SPORTS BOOK OF THE WEEK
Winning Is Not Enough by Sir Jackie Stewart (Headline Books, first published 2007, Sportsbookofthemonth.com price £10.30 PBK)
Towards the end of this remarkable book, Sir Jackie Stewart muses about the pace of his life: “My head runs, and I find myself constantly wanting to do something else. It’s not a question of needing to achieve, or needing to earn more money. If something is there to be done, my restless nature seems to drive me to do it there and then. That’s just how I am.”
This single paragraph sums up Sir Jackie’s life. He is a force of nature, a man given to getting things done, whether that be winning the Formula One world championship (which he did three times), setting up successful business enterprises, or becoming entrenched in charity work. If he says he’s going to do something, it gets done.
It is rare nowadays for a former sportsman, especially one of such international repute, to actually write his own autobiography, although given Stewart’s willingness to take things on, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that he produced a classic in every respect: a door-stopping tome of almost 550 pages.
Furthermore, this is a well-rounded autobiography; it doesn’t simply concentrate on the successful period from 1968 onwards when, after teaming up with Ken Tyrell, he found himself on the cusp of his first world title and, burdened by a top-rate tax of 93%, he decided to move to Switzerland. This is a comprehensive story, another rarity for a sporting autobiography, because it details the experiences that were to influence the adult.
Readers hoping for a unique insight into the world of motor racing might be a tad disappointed as the narrative is not laden with details of why such-and-such engine was better than any other, or how Stewart planned his way to a world title, although we’re given a rare glimpse into the thoughts of how the driver feels when behind the wheel. But the absence of details likely to be of interest solely to petrol-heads proves that Sir Jackie Stewart is not a onedimensional character.
In addition to becoming an enormously successful driver (he recorded 27 grand prix victories), Sir Jackie has managed to apply a Midas touch to many other areas of his life not bad for a dyslexic who left school “with great relief ”.
He raced F1 cars from 1965 securing a point in his first race in South Africa - until the end of the 1973 season, by which time he had claimed the world title with two races remaining.
He has done much either side of those eight years which is worth reading about; accordingly, if you’re looking for an insight into the whole person who happened to be a successful sportsman, you will rarely find a better read.