Three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart will attend the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji as a guest of honour, with the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) weekend hosting several fundraising activities for Race Against Dementia.
The visit carries particular significance for Stewart, who returns to Fuji Speedway 60 years after winning the Fuji 200 at the Japanese circuit in 1966. This time, however, his focus will centre on the global dementia research charity he founded in 2016.
Race Against Dementia has raised more than £20 million, supported 88 researchers and backed over 50 projects across five continents. The organisation applies principles familiar to motorsport, including speed, teamwork and innovation, to accelerate progress in dementia research.
Stewart returns to Fuji six decades after victory
Fuji Speedway celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026, having opened in January 1966. Stewart competed at the venue later that year and won the Fuji 200, the first American open-wheel race staged in Japan, driving the Lola T-90 he had also used during that season’s Indianapolis 500.
His return from 25–27 September therefore reconnects Stewart with an important moment from his racing career. However, he stressed that his priorities have changed considerably since those competitive years.
“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.”
Stewart founded Race Against Dementia following Lady Helen Stewart’s diagnosis, and the charity now supports research around the world as it works to accelerate advances against the condition.
Motorsport principles drive Race Against Dementia
Race Against Dementia aims to bring the urgency and collaborative approach of top-level motorsport into scientific research. With the number of people living with dementia globally projected to rise considerably by 2050, the organisation places particular emphasis on helping researchers develop ideas more quickly.
Mark Stewart, Sir Jackie’s son and Chairperson of the charity’s trustees, highlighted the connection between those goals and the motorsport environment.
“Race Against Dementia is driven by the same focus on innovation and determination that has always defined motorsport,” added Stewart, Chairperson of the Trustees for the charity. “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.”
The Fuji weekend will therefore combine Stewart’s return to one of the circuits from his racing past with a broader effort to generate funding and awareness for the charity.
Stewart also shares endurance racing history
Although Stewart remains best known for his three Formula 1 titles, he also competed in endurance racing during his career.
He partnered fellow World Champion Graham Hill in the experimental gas-turbine Rover-BRM at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the pair reaching the chequered flag in 10th.
Stewart also had links to Ford, whose engines powered him to all three of his F1 championships. He had been due to race one of the manufacturer’s GT40s at Le Mans in 1966 but could not participate following his serious accident at the Belgian Grand Prix.
His appearance at an FIA WEC event therefore also reconnects him with another area of a career that extended beyond Formula 1.
FIA WEC backs Stewart’s fundraising efforts
FIA WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien welcomed the opportunity for the championship to support Stewart and Race Against Dementia throughout the Japanese round.
“The FIA World Endurance Championship is proud to support Sir Jackie Stewart and Race Against Dementia at this year’s 6 Hours of Fuji,” said Lequien. “The word ‘legend’ is often overused, but in Sir Jackie’s case, it is entirely appropriate – not only for his tremendous success on-track across multiple motorsport disciplines, but even more importantly, for his earnest efforts off-track.
“That extends from his pioneering drive to improve safety in the sport during his own career to his more recent commitment – through Race Against Dementia – to accelerate the quest for a cure for this cruel and debilitating condition. It will be an honour to host him and to play a part in the various charitable activities taking place over the course of the weekend in Japan.”
Stewart’s campaigning away from competition has formed another major part of his legacy, beginning with his push for improved motorsport safety during his own racing career and continuing through his more recent charity work.
Gala dinner and auction planned at Fuji
The fundraising programme will begin on Friday, 25 September with a gala dinner at the Fuji Speedway Hotel. Race Against Dementia, FIA WEC and Hersey Shiga Global will jointly organise the event, which is expected to bring together around 170 guests.
Attendees will include figures from international motorsport, the Japanese business and diplomatic communities, Race Against Dementia trustees and supporters of the organisation.
An online auction featuring motorsport memorabilia and experiences will also run throughout the weekend, with proceeds supporting the charity’s global research programme.
Hersey Shiga Global Chairman Tsukasa Shiga described Stewart’s return as an important opportunity to highlight the wider challenge dementia presents.
“It is a great honour to welcome Sir Jackie Stewart back to Japan and to Fuji,” commented Shiga. “Dementia today affects an estimated 4.6 million people in Japan and more than 55 million worldwide – a challenge of profound urgency for our society.
“We are privileged to host this evening alongside Race Against Dementia and the FIA World Endurance Championship, and to bring together some of Japan’s most respected voices in support of the global fight against dementia.”
Fuji return brings together racing history and charity work
Stewart’s appearance will bring two distinct parts of his life together at a circuit where he achieved success six decades ago.
The 6 Hours of Fuji remains one of the longest-standing fixtures on the FIA WEC calendar, while the circuit’s 60th anniversary provides an appropriate backdrop for Stewart’s return. Yet the weekend will focus less on celebrating his own achievements than on using his standing within motorsport to support Race Against Dementia.
Sixty years after Stewart raced to victory at Fuji, his return will therefore centre on a very different race — one that he has repeatedly described as the most important of his life.
