Inducted 2004 – Motorsport Builder – Road Racing
Quick now. What do Paul Tracy, Brian Herta, Airton Dare, Scott Maxwell, P.J. Jones, Marty Roth, Jacques Lazier and Cristiano da Matta have in common? Well, at one time or another, they’ve all driven race cars for Brian Stewart, of Sutton, Ont., who is one of Canada’s most successful racers. Not a race driver, but a racer all the same. Brian Stewart is known internationally as a fellow who produces winners. He is the owner of racing cars who prepares them, takes them to the circuits and then provides the drivers with everything from logistical to psychological support while they’re there. Stewart started in Formula Vees and raced them for three years, winning the Canadian championship in 1970. In 1972, he moved up to Formula Fords and won the national championship in that class. A trip to the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in Britain saw him finish 12th out of 200 who entered. When no one seemed interested in hiring him as a driver, Stewart decided to go into the business of managing race teams and preparing race cars for other people to drive. In the late 1980s, Stewart formed Brian Stewart Racing and entered the Indy Lights series. From that first season, when Tommy Byrne finished second, through the championship years of Tracy, Eric Bachelart, Robbie Buhl and all the others, Brian Stewart Racing has enjoyed unparalleled success. When CART decided to shut down the Indy Lights series, Stewart thought of going to Formula Atlantic but considered it a step backward. Instead, the Indy Racing League invented the Infiniti Pro Series and invited Brian to join. He continues in that series to this day.