大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - 鈥榃hen and where do you need me, Sir Jackie?鈥� 鈥� F1 royalty come out to support three-time world champion鈥檚 dementia charity

鈥榃hen and where do you need me, Sir Jackie?鈥� 鈥� F1 royalty come out to support three-time world champion鈥檚 dementia charity

18 July 2019

Some of the world’s best-known Formula 1 personalities have pledged their support to Sir Jackie Stewart – one of the legends of the sport – as he launched his new charity Race Against Dementia.

The charity aims to use Sir Jackie’s Formula 1 connections to raise awareness of the illness that had such an impact on his life.

His wife, Dame Helen Stewart, has dementia and the three-time world champion wants to raise awareness to help find a cure.

“Now that I see dementia up close and personal, it would be wrong if I didn’t try to do something about it.”

'Race Against Dementia' - How F1 is helping fund research

Formula One helping in the race against dementia

Former Formula 1 race-winner David Coulthard expressed his pride at being able to lend his support to Race Against Dementia.

“When Sir Jackie gets behind a cause and he comes to Formula 1... [when you consider] the drivers that have benefited from his previous campaigns,” – Sir Jackie’s quest for improved safety in the sport is arguably as notable as his success behind the wheel – “you don’t even think about it – you’re like ‘when do you need me?’”

Professor Tara Spires-Jones from Edinburgh University explained recent scientific findings on dementia.

“For many years it was thought to be just part of normal ageing, but dementia is not ageing: it is caused by diseases we can do something about.

“Having sportspeople telling the world about dementia and raising awareness that there are things people can do is very important.”

Sir Jackie showed just how dearly he cares his wife Dame Helen Stewart when he presented her with a flower at the end of a lap during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The driver filming in the car behind is their son Paul. His footage shows .

Lady Helen was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014

The Alzeheimer’s Society believes there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK.

Formula 1 is famous for solving problems faster than anything else

Sir Jackie Stewart

In 2018, Sir Jackie expressed his frustration that medical research has not discovered any cure or preventative measures.

He wished to kick-start the private sector into finding a cure by using techniques pioneered by Formula 1.

He told Andrew Marr, “Formula 1 is famous for solving problems faster than anything else. It might have taken two to three minutes to change a wheel in my day, now it takes two seconds.

“That’s all happened by thinking outside the box.”

Sir Jackie Stewart opens up on his wife Lady Helen's dementia

Andrew Marr spoke to the former world champion racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart

Sir Jackie described his vision for bringing that kind of radical thinking into the race to find a cure for dementia.

“We want to find young progressive technologists in the medical field and bring them into Formula 1 before we place them in the best medical centres to try and find a faster cure.

“I’m very confident that that’s going to the the case.”

Sir Jackie Stewart says his racing career was easy compared to tackling dementia.