, Scheckter benefited from reliability issues for his rivals to claim victory.[38] Engine issues stopped his race early inBrazil, though Scheckter bounced back by taking second inSouth Africa.[39][40] Scheckter took the lead at the start of theUnited States Grand Prix West, but was passed byMario Andretti in the closing stages, having felt a deflating front right tyre; he nevertheless finished third.[41] Third inSpain preceded a win inMonaco, where Scheckter passedJohn Watson off the line and led every lap.[42][43] Scheckter led theBelgian Grand Prix early on, but fell back after pitting for dry tyres later than his rivals on the drying track. He later retired with engine problems.[44] InSweden, Scheckter retired after colliding with second-placed Watson in an attempt to overtake.[45] He then crashed out on his own inFrance.[46] Scheckter's fourth successive retirement came inBritain, where an engine failure took him out of third place.[47] Scheckter took pole for theGerman Grand Prix, and finished second after losing out toNiki Lauda in a battle for the lead.[48] At the following race inAustria, Scheckter spun out, thus handing Lauda a 16-point championship advantage.[49][50] Lauda extended the gap to 21 points with a win in theNetherlands, while Scheckter inherited third afterPatrick Tambay ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap.[51] Another blow to Scheckter's title chances came inMonza, the South African retiring from second place with another engine failure.[52] Even though Scheckter finished third atWatkins Glen, Lauda had done enough to clinch the title two races in advance.[53] Luck found Scheckter at the penultimate race inCanada, where an engine failure for the dominant Andretti handed him and Wolf their third win of the season.[54] Scheckter concluded the year by finishing tenth inJapan; he finished second in the championship thanks to nine podiums.[55]
By the start of the1978 season,Walter Wolf's race team had become less competitive, the car having to be rebuilt after finishing a lowly tenth inArgentina.[56] Scheckter retired from the next three races: he bent his suspension after colliding with Patrick Tambay inBrazil.[56] He then spun out of hishome Grand Prix after sliding with low engine power caused by a fuel injection pressure drop-off, having previously led the race before falling to sixth.[57] Finally, Scheckter collided with Tambay while defending fifth place atLong Beach.[58] Scheckter collected his first points with a third place finish atMonaco, where he nursed the car home despite breaking second gear with three laps to go.[59] InBelgium, startline contact with Lauda led to Scheckter having to retire later on.[60] Using the newWolf WR5, Scheckter finished fourth inSpain but retired with water pipe issues inSweden.[61][62] He took sixth inFrance, then led theBritish Grand Prix before developing a gearbox issue which dropped him out.[63] Scheckter qualified fourth inGermany but fell to the back with fuel-feed problems; he battled back to finish a strong second.[64] In the heavy rain atSpielberg, Scheckter crashed out on lap 4, having previously run second.[65] After finishing 12th atZandvoort andMonza, Scheckter claimed third at theUnited States Grand Prix.[66] Scheckter concluded the season in strong fashion, qualifying second inCanada and, after being passed by a fastGilles Villeneuve, finishing second.[67] With seventh place in the championship, Scheckter left Wolf to join Villeneuve at Ferrari.[68][69][70]
Scheckter's1979 began badly, as he sprained his wrist in a lap 1 collision with John Watson.[71] After pitting for new tyres, Scheckter finished sixth inBrazil, the last race of theFerrari 312T3 chassis.[72] Once the312T4 was introduced inSouth Africa, Ferrari scored a 1-2, with Villeneuve leading home Scheckter.[73] The pair achieved the same result inLong Beach, before Villeneuve spun inSpain and Scheckter finished fourth.[74][75] In a charging drive from seventh on the grid, Scheckter claimed his first win of the season atZolder.[76] He then qualified on pole for theMonaco Grand Prix and staved off a challenge fromClay Regazzoni to take victory.[77] Seventh inFrance preceded a fifth place inBritain and fourth inGermany.[78][79][80] Scheckter finished fourth again inAustria, before recovering from a bad start inZandvoort to charge up to second.[81][82] With a popular win at Ferrari's home inMonza, Scheckter clinched the world championship two races in advance.[83][84][2] He concluded the year with a fourth place inCanada and a retirement caused by tyre failure in theUnited States.[85][86]
However, Scheckter struggled badly in his1980 title defence, even failing to qualify for theCanadian Grand Prix. After managing only two points, he announced his retirement from the team and the sport. He later explained his retirement by stating: "One or two drivers were dying every year, I’d won the championship and the magic was gone."[87]
Scheckter was the last driver to win a Drivers' Championship for Ferrari untilMichael Schumacher twenty-one years later in2000.
