David Brabham facts for kids
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Brabham in 2012
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| Born | 5 September 1965 London, England |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Active years | 1990, 1994 |
| Teams | Brabham, Simtek |
| Entries | 30 (24 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1990 San Marino Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1994 Australian Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1992–1993, 1996–2010, 2012 |
| Teams | Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Gulf Racing/GTC Racing, David Price Racing, Panoz Motorsports, Team Bentley, Zytek Engineering, Aston Martin Racing, Russian Age Racing, Peugeot Sport Total, Highcroft Racing, JRM |
| Best finish | 1st (2009) |
| Class wins | 3 (2007, 2008, 2009) |
David Philip Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian racing driver. He is known for being a top expert in sports car racing. David has won three big international sports car series. He is also one of only four Australians to win the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race, which he did in 2009.
Brabham also won the American Le Mans Series in both 2009 and 2010. He even raced in Formula One, which is the highest class of international racing. He drove for the Brabham and Simtek teams in 1990 and 1994. David is the youngest son of Sir Jack Brabham, who was a three-time Formula One world champion. His brothers, Geoff Brabham and Gary Brabham, are also racing drivers.
Contents
Early Life and First Races
David Brabham was born in Wimbledon, London, but he grew up in Australia. Even though his dad, Sir Jack Brabham, was a famous race car driver, David wasn't super interested in racing at first. He played soccer until he was twelve and then started playing Australian rules football.
His dad didn't push him into racing. It wasn't until David was 17 that he found go-karts and got excited about racing. He bought a used go-kart with his next-door neighbor and started competing.
Starting His Racing Career
David's professional racing journey began in Australia in 1983. He raced karts for two years. After that, he moved into the Ford Laser "one make" series in 1985. In 1986, he switched to Formula Ford 1600 cars.
He then moved to Australian Formula 2 and won the 1987 Australian Drivers' Championship. This championship was a single race held during the 1987 Australian Grand Prix. David started way back in 38th place due to car problems. But he drove amazingly, passing the leader on the 13th lap to win!
In 1989, David moved from Australia to Europe. He joined the Bowman team and won the British Formula Three Championship. This was a big step in his career.
Formula One Adventures
David Brabham got his chance in Formula One in 1990 with the Brabham team. This team shared his family name, but it had been sold many times since his father owned it. The team had money problems, which made it hard to succeed.
David's first race was the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix, but he didn't qualify. His first actual Formula One start was at the next race in Monaco. This was a special place because his father, Jack, had won there in 1959. In 14 races, David only managed to qualify six times with the car. He was replaced at the end of the season.
Brabham returned to Formula One in 1994 with the Simtek team. His father even bought shares in the team to help. The Simtek car was heavy and used an older type of gearbox. Despite these challenges, David qualified for every race that year.
A very sad event happened during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. His teammate, Roland Ratzenberger, passed away. Usually, the other driver on the team would stop racing. But David decided to keep going to honor Roland's memory and help the team. His strong leadership was important in keeping the team together. Even though the Simtek car wasn't very fast, David earned a lot of praise for his determination. He also showed how much he improved the car's speed.
Racing Touring Cars
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After 1994, David left Formula One to start racing touring cars. He joined the BMW team in 1995 for the BTCC. Later, he had more success. He won the 1996 JGTC GT500 championship in a McLaren F1 GTR. This was the first time a non-Japanese team car won this championship.
In 1997, he won the 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 race in Australia. He drove a BMW 320i at Bathurst with his brother Geoff. They finished second but were given the win after another team was disqualified.
David also won the Professional Sports Car Championship in the United States in 1998 with the Panoz racing team. He also won the 1999 Petit Le Mans race with Panoz.
GT and Sports Car Racing Success
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Since 1999, David has regularly raced in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). He drove for teams like Panoz and Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello. He won the Sebring 12-hour race in 2005. He has won a total of 23 ALMS events across different car classes. He was a two-time champion in the series, winning the LMP1 title in 2009 and the LMP title in 2010.
In 2003, David won his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also finished second at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans while driving for Bentley. From 2005, he raced Aston Martin DBR9 cars at Le Mans for four years. He won the GT1 class at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans and again at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans for Aston Martin Racing.
In 2009, David won the famous 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans race outright with his co-drivers Alexander Wurz and Marc Gené. They drove a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. This win meant he joined his older brother Geoff as a Le Mans winner. It also meant he joined his father and older brother as overall winners at Le Mans. David Brabham became only the fourth Australian driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Project Brabham
In 2014, David Brabham announced "Project Brabham." This was a new and exciting way to create a motor racing team. The goal was to involve the public and fans directly with the team. The project started by raising money through crowdfunding, where people could become part of the team.
The money raised helped build the first version of the Brabham-Digital website. It also helped create a plan to find investors. The project is still working to get the money needed to put a team on the track. Their aim is to join the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Brabham Automotive
In May 2018, David launched Brabham Automotive. This company's first car was the Brabham BT62. David drove this car in its first race at Brands Hatch in November 2019. He was joined by Will Powell. They won the race, which was an amazing first win for the Brabham BT62 and Brabham Automotive. After the race, David remembered his father's win at the 1966 British Grand Prix in a Brabham BT19.
Brabham Family in Racing
| Lisa Brabham (née Thackwell) | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Born | Lisa Thackwell 1964/1965 (age 59–61) |
| Years active | 1987–1994 |
David's two older brothers, Geoff and Gary, also became racing drivers. His wife, Lisa (who is the sister of Mike Thackwell), also raced cars. Now, his son Sam Brabham and nephew Matthew Brabham are racing in junior categories, continuing the family's racing legacy.
Lisa Brabham (born Lisa Thackwell) was born in New Zealand in 1976. She moved to Australia and then to England. She first drove a racing car, a Renault 5 Cup, when she was 21. She later raced in the Honda CRX Challenge and the British Rover GTi Championship. David and Lisa married in 1993. She stopped racing soon after 1994. They have two sons, Sam and Finn.
Images for kids
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Walk of fame - Le Mans, Handprints and signatures from the winners of the 2009 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
See also
In Spanish: David Brabham para niños
