Brabham, the Bradman of motorsport

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GIANTS of the international racing community were reeling on Monday at the news of the death of Australian racing legend Sir Jack Brabham, whose name became synonymous with the Formula One format in its golden era of the 50s and 60s.

Brabham, who at 88 was the oldest living Formula One world champion after taking his titles in 1959-1960-1966, died suddenly at his home on the Gold Coast.

But the affable veteran of 126 Grand Prix with 14 wins was much more than just a racing driver.

He was a hugely talented engineer, a successful businessman, a talent spotter and a committed and passionate father and grandfather.

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He was also an old-school Aussie who came up the hard way, conquered the world, then relaxed into old age as a genuine statesman.

Brabham was deaf from his years of racing without earplugs and had suffered from failing health for more than a decade, having regular dialysis for eight years, but expired while having breakfast with his second wife, Lady Margaret.

Mark Webber credits Sir Jack as the inspiration for his drive to the top of Formula One and there are plenty of other successful people in motorsport who looked up to him.

"He was a great guy and, looking back on what he achieved, it was just amazing," said Mick Doohan, a five-time world motorcycle champion.

"I feel honoured to have enjoyed Sir Jack's company and expertise many times in my career. He always had time and a good story," said James Courtney, a V8 Supercar champion who was also an F1 test driver with the Jaguar team.

But it is not just drivers mourning the passing of the racer known as 'Black Jack', because of his stubble.

"Build them, race them, win them. We will never see another like the great Sir Jack Brabham," tweeted Eric Bana, the actor who also dabbles in racing.

Jack Brabham wins "The Mercury" Classic at Longford. Picture: Don Towell Source: Supplied

A former air force mechanic, Brabham learned his trade in dirt track racing in Sydney and then headed for Britain, where he cracked a job and a drive with the Cooper team in Formula One. His sliding sideways style and his take-no-prisoners attitude quickly took him to the front.

It helped that he was leading a transition to rear-engined racing cars, a challenge that allowed him to dip into his engineering background. But an exhausted Brabham also had to push his car over the line to claim the title in 1959 after a mechanic failed to fill it up for the deciding race at Sebring in Florida.

He repeated as champion in 1960 before leaving Cooper to set up his own team with technical guru and fellow Aussie Ron Tauranac, who is now retired in Sydney.

Sir Jack Brabham at Silverstone in 1961. Source: Supplied

Ahead of the 1966 season he convinced the Australian engineering company Repco to supply him with a locally-developed V8 engine and the combination became a world beater. Brabham was champion again, the only driver to achieve the feat in a car bearing their own name, and his teammate Denny Hulme repeated the dose in 1967.

Brabham joked about his advancing years and even wore a fake beard as he raced into his 40s in Europe, but was still a championship contender and race winner until his final F1 season in 1970. He was also the first man to be knighted for his success in motorsport.

He returned to Australia after his retirement, where he had set up a Ford dealership in Sydney as one of his business ventures, as his sons began to make their mark in racing.

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Geoffrey narrowly missed graduation to F1 but won the Le Mans 24-hour race and starred at the Indianapolis 500 — where his father drove the first rear-engined car in 1961. Gary was also a race winner and David, the youngest son of Brabham and his first wife Betty, had a short run in F1, is still a regular guest driver in V8 Supercