A PERSONAL WELCOME from Sir Jackie Stewart

... chairman of the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust

As a driver, my life was in the hands of my mechanics every time I took to the track so I have the absolute admiration for the job that they do.  

During my racing career, it was my greatest fear that there may be a major accident or fire in the pit lane or a mechanic may suddenly fall on hard times long after they’ve left the sport.

Teams weren’t as well funded as they are today and had those incidents occurred back then, there simply wouldn’t have been the resources within some of those teams to look after the mechanics.

So in 1987, I formed the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust with the aim of looking after the needs of those very men because I believe they are the true professionals in the Formula 1 pit lane.

The creation of the Trust and its registration as a charity has been warmly applauded and over the years it has been strongly supported especially by the teams themselves.

I’m delighted to say that the Trust’s resources now substantially exceed £1 million and the accumulation of this reserve has allowed us to provide assistance for F1 mechanics and their families in times of great hardship.

The life of F1 mechanics has changed substantially over the years. Nowadays most of the F1 teams are in a stronger position to look after their people well, especially while the mechanics are working for them. But hardship can strike at any time, often long after the mechanic has left the comfort and support of the teams behind, and this is where the Trust can help.

In the 23 years that the Trust has existed, we’ve been able to help countless mechanics and their families, some of whom we’ve written about, you can view these on our 'Trust in Action' page. It is for these reasons that the Trust continues today, offering support far beyond the pit lane.

I’ve always said that to finish first, first you must finish and the mechanics play an integral role in that challenge. Therefore, it’s critical that we provide support to these men across the generations, and with your help, I hope we can continue to assist them for many years to come.

My personal thanks goes to everyone who has supported the Trust since it was created and to those who are about to do so.

Sir Jackie Stewart OBE
Chairman
January 2011