Sir Jack Brabham: the epitome of a champion

May 30, 2014

The name Brabham is synonymous with Motorsport. In 1959, a young Australian won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix in the most famous race on the sports calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix. He went on to win the World Championship that year and the following year. In 1966 he won a third championship in a car of his own construction and name; the only driver to win the title in a car bearing his own name. His incredible career spanned sixteen seasons and also included two Constructors’ Championships. That young Australian was Sir Jack Brabham and he had a profound influence on the sport that still resonates around the world today.

John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham was born on April 2, 1926 in Hurstville, an Australian city on the outskirts of Sydney. He was the only son of a greengrocer and from a young age he was fascinated with anything and everything mechanical, including the family trucks, mastering driving and maintenance in his teens. Brabham was not academically inclined and, at the age of fifteen, he dropped out of school and took jobs in an engineering shop and garage, before serving in the Royal Australian Air Force as a mechanic during World War II. The eighteen-year-old was eager to become a pilot, but it was necessary to fill a wartime flight mechanic shortage and his mechanical aptitude made him the perfect candidate. After the war, he founded his own engineering company, buying and selling second-hand cars, before starting to compete with dwarf cars in 1948.

In 1951, the Australian became interested in road racing and bought and modified a number of cars from the British manufacturer Cooper Car Company. He competed successfully in Australia and New Zealand in the early 1950s, before traveling to Europe in 1955, where he purchased another Cooper to compete in national events. During this time, Brabham, who earned the nickname “Black Jack” for both his taciturn nature and dark hair, embarked on what would be a very successful relationship with Cooper Cars, building a mid-engined Bobtail sports car that He was driving in his Formula 1. debut in the 1955 British Grand Prix.

The Brabham-Cooper partnership resulted in consecutive Formula 1 World Championships for the Australian in 1959 and 1960; however, Brabham felt he could do better. He enlisted the help of his friend Ron Tauranac and together they started Motor Racing Developments (MRD), producing racing cars for clients. Brabham continued to race for Cooper until 1962 when he joined his own team, the Brabham Racing Organization, with cars built by MRD. And in 1966 the company paid off when he won the championship and became the only driver to win in a self-designed and built car bearing his own name.

A legend at home to both engineering and driving, the technological innovations brought about by the Brabham team helped shape the sport today and inspired future innovations. Through its association with Tauranac, MRD built more than 500 Brabham race cars in the 1960s and the Brabham name continued in Formula 1 for three decades.

After retiring in 1970, the tenacious Champion became the first Motorsport identity to be knighted. Additionally, Brabham was named Australian of the Year in 1966, Australian Sports Hall of Fame Legend in 2003 and Living National Treasure in 2012. His love of racing passed on to his three sons Geoff, Gary and David and their grandchildren. Matthew and Sam, who have built careers in motorsports.

Sir Jack Brabham, a formidable competitor and an extraordinary man, passed away peacefully at his home on May 20, 2014 at the age of 88. In a statement written on behalf of the family, the youngest son David best described his iconic father:

“He lived an incredible life, accomplished more than anyone ever dreamed of, and will continue to live through the amazing legacy he leaves behind.”

Sir Jack Brabham

April 2, 1966 – May 20, 2014

An incredible life

• Triple World Champion of Formula 1 Drivers – 1959, 1960, 1966

• 14 victories in the Formula 1 Grand Prix

• 13 Pole Positions of Formula 1

• 31 Formula 1 podiums

• Australian of the year in 1966

• Awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1967

• He was knighted for his services to motorsports in 1979

• Only Formula 1 driver to win the Championship in a car of his own construction

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