Jody Scheckter

Jody Scheckter
Scheckter at the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix
Born	Jody David Scheckter (1950-01-29) 29 January 1950 (age 74) East London, Eastern Cape, Union of South Africa
Spouses	Pamela Bailey Clare Fawkes
Children	6, including Toby and Tomas
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
Career points	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 former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980. Scheckter won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1979 with Ferrari, and remains the only African driver to have won either a Formula One Grand Prix or the World Drivers' Championship; he won 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons.

Born and raised in East London, Cape Province, Scheckter rapidly ascended through the ranks of motor racing upon moving to the United Kingdom in 1970. His Formula One debut came two years later at the 1972 United States Grand Prix, driving for McLaren, whom he had raced for that year in British and European Formula Two. Amongst winning the SCCA Continental Championship in Formula 5000, Scheckter entered a further five Grands Prix in 1973 with McLaren. Scheckter earned a full-time drive with Tyrrell the following season, taking his maiden win at the Swedish Grand Prix and finishing third in the championship. Scheckter won his home Grand Prix in South Africa in 1975, and finished third again in 1976. Moving to Wolf in 1977, Scheckter took several race wins—including the Monaco Grand Prix—as he finished runner-up to Niki Lauda in the standings. After a winless season for Wolf in 1978, Scheckter moved to Ferrari to partner Gilles Villeneuve. Taking three Grand Prix wins in his first season for Ferrari, Scheckter clinched the World Drivers' Championship with his victory at the Italian Grand Prix, becoming the first African Formula One World Champion. He was unable to defend his title in 1980 as Ferrari struggled immensely with the 312T5, 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 a broadcaster for CBS, ABC and ITV. He founded a weapons simulation business in 1984 called Firearms Training Systems, whose revenue eclipsed £100 million by the early 1990s. Scheckter then moved into organic farming, owning Laverstoke Park Farm in England. His sons Toby and Tomas are both racing drivers.
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