RIP Sir Jack Brabham

[Graham0127]

Just heard the sad news of the death of Jack Brabham. He was 88 and died after a long illness.

So sad when these racers and innovators die.

First car I ever had a ride in with twin 40 dcoe carbs was a Brabham Sunbeam Rapier and the sound and performance of that car is still lodged firmly in my head.

RIP?

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

RIP Jack. Sad news, indeed.

 

One of the huge figures in Motorsport for so long, what a fantastic legacy to leave, a life well and truly lived.

[Mooch]

One of the true greats - a sad loss.  Built his own car, too, and won the F1 title in it, so he was the daddy of all kit builders.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27465380

[clansman]

RIP Sir Jack .................sad day indeed 

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

Yep a sad day, but what a life these guys led.

[Meakin]

Rip Sir Jack Brabham innovator and inspirational

[s2rrr]

Legend

Nuff said

 

Bob

[mikef]

A great man.  RIP.

[M444TTB]

Retired 12 years before I was born but a name that will live on forever in the sport. Shame the Brabham team name hasn't survived.

[SootySport]

The first and only man to push his car over the finishing line to win his first GP,  Only an Aussie would do that. 

 

RIP Sir.

[SootySport]

Just heard the sad news of the death of Jack Brabham. He was 88 and died after a long illness.

So sad when these racers and innovators die.

First car I ever had a ride in with twin 40 dcoe carbs was a Brabham Sunbeam Rapier and the sound and performance of that car is still lodged firmly in my head.

RIP?

Sure it wasn't Holbay engine Graham.   I had the Hillman Hunter GLS version. You might be confusing it with the Brabham Viva.

[Graham0127]

Sure it wasn't Holbay engine Graham.   I had the Hillman Hunter GLS version. You might be confusing it with the Brabham Viva.

Hi Bernie. It was definitely a Brabham Rapier. It wasn't the coupe type Rapier, I remember Holbay versions of them. The car was black and silver two tone,and had distinctive wings on the back, probably late1960s. My dads friend was minted...seriously....and they used to play golf and go fishing together..the story was he had it built to race down the M2 to Dover, beating his mates in their Jags !

Oh happy days:)

[SootySport]

Just Googled it, I see the one you mean now, the older pre '70 one.

[Sparkymart]

At least the family name lives on with his sons, David winning Le man with Peugeot and also driving for Aston Martin and i believe he also won the American Le man series

R.I.P SIR JACK and long live the Bramham name

[pistonbroke]

 

Dan Gurney statement on the passing of Sir Jack Brabham : 

 

 

It is with great sadness that I received the news that my former Formula boss and team mate, the 3 time F 1 World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, passed away in Australia over the weekend. A motor racing giant has left our planet whose combined achievements of F 1 World Championship driver and car constructor in all likelihood will never be equaled.  Dark haired "Black Jack" was a fierce competitor, an outstanding engineer, a tiger of a driver, an excellent politician and a hands-on creator and visionary, he opened the rear-engine door at Indianapolis and raced there, he was a doer, a true Aussie pioneer!

 

Jack and I go far back in history together. We raced "against each other on the F 1 circuit since 1959 driving Coopers, Ferraris, BRMs and Porsches. In 1963 he hired me as his team mate for his newly established Brabham F I team and during the next three years we really got to know each other. We discovered we shared similar traits. We were not only interested in driving racing cars but in building them, improving them, searching for every tiny bit of technical advantage we could find. I see both of us sitting in garages all over the world bent over engines, talking to each other and to our team: Ron Tauraunac, Phil Kerr, Roy Billington, Tim Wall, Nick Goozee and Denis Hulme.

 

We shared the camaraderie of a closely knit team pursuing a common purpose, the racing tragedies and the glory days of the 1960s bonded us for life.

 

Since we retired from driving, both in the fall of 1970, we have stayed in touch. I last spoke to Jack a few months ago on the phone, we were looking forward to the golden anniversary of the first World Championship  F 1 victory for the Brabham marque: The French Grand Prix at Rouen, June 28th, 1964, which I won for the team 50 years ago this summer.

 

In 1966 we both went our separate ways , I followed the trail he had blazed by trying to build, race and win with  my own F I cars. I have been told that only three men in the history of autoracing have managed to do that, Bruce McLaren and I won races but Sir Jack Brabham won World Championships, he will be forever in a class all by himself.

 

I will miss you Jack! You showed the way!

 

With gratitude and admiration.   

 

Dan

 

Dan Gurney

Chairman

All-American Racers Inc, Santa Ana, California,USA

 

 

 

Quote from a fellow racer who says it all 

 

RIP Sir Jack,  thank you for all the memories