Jack Brabham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Jack Brabham
AO OBE

Brabham in 1966, the year of his final world championship
Born	John Arthur Brabham (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia
Died	19 May 2014(2014-05-19) (aged 88) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Australian
Active years	1955–1970
Teams	Cooper, Rob Walker Racing Team and Brabham
Entries	128 (126 starts)
Championships	3 (1959, 1960, 1966)
Wins	14
Podiums	31
Career points	253 (261)
Pole positions	13
Fastest laps	12
First entry	1955 British Grand Prix
First win	1959 Monaco Grand Prix
Last win	1970 South African Grand Prix
Last entry	1970 Mexican Grand Prix

Sir Jack Brabham (born John Arthur Brabham; April 2, 1926 – May 19, 2014) was an amazing Australian racing driver. He became a Formula One World Champion three times: in 1959, 1960, and 1966. Jack Brabham also started his own racing team and built his own race cars, which were called Brabham cars. He was a true legend in the world of motorsport!

Early Life and Mechanical Skills

Jack Brabham was born in Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia. From a very young age, he loved cars and how they worked. When he was just 12, he learned to drive his family's car and his dad's grocery trucks. He went to technical college to study metalwork, carpentry, and drawing.

At 15, Jack left school to work. He had a job at a local garage and took evening classes in mechanical engineering. Soon, he started his own business. He bought and fixed up motorbikes to sell them, using his parents' back porch as his workshop.

After his 18th birthday, Jack joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He wanted to be a pilot, but the Air Force needed mechanics more. So, he used his skills to maintain Bristol Beaufighter planes. After leaving the RAAF, he opened a small business. He fixed cars and made machine parts.

Starting His Racing Journey

A midget car similar to those driven by Brabham

Jack started racing because a friend, Johnny Schonberg, asked him to watch a midget car race. These were small, open-wheel cars that raced on dirt tracks. Jack thought the drivers were "lunatics," but he agreed to build a car with Johnny.

Johnny first drove the car, which Jack had built with a special motorcycle engine. In 1948, Johnny's wife convinced him to stop racing. Jack then took over the driving. He quickly found he was very good at it! He won his third race. Jack became a regular winner in midget car races across Australia.

In 1951, Jack became interested in road racing, which is racing on paved tracks. He bought and changed several racing cars from the Cooper Car Company in Britain. From 1953, he focused on this type of racing. He won many races in Australia and New Zealand. During this time, he got the nickname "Black Jack." This might have been because of his dark hair, his tough racing style, or because he was often quiet. After a race in 1954, he was encouraged to try racing in Europe.

Becoming a Formula One Champion

In Europe, Jack joined the Cooper Car Company's racing team. He helped design and build cars, as well as race them. He played a big part in creating the mid-engined cars that Cooper used in Formula One races. These cars had their engines in the middle, which was a new idea then.

Jack won the Formula One World Championship in 1959 and 1960 with Cooper. In 1962, he started his own company, Brabham, with fellow Australian Ron Tauranac. In the 1960s, Brabham became the biggest maker of racing cars for other teams.

At the 1966 French Grand Prix, Jack won his first Formula One race since 1960. This was special because he won in a car he had built himself! He was the first person to do this. Jack was 40 years old, and some people in the news talked about his age. To make a point, at the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix, he jokingly walked to his car with a fake beard and a cane. Then, he went on to win the race! Jack won his third championship at the 1966 Italian Grand Prix. He is the only driver to win the Formula One World Championship in a car that had his own name.

Jack Brabham stopped racing after the 1970 Formula One season. He moved back to Australia and bought a farm.

Life After Racing

Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss shaking hands at the 2004 Goodwood Revival meeting.

After retiring, Jack Brabham stayed involved in business. He had an aviation company and car dealerships in the UK and Australia. In 1971, he also started a company called Engine Developments Ltd. This company builds engines for racing cars.

Even though he won three world titles, some people don't always list Jack among the top 10 drivers of all time. However, many who raced against him, like John Cooper, thought he was "the greatest." In 1978, Jack Brabham was made a knight for his great work in motorsport. This was a very special honor.

Many other things have been named after him. In 2011, a suburb in Perth, Western Australia, was named Brabham. A race track and a car training school were also named after him.

Brabham at the Classic Adelaide rally in 2002.

Jack continued to attend motorsport events even after he retired. He often drove his old Cooper and Brabham cars until the early 2000s. In 1999, at age 73, he said that driving helped him stay young!

Family and Legacy

Jack Brabham had three sons with his first wife, Betty: Geoff, Gary, and David. All three sons became involved in motorsport, with their father's help. They won many races and championships. Geoff won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and David also won Le Mans. Jack's grandson, Matthew (Geoff's son), also became a successful racer. Another grandson, Sam, started car racing in 2013. The Brabham family has been a part of world-class motorsport for over 60 years!

Jack and Betty divorced in 1994. He married his second wife, Margaret, in 1995. They lived on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Death

Jack Brabham passed away at his home on the Gold Coast on May 19, 2014. He was 88 years old and had been battling liver disease. He was the last surviving world champion from the 1950s era of Formula One.

As he wished, his ashes were scattered by his wife at the Tamborine Mountain Skywalk in Queensland, Australia. Jack often visited the Skywalk.

Honours and Awards

• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE; 1966)
• Australian of the Year (1966)
• Knight Bachelor (1979)
• Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (1985, became a Legend in 2003)
• Australian Sports Medal (2000)
• Centenary Medal (2001)
• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO; 2008)
• Inducted into the Australian Speedway Hall of Fame (2011)
• Named a National Living Treasure (2012)

Racing Record Summary

Career summary

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Indicates shared drive with Mike MacDowel

† Indicates Formula 2 car

Images for kids

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  A rear-engined T51 of the type Brabham used to win his first world championship

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  Brabham at the 1965 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

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  Brabham after winning the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

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  Brabham BT18-Honda of the type with which Jack Brabham dominated Formula Two in 1966

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  Brabham in the car before the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

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  Brabham in his Brabham BT33 at the 1970 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

See also

In Spanish: Jack Brabham para niños