David Brabham
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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (June 2009) |
 David Brabham in 2007 |
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| Born | 5 September 1965 |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Active years | 1990, 1994 |
| Teams | Brabham, Simtek |
| Races | 30 (24 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1990 San Marino Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1994 Australian Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Participating years | 1993, 1996 - |
| 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 |
| Best finish | 1st (2009) |
| Class wins | 3 (2007, 2008, 2009) |
David Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have won the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race, winning the event in 2009. Brabham is the reigning American Le Mans Series champion and also won the title in 2009. He also competed in Formula One, racing for the Brabham and Simtek teams in 1990 and 1994 respectively. David is the youngest son of three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jack Brabham.
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[edit] Early life
Brabham, who was born in Wimbledon, London, spent his childhood in Australia. Despite his father's motor racing fame he took little interest in motor racing until after he left school. As a child he played the more accessible sport of soccer up until the age of twelve and then took up Australian rules football when the family moved to Sydney. Growing up, Sir Jack did not force David into racing, and it was only after discovering go-karts at 17, that he became enthusiastic enough to purchase a second-hand go-kart with his next-door neighbour and begin racing.
[edit] Motor racing career
[edit] Early career
Brabham's professional racing career began in Australia in 1983, racing karts for two years, after which he moved into the Ford Laser "one make" series for 1985. In 1986 he switched to Formula Ford 1600 and subsequently to Australian Formula 2, winning the 1987 Australian Drivers' Championship in that category. He also competed in the New Zealand Formula Atlantic series, the American Formula Atlantic series and in the South American Formula 3 Championship during the 1987 season.[1] A move from Australia to Europe under sponsorship from Camel in 1989 saw him joining the Bowman team and winning the British Formula Three Championship.
[edit] Formula One career
Brabham's break into Formula One with the Brabham team met with little success. In 14 races he only managed to qualify the uncompetitive Judd-engined car six times. This led to him being replaced at the end of the season. Brabham joined the Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar team in 1991 and also in that year won the Spa 24 Hours for Nissan. Brabham won the 24 Hours of Daytona for Jaguar in 1992.
Brabham returned to Formula One in 1994 with the under-funded Simtek team who suffered the blow of the death of Roland Ratzenberger whilst in qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix. Traditionally the other team driver would withdraw in such a situation, but seeing the demoralisation around him, Brabham decided to race on, only to crash out after a suspension failure of his own. In Ratzenberger's memory the team made a collective decision to see out the season.
[edit] Touring Cars
Brabham quit Formula One at the end of that year to begin touring car racing. 1995 in a BTCC BMW was not a success, but subsequent successes included winning the 1996 JGTC GT500 championship in McLaren F1 GTR (so far the only non-Japanese team car to win this), and the Bathurst 1000 in its Supertouring era in 1997 with brother Geoff.
He won the Professional Sports Car Championship in the United States with the Panoz racing team in 1998, and the 1999 Petit Le Mans race also with Panoz.
[edit] GT racing
Brabham joined Sumo Power GT for the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship, teaming with Jamie Campbell-Walter in a Nissan GT-R. The duo finished 10th in the driver's championship. He will join the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2012, driving a McLaren MP4-12C for United Autosports.
[edit] Le Mans racing
Since 1999 he has been a regular in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), having raced for teams such as Panoz and Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello; he currently races an Acura ARX-02 for Highcroft Racing. He won the Sebring 12-hour race in 2005. In Australia, he has contested the Bathurst 24 Hour race and continued to make occasional appearances in the Bathurst 1000.
Brabham has won a total of 23 ALMS events across all 4 classes in the series. He is a two-time champion in the series, winning the LMP1 title in 2009 and LMP title in 2010.
