1971 Tyrrell 002 – Chopper’s Champion

1971 Tyrrell 002

His friends and racing opponents in F3 called him “Chopper,” not because of his on-track driving style but because of the axe painted on the side of his cars – a symbol representing his occupation as a lumber merchant. However, to racing historians he was known as Ken Tyrrell; and while he never gained fame as a driver, his accomplishments as a team owner read like a Cinderella story.

Tyrrell started as an owner with a small team of Cooper F3 cars in 1963, and enjoyed modest success until he met a promising young Scot named Jackie Stewart in 1964. Together the pair won 13 F3 races in 1964 and began entering and winning F2 races by the fall of that year. It was only a matter of time before the pair would rise up and leave their mark on F1.