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Jody Scheckter 06-09-201-by Valdore-

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Jody Scheckter

Jody David Scheckter, a South African businessman, and a former race car driver was born on January 29, 1950, in East London, South Africa, where his father ran a Renault dealership.

From 1972 until 1980, he raced in Formula One, winning the Drivers’ Championship in 1979 with Ferrari.

Scheckter is still the only driver from Africa to have captured the Formula One World Championship.

When he first started driving, Jody was a young engineering apprentice who only knew how to drive flat-out.

Because of his disposition, he tried racing, initially on motorbikes and then in saloon automobiles. He was disqualified from the circuit for driving recklessly in his debut national race.

Over time, he developed the skill to control his aggression and eventually started to consistently win. He received the Driver To Europe scholarship in 1970 after winning the South African Formula Ford championship.

Here are 10 outstanding facts about Jody Scheckter.

1. Scheckter gained notoriety for being at fault for one of the most serious accidents in Formula One

James Hunt and Jody Scheckter 1976 Brands Hatch-by Martin Lee-

During the French Grand Prix, the Scheckter McLaren then crashed into Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus, sending the Lotus spinning off the track and the reigning world champion into raging anger.

Fittipaldi yelled, “This lunatic is a danger to himself and to everyone else and does not belong in F1.”During Checker’s following race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the anti-Scheckter movement gathered significant steam.

Before striking the cement wall in front of the Silverstone pits hard, the Scheckter McLaren lost control and spun erratically in the middle of the pack.

The chaos he had started continued for some time as Jody climbed out of the smoking debris, unharmed.

The specifics were masked by massive clouds of smoke and dust, but there were flashes of cars flying through the air and debris raining down across a huge region.

Thankfully, Andrea de Adamich of Surtees was the only one hurt. However, eight cars were completely damaged, and Jody Scheckter was found to be at fault for the worst Formula One collision ever.

His immediate expulsion was required by the Grand Prix Drivers Association, and it was only delayed after McLaren promised to rest their driver for four races.

2. His character and tough appearance matched his almost reckless driving

Scheckter was referred to as the “South African Wild Man”. His rough appearance and feisty demeanor appeared to go well with his reckless driving.

He spoke plainly and had a fiery temper, and he had woolly hair and his distinctive frown. However, his acceleration was unquestionable, and when he was able to maintain it, his car handling was capable of being superb.

3. Scheckter’s perspective was  altered by Cevert’s passing

Frenchman François Cevert, who was set to be Scheckter’s Tyrrell teammate for 1974, was killed in a horrific accident at the fast, uphill Esses bends during practice for the American race at the Watkins Glen circuit.

When Cevert crashed, Scheckter was directly behind him. He stopped his McLaren, got out, and tried to assist Cevert in exiting his wrecked Tyrrell, but the 29-year-old Frenchman was already dead after being fatally injured by the circuit’s shoddy Armco barriers.

The South African was forever changed by witnessing Cevert’s terrible accident; as a result, he gave up his reckless driving habits and developed into a more responsible and thoughtful driver.

4. Scheckter is the one and only South African Formula one champion

1977 Argentine Grand Prix Jody Scheckter celebrate-by Unknown author-

Only four of the 25 South African drivers who have competed in Formula One have started more than four races, with 17 of them having started at least one Grand Prix. 

Having won a race, Jody Scheckter is by far the most successful and prolific South African driver.

Scheckter won 10 races throughout his nine-year career, including the 1979 World Drivers’ Championship. Since 1980, South African drivers have not competed in Formula One.

5. His motorsport journey began due to his family ties with cars

His involvement in motorsports began when he was a young child in East London because of his close ties to the automotive industry.

He first got a taste of driving while working for his father, who owned a Renault dealership. After attempting bikes, the South African speedster switched to vehicles as an option.

6.  He is one of the star performers of his era

Tyrell Team Winners 307-by Gillfoto-

Scheckter experienced a baptism of fire in Formula One but quickly rose to prominence as one of the top drivers of his period.

He secured the title at Ferrari’s home race in 1979, cementing his legacy. One of Scheckter’s many professional high points was that one.

He is still the only driver from his nation to rule at the highest level of motorsport.

7. Scheckter represented three of the most iconic teams in the sport’s history

Ferrari Red (5610195177)-by Srikrishna Narasimhan –

At Watkins Glen in 1972, he made his McLaren debut. The following year, he competed in five additional races.

But he failed to finish three of them, the most notable one occurring at the British Grand Prix, where he started a multi-crash that put an end to the race.

When Ken Tyrrell offered him a full-time position for 1974, Scheckter settled down and started to produce results. In 1975, the Tyrrell 007 was still in use, but it had slowed down and Scheckter had only achieved one victory.

He left to join the brand-new Wolf squad in 1977, and they were successful in Argentina on their first outing.

Scheckter continued to win races in Monaco and Canada, finishing the year in second place to Niki Lauda’s Ferrari despite being 17 points back.

8. He has six children from two marriages

Six children have been born to him through his marriages. Toby and Tomas from his first wife Pamela, and Hugo, Freddie, Ila, and Poppy from his second marriage to Clare.

On October 17, 2019, his daughter Ila passed away at age 21.

9. Scheckter now devotes his time to farming biodynamically

Scheckter now spends his time farming biodynamically after purchasing the Laverstoke Park Farm, near Overton, Hampshire, which is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of London on 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) of land.

In 2005, the Visionhealth DVD and TV documentaries included Scheckter as a subject due to his expertise in organic farming.

He demonstrated the production of Buffalo Mozzarella at Laverstoke Park Farm for BBC’s Escape to the Country.

He also stated his desire to create a biodynamic sparkling wine by 2012 in a statement in December 2009.

10. He worked as a broadcaster

Scheckter was employed by CBS Sports in 1981 as a Pit reporter for its F1 coverage.

Scheckter was hired by ABC’s Wide World Of Sports to cover the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix from the pit area.

Martin Brundle was replaced by Scheckter as a guest commentator for ITV during the 1999 San Marino Grand Prix.

Jody Scheckter founded FATS Inc, a company that develops firearm training simulators for law enforcement, the military, and security agencies, after quitting racing.