Motorsport, Helmets, Racewear, Racing, Safety

Sir Jackie Stewart & Race Against Dementia

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Grand Prix Racewear

On April 14, 2025

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Sir Jackie Stewart has driven an Formula One car for the final time aged 85, wearing a helmet signed by all living champions, including Michael Schumacher, along with a Classic OMP Race suit Provided by Grand Prix Racewear

The three-time world champion drove the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain in his 1973 championship-winning Tyrell, in honour of his charity Race Against Dementia.

The unique helmet will be used to raise money for the charity set up by Stewart in 2016, after his wife Helen began suffering from the disease.

Sir Jackie is as well known for his determination and precision off the track as he was behind the wheel. He has applied the high-performance, high-pressure model of Formula One to the fight against dementia, calling for more urgency, collaboration, and innovation in medical research.

What Is Race Against Dementia?

Race Against Dementia (RAD) is a global charity founded by Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, the three-time Formula 1 World Champion, with the mission of funding breakthrough and innovative research into the prevention and cure of dementia.

Sir Jackie established the charity in 2016 after his wife, Lady Helen Stewart, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a devastating form of the disease. Driven by love and a desire to make a difference, Stewart turned his grief and frustration into purposeful action by leveraging his racing mindset to tackle the world’s biggest medical race.

The Mission of Race Against Dementia

"This is a race we have to win." — Sir Jackie Stewart

The core mission of RAD is to accelerate dementia research by:

Funding early-career scientists (called RAD Fellows) to focus full-time on dementia research.
Injecting Formula 1 team methodologies like speed, innovation, and teamwork into scientific environments.
Supporting global research projects that push boundaries and challenge conventional thinking.

What Does Race Against Dementia Do?

RAD funds cutting-edge research around the world, including:

Developing early diagnostic tools and biomarkers
Investigating genetics and molecular biology of neurodegenerative diseases
Exploring potential therapeutic targets
Promoting collaboration between academic and commercial sectors

RAD has partnerships with leading institutions such as:

University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh
University of Queensland (Australia)
Duke-NUS Medical School (Singapore)

The RAD Fellowship Programme

The RAD Fellowship is a flagship initiative that selects exceptional early-career researchers and funds them to work on high-impact dementia research. The program not only provides financial support but also exposes fellows to the high-performance culture of Formula One, with mentoring from industry leaders.

Impact and Growth

Since its founding in 2016:

Millions of pounds have been raised and invested into research.
Over a dozen RAD Fellows have been funded worldwide.
The charity has gained widespread recognition for its unique, agile approach.

RAD's approach is inspired by Formula One's urgency, rapid problem-solving, and teamwork, a contrast to the traditionally slow pace of academic research.