In 2003 Brabham finished 2nd at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans driving for Bentley. In 2005 he started the first of 4 consecutive Le Mans starts racing Aston Martin DBR9's. He finished 9th overall and 3rd in the GT1 Class for Aston Martin Racing. At the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans, Brabham scored a 4th in the GT1 category (9th overall) driving for Russian Age Racing. Brabham won the GT1 class of the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans and again in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a for Aston Martin Racing. Driving for Peugeot, he won the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans outright with co-drivers Alexander Wurz and Marc Gene.
Brabham won the 2009 and 2010 American Le Mans Series LMP championship, driving for Highcroft Racing. For 2012, he will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship in a JRM Racing Honda Performance Development ARX-03a.
[edit] Family
Brabham's two older brothers Geoff and Gary also pursued motor racing careers. His wife Lisa (sister of Mike Thackwell) also raced and his nephew Matthew Brabham now races in junior Formulae.
[edit] Racing record
[edit] Career summary
[edit] Complete Formula One results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT59 | Judd V8 | USA |
BRA |
SMR DNQ |
MON Ret |
CAN DNQ |
MEX Ret |
FRA 15 |
GBR DNQ |
GER Ret |
HUN DNQ |
BEL Ret |
ITA DNQ |
POR Ret |
ESP DNQ |
JPN Ret |
AUS Ret |
NC | 0 |
| 1994 | MTV Simtek Ford | Simtek S941 | Ford V8 | BRA 12 |
PAC Ret |
SMR Ret |
MON Ret |
ESP 10 |
CAN 14 |
FRA Ret |
GBR 15 |
GER Ret |
HUN 11 |
BEL Ret |
ITA Ret |
POR Ret |
EUR Ret |
JPN 12 |
AUS Ret |
NC | 0 |
[edit] Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Roni Motorsport | VAL 7 |
PAU 7 |
JER 11 |
MUG 9 |
PER |
HOC |
BRH |
SPA |
BUG |
NOG |
NC | 0 |
[edit] Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | BMW Motorsport Team | BMW 318i | DON 1 12 |
DON 2 12 |
BHI 1 4 |
BHI 2 6 |
THR 1 5 |
THR 2 Ret |
SIL 1 8 |
SIL 2 11 |
OUL 1 10 |
OUL 2 8 |
BHGP 1 Ret |
BHGP 2 10 |
DON 1 11 |
DON 2 11 |
SIL 7 |
KNO 1 DNS |
KNO 2 4 |
BHI 1 Ret |
BHI 2 Ret |
SNE 1 16 |
SNE 2 17 |
OUL 1 11 |
OUL 2 Ret |
SIL 1 9 |
SIL 2 Ret |
13th | 48 |
[edit] Complete GT1 World Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sumo Power GT | Nissan | ABU QR 8 |
ABU CR 9 |
ZOL QR 11 |
ZOL CR Ret |
ALG QR 3 |
ALG CR 3 |
SAC QR 8 |
SAC CR 5 |
SIL QR Ret |
SIL CR Ret |
NAV QR 4 |
NAV CR 3 |
PRI QR 9 |
PRI CR 4 |
ORD QR 3 |
ORD CR 7 |
BEI QR 11 |
BEI CR 8 |
SAN QR 7 |
SAN CR Ret |
10th | 75 |
[edit] 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit] References
- ^ David Brabham Driver Biography Retrieved from fiagt.com on 19 August 2008
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Year, 1986/87, page 55
- ^ Australian 'Driver to Europe' Series Retrieved from Formula Ford Australia 20 August 2008
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Brabham |
- David Brabham's official website
- Interactive David Brabham Statistics - compare David with other F1 drivers
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- 1965 births
- Living people
- Brabham family
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Atlantic Championship drivers
- Australian Formula One drivers
- Australian racing drivers
- Bathurst 1000 winners
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- British Touring Car Championship drivers
- FIA GT Championship drivers
- International Formula 3000 drivers
- Racing drivers from New South Wales
- Sportspeople from Sydney
- American Le Mans Series drivers
- European Le Mans Series drivers
- V8 Supercar drivers
- FIA GT1 World Championship drivers
- Australian Formula 2 Championship drivers
