Sir Jackie Stewart returns to Fuji for Race Against Dementia charity appearance

Here's the thing about true motorsport royalty: they never really stop racing. Next month, the incredible Sir Jackie Stewart OBE will step back into the spotlight as guest of honour at the 6 Hours of Fuji, running from 25 to 27 September, to support his vital charity, Race Against Dementia. A whole range of activities are locked in for the event to raise critical funds.

Fuji Speedway itself is celebrating its 60th anniversary, having first opened back in January, 1966. Just nine months after those gates opened, Sir Jackie won the Fuji 200—marking the first American open-wheel race held in Japan—piloting the exact Lola T-90 he had taken to within ten laps of victory at the Indianapolis 500 that same year. Now, exactly six decades later, the Scot returns for the sixth round of the 2026 FIA WEC campaign, carrying the banner for the global dementia research charity he established in 2016 following his wife, Lady Helen Stewart’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

The scale of the challenge is massive, with 152 million people projected to be affected globally by 2050. Race Against Dementia channels the sheer speed, precision, and teamwork that define the pinnacle of motorsport to back pioneering research and empower scientists to fast-track advances. So far, the organisation has raised more than £20 million, funded 88 researchers, and backed over 50 research projects across five continents.

"Returning to Fuji, 60 years after my first Japanese Grand Prix, will be a very special occasion for me personally," acknowledged Sir Jackie. "Today however, the most important race in my life is the race to find a cure for dementia. My wife, Helen, was diagnosed with this dreadful illness in 2014 and I am determined to challenge it to the fullest extent. I am extremely grateful to everyone in Japan for supporting me and Race Against Dementia."

His son, Mark Stewart, Chairperson of the Trustees for the charity, added: "Race Against Dementia is driven by the same focus on innovation and determination that has always defined motorsport. Returning to Fuji, 60 years after my father first raced here, is deeply meaningful, and we are grateful for the support of our partners in Japan as we work together to help brilliant researchers accelerate progress towards life-changing breakthroughs."

While he is rightly a legend for his extraordinary feats in Formula 1, Sir Jackie also holds a formidable endurance racing pedigree. He partnered fellow multiple world champion Graham Hill in the experimental gas-turbine Rover-BRM for the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking the chequered flag tenth. The following year, thanks to his long-term association with Ford—the engine builder behind all three of his F1 crowns—he was set to pilot one of the Blue Oval’s GT40s at La Sarthe, only to be sidelined from that historic race by a serious accident in the preceding Belgian Grand Prix.