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately, especially if potentiallylibelous or harmful.(September 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In 1981,CBS Sports hired Scheckter as a Pit reporter for itsF1 coverage. Scheckter was brought in byABC'sWide World of Sports as a Pit reporter for the1983 Monaco Grand Prix. Scheckter was a guest commentator for ITV during the1999 San Marino Grand Prix, replacingMartin Brundle.
Scheckter won theWorld Superstars competition in 1981, taking place inKey Biscayne, Florida. He defeated athletes such asRuss Francis,Renaldo Nehemiah,Peter Müller,Rick Barry,Gaétan Boucher andAndy Ripley.
After his retirement, Scheckter founded aweapons simulation business in 1984 calledFirearms Training Systems (FATS), whoserevenue eclipsed £100 million by the early 1990s.[88] The company built firearms training simulators for military, law enforcement and security organisations.[88]
Scheckter spent his time as abiodynamic farmer,[89] having bought the 2,500 acres (1,000 ha)[1]Laverstoke Park Farm, nearOverton, Hampshire, 40 miles (64 km) south west of London. As an organic farming expert, Scheckter was featured in 2005 on the Visionhealth DVD and TV documentaries "Asthma: An Integrated Approach", "Arthritis: An Integrated Approach" and "Diabetes: An Integrated Approach". On 20 November 2011, he also appeared on theCountryfile television show to make a case fororganic food. Laverstoke Park Farm was also featured on BBC'sEscape To the Country where Scheckter showed viewers howBuffalo Mozzarella was made. In December 2009, Scheckter announced his intention to produce abiodynamicsparkling wine by 2012.[90] In 2015, the farm was the setting for ITV'sSugar Free Farm where a group of celebrities had to go sugar free for two weeks whilst working on the farm.In 2024, the farm ceased dairy production and buffalo farming with operations at the compost plant not affected and the farm would continue to hostcarfest.[91]
In 2004, Scheckter was reunited with his championship-winning Ferrari at the South African two-seater F1x2 Charity Grand Prix atKyalami in South Africa.
Scheckter is married and has had six children: two,Toby andTomas, from his previous wife Pamela; and four, Hugo, Freddie, Ila and Poppy, from his current marriage to Clare.
Scheckter's daughter Ila died on 17 October 2019, at age 21.[92] The sale of his firearms simulation company provided funds to allow Scheckter to help the racing careers of his sons Tomas and Toby. Tomas raced in theIndy Racing League where he won two races. Scheckter's elder brotherIan also raced in Formula One.
In 1983, he was inducted into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2024, at theSouth African Jewish Board of Deputies' 120th anniversary gala dinner, he was honoured among 100 remarkable Jewish South Africans who have contributed to South Africa.[93] The ceremony included speeches from Chief RabbiEphraim Mirvis, and Scheckter was honoured among other sports figures such asAli Bacher andJoel Stransky.[93][94]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | European Formula Two | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8th |
| British Formula Two | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4th | ||
| Formula One | Yardley Team McLaren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1973 | SCCA Continental Championship | Taylor-Entin | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 144 | 1st |
| Formula One | Yardley Team McLaren | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| European Formula Two | Motul Rondel Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| European Formula 5000 | Sid Taylor Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| World Sportscar Championship | Herb Wetanson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1974 | Formula One | ElfTeam Tyrrell | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 45 | 3rd |
| World Sportscar Championship | BMW Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1975 | Formula One | ElfTeam Tyrrell | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 7th |
| World Sportscar Championship | Willi Kauhsen Racing Team | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | NC | |
| SCCA Continental Championship | Hogan Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| Shadow Racing Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 1976 | Formula One | ElfTeam Tyrrell | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 49 | 3rd |
| World Sportscar Championship | Automobiles Alpine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1977 | Formula One | Walter Wolf Racing | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 55 | 2nd |
| 1978 | Formula One | Walter Wolf Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 7th |
| 1979 | Formula One | SEFAC Ferrari | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 51 | 1st |
| 1980 | Formula One | SEFAC Ferrari | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19th |
Source:[95] | |||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)(Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | US Formula A/F5000 Champion 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Formula One World Champion 1979 | Succeeded by |
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