Sir Jack Brabham Passes Away, Aged 88

Brabham was an exceptional driver who achieved many milestones. He was the first driver to win in a car with the engine behind the driver (the Cooper T59 in 1959), and the only driver to win driving his own team (as GOTMAXPOWER said)-a team that would would win another constructor's championship and 3 more driver's championships.

RIP to a true icon in Australian (and world) motorsport

brabham-1966-german-gp.jpg
 
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Sir Jack Brabham is the godfather of Motorsport in Aus.
His achievements are the benchmark for all who aspire to motorsport greatness.
His knowledge and presence will be sadly missed.


I'm not sure, but he may have created the saying..."To finish 1st, first you have to finish."

Condolences to all the Brabham family.
 
Extremely sad news. One of the true greats of F1 and Australian motorsport. My deepest condolences to all of his friends and family.

RIP.
 
I heard this on the news this morning. Not the best way to start a day.

I don't see how he could be underrated though. Not too many drivers win three World Championships, not many successfully defend a World Championship and nobody else has built a team with their own name on the car and won one.

He was a credit to Australia and his name lives on in his offspring.

RIP.
 
He spent his last day with his BT23, with which he won the 1967 Formula 2 Championship.

XoZ4eXF.png


And an excerpt from Sid Watkins' Life At The Limit:

We knew that the pulse rate and the blood pressures of drivers responded to the psychological stress and the anxiety of the start of a race. Primitive estimations showed these to increase for most drivers - save for Jack Brabham whose pulse went down as did his blood pressure when he got into the cockpit on the grid! In fact, in the 1969 race at Monaco Jack had the rear of his car climbed over by Surtees in the tunnel and lost a rear wheel and his brakes...He skillfully slid the vehicle down the barrier till it slowed and he got out and walked from the harbour to the pits. Cool as a cucumber, his pulse rate absolutely normal, his only remark was that his premature finish meant he could get the early flight out of Nice airport. Picking up his bag, he departed across the circuit at the end of the pitlane with a cheerful wave.
Click to expand...

I also remember reading how he won a wet 1967 Canadian Grand Prix by coating the wiring of both his team's cars with Vaseline to waterproof them, while one Jim Clark had his Lotus retire from the lead late in the race. I can't find a link for that anecdote though.

By all accounts, a wily operator.
 
Tired Tyres
I don't see how he could be underrated though.
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Quotes from the transcript that prisonmonkey posted #15

MURRAY WALKER, FMR FORMULA ONE COMMENTATOR: It's always been a bit of a mystery to me that Jack has never had the recognition that I feel he deserves.

ALAN JONES, FMR FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPION: ........ and I don't think the Australian public just realize what a treasure we've got in Jack.

LADY MARGARET BRABHAM: It’s a strange thing that Jack seems to be more revered in other parts of the world than he is in Australia. When we go overseas he is swamped, totally swamped. It’s like he was a pop star. Have to have a minder. There's very little comes from this country.
Click to expand...


The underrated is from us(Australian public)...sadly.
Achievements beyond the likes of Don Bradman(cricket) and Rod Laver(Tennis), but just not as well remembered.
Those into motorsport place him there at the top, but general public and the media just don't seem to get it.
 
It's because Formula 1 is a typically European sport. There was no Australian Grand Prix until a good fifteen years after Brabham retired, whereas there has always been half a dozen more races in Europe. Brabham naturally got more exposure there than he did here, because watching the European races usually means staying up until midnight, if not past it.
 
I reckon he wouldn't have minded not having as much attention in Australia.

When he retired he moved home so the less time he had people bothering him whilst he was home the more time he had to enjoy his retirement especially in his later years.

Then when he felt like being the centre of attention he'd go elsewhere! :P
 
"Who do you think you are? Jack Brabham?"

I have heard that phrase used many a time on someone who drove quickly.

Farewell, Sir Jack. You truly were a good sport. The world of racing lost a living icon.
 

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