Jody Scheckter caused quite a sensation when he arrived on the European racing season, and not always for the right reasons. In his early career the South African acquired a reputation as a fast but erratic driver, being involved in several notable accidents. By the end of his career he had matured into one of the best Formula 1 drivers of his generation.
Formula Ford Success and F1 with McLaren
Scheckter was born in East London on January 29th, 1950, the son of a local car dealer. It was there that he learned valuable engineering skills before embarking on a racing career. His very first car race gave an indication of what was to come when Scheckter was disqualified for dangerous driving, although the locked differential on his Renault R8 may have influenced the organiser's decision..
In 1970 Scheckter finished third in the South African Formula Ford Sunshine Series. As the best placed South African driver he won a scholarship to race in Europe. For the next two seasons he fought furious battles in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 2. At the final Formula 1 race of 1972, the McLaren team gave Scheckter his Grand Prix debut. For much of the race he ran fourth before a spin relegated him to ninth. He received favourable comments in Motor Sport magazine's review of the race, published in their November 1972 issue;
"He was taking the whole thing very much in his stride and it seems hard to believe that it is just two years ago since he had his first ever Formula Ford race."
Remaining a McLaren driver for 1973, Scheckter hardly seemed to be out of the headlines. After a high profile crash with defending World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi in France he triggered an enormous pile-up at Silverstone. The race had to be restarted and the damage to his cars almost put John Surtees’ team out of business.
McLaren sensibly rested Scheckter for a few events before he returned to Formula 1 at the Canadian Grand Prix. There, he collided with Tyrrell driver François Cevert, much to the latter’s annoyance. Ironically, the two were going to be team-mates at Tyrrell in 1974.
The partnership with Cevert never materialised as the popular Frenchman was killed in a horrific accident during qualifying for the final race of 1973. Scheckter was one of the first on the scene and it was this event that he claimed made him change his whole approach to racing. From then on, Scheckter would be a far more measured driver.
Scheckter Moves to Tyrrell
Tyrrell signed Patrick Depailler to replace Cevert in 1974, giving the team two relatively inexperienced drivers. Nevertheless, Scheckter managed two victories that season and third overall in the championship. 1975 yielded just one win for the South African and it was the same in 1976, when the team raced the radical six-wheeled P34. At the end of that season Scheckter left Tyrrell for new pastures, joining the new team started by Canadian oil tycoon Walter Wolf.
For the story of Scheckter's seasons with Wolf and Ferrari please click here.
