Jody Scheckter

From 1972 to 1980, he raced in Formula One, winning the Drivers' Championship with Ferrari in 1979, he is still the only African to have won the F1 World Championship.

Jody Scheckter in a file photo. (Image: Twitter)
By Nilavro Ghosh | May 31, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Jody David Scheckter (born 29 January 1950) is a former motor racing driver and business owner from South Africa. From 1972 until 1980, he raced in Formula One, winning the Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari in 1979. Scheckter is still the only African to have won the Formula One World Championship. Scheckter was educated at Selborne College and Hudson Park High School in East London, Eastern Cape. Scheckter now works as a biodynamic farmer, having purchased the 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) Laverstoke Park Farm near Overton, Hampshire, some 40 miles (64 kilometres) west of London.

F1 debut and teams

After relocating to the United Kingdom in 1970, Scheckter quickly rose through the ranks of Formula One. In 1972, he made his Formula One debut with McLaren at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, where he went as high as third before spinning and finishing ninth. He quickly established himself as a name to watch the following year, winning the 1973 SCCA L&M Championship and competing in F1 five times. In only his third F1 appearance, he came close to winning in France before colliding with Emerson Fittipaldi.

Critics predicted he wouldn’t get along with Ferrari’s dictatorial management, but he exceeded expectations and helped the team win another Constructors’ Championship, while Scheckter’s regular finishes, which included three wins, earned him the Drivers’ Championship in 1979. In his 1980 title defence, however, he struggled miserably, even failing to qualify for one event. Scheckter announced his departure from the squad and the sport after scoring only two points. Scheckter was Ferrari’s last driver to win a Drivers’ Championship until Michael Schumacher did so twenty-one years later, in 2000.

Career Stats

Races113
Wins10
Podiums33
Pole positions3
Points246

Jody Scheckter wife

He is married and has six children: two from his previous marriage to Pamela, Toby and Tomas, and four from his present marriage to Clare, Hugo, Freddie, Ila, and Poppy. Ila, a 21-year-old daughter, died on October 17, 2019. Clare Scheckter moved to the UK in 1996 after a successful commercial career in the United States, where she was crucial in the establishment of Laverstoke Park Farm, a 2,500-acre organic and biodynamic estate in Hampshire, England. Her passion for education led to the establishment of the Laverstoke Park Education Centre in 2002, which has hosted over 15,000 young people for free farm educational visits since its opening by HRH The Princess Royal.

Jody Scheckter net worth

Jody Scheckter, a former car racing driver from South Africa, with a net worth of USD 100 million. In January 1950, Jody Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa. He is most known for winning the World Drivers’ Championship in Formula One in 1979. Scheckter won 10 races during his career, which spanned 1972 to 1980. He worked for McLaren, Tyrrel, Wolf, and Ferrari, among others. Scheckter won the World Superstars competition in 1981 after competing in Formula One. After retiring from racing, he started FATS Inc., a firm that creates handgun training simulators for law enforcement, military, and security agencies.