Was watching the news this morning and news broke the 3 time F1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham has passed away age 88. Jack was a RAAF flight mechanic on Bristol Beaufighters during WW2. After the war Jack built a Midget using a JAP motorcycle engine and was soon winning races this is the time he picked up his nickname "Black Jack". Jack moved to England in 1955 & raced a 2L Cooper. By 1959 Jack won his first world championship and again in 1960. 1961 saw Jack enter a 2.7 litre Cooper at Indy 500, this is largely credited with the rear engine revolution of Indy cars. In 1962 Jack formed his own team, Motor Racing Developments (more commonly referred to as Brabham) with fellow Aussie Ron Tauranac. This laid the foundation for Jack's greatest achievement in 1966 the rules changed to 3 litres. The seed was sown, for Jack had an idea to use a mass produced Oldsmobile F85 Firejet aluminium v8 block and have Repco engineering build a reliable light engine. Phil Irving was Design engineer, the final engine was a SOHC with 310 bhp. The combination of light engine in a solid chassis made for a reliable and competitive race car. During 1966 Jack won 4 races and in doing so won the world championship. This made Jack the first and only driver to have had won the world championship in a car of his own make/design, Jack also won the Constructors championship. In 1967 Kiwi Denny Hulme won the world championship and helped secure a 2nd Constructors championship. Jack retired after 1970 F1 season and moved back to Australia where he ran a number of businesses. Jack will be forever remembered for his driving and his innovation & ingenuity. R.I.P. Sir Jack.
Thanks JimmyB. I just saw the newsflash. My earliest stirrings of love for hot cars is stamped with visions of BT20's. I'm lucky to have seen Jack & Stirling driving through the Adelaide hills. I like the stories of how Sir Jack awoke other F1 drivers with his aggressive oversteer style ala the speedway tracks he started on. Watch out, stones. And the way he loved beating Ferraris, after the ignorance shown him by Enzo as he made the leap to Europe. And of course, the fateful melding of talents with Ron Taurenac. The only World Champion to drive a car of his making. Vale Sir Jack.
He was a driver, and an innovator, well respected by all who follow motor sports. He continued to drive even as age crept up on him--I remember when he showed up to race with a fake white beard and cane, poking fun back at those critics who thought he was too old to race. He will be missed.
He designed and built his own racing cars and drove them to the Formula 1 world championship 3 times. He was also involved with the design of the Repco F1 engines. A full race version of GM's 215 cu in aluminum V8. R.I.P.
There is a rule that there are old race drivers and there are bold race drivers, but there are no old, bold race drivers. I think Sir Jack broke that rule!!!!!!! So long Sir!
A great loss to the Australian Motor Sport and a true pioneer in the Industry here. Many a Hot Rodder looked to Jack for ideas.
I had the pleasure of knowing Jack and competing against him in social motorsport in his later years. A true gentleman and a more humble person you couldn't meet. Truly a great loss, not only to Motorsport, but to our Country.
I met him at the 2003 Surfers Paradise Indycar race, a real gentleman, happy to talk to a fan.........he grew up in Sth Hurstville, a southern suburb of Sydney & as my mother( who grew up a few streets away) tells it was well known as a "speed merchant" around the area and son of a local greengrocer............the book "The Jack Brabham Story" co written with Doug Nye is definitely worth getting..........RIP Sir Jack......a true champion.
I was at the 1961 Indy 500 race and watched the strange, at the time, green rear engined car run. If I remember correctly, He finished in the top ten. Maybe ninth ? Changed Indy car racing forever.
One of my all time favorites,Jack Brabham. Remember reading about him. He was at an F1 race with Repco engined F1 cars. The factory called Jack Brabham and said piston to valve clearance was too small. Brabham went to hardware store, purchased wood chisel and added clearance to piston. Remarkable. Ago
Watching this former world champion drive his old F1 car around the track at Speed on Tweed at 84 was something else. A great mechanic and wheelman in his younger years and a nice old gentleman in his later years. RIP Sir Jack.http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/133/
In the latter half of the 1980's I was involved with the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide and one of my jobs was to co-ordinate interviews in the media center. One year we had Jack and all three of his sons there. I had seen him race in the Tasman series in the 1960's but had never actually met him. He was a total gentleman and a really cool dude and it was great to spend some time with one of my heroes prior to the actual interview session. Roo
It took Sir Jack 44 years to win his last F1 race, and another memorable 44 years to win his last race on earth. RIP Jack you will be missed. One of the true legends. He was one of my favorites. Ago