Born in Orange in 1935, Max Stewart began his racing career on motorcycles but soon switched to karts, touring cars and then open wheeler racing cars in Australian Formula II where he was runner-up in 1965 and winner in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970.

Max came second to world Champion Jackie Stewart at the 1970 Japanese Grand Prix. In 1972 he won the Singapore Grand Prix and came second in the Macau Grand Prix.

This prompted his move to the ultimate in racing cars – Formula 5000.

In 1973, Max contested the L & M Series in the United States and after six races he was in fourth position overall but had to return home with a fractured wrist.

In 1974 he was placed second outright in the Tasman Series and made history that year by winning five of six rounds in the Gold Star Formula 1 Drivers Championship. He also won the Australian Grand Prix at Oran Park in the Sydney Round of the Gold Star, driving a Lola T330.

In 1975, at Surfers Paradise, he won his second successive Australian Grand Prix in a Lola T400 under the most appalling conditions. The following year in New Zealand he recorded good wins at Levin and Mansfield and also won a round of the Australian Drivers’ Championship at Oran Park.

Unfortunately on March 19, 1977, while practising for a race at Calder Raceway, Melbourne Max was involved in a collision that was to claim his life at the age of 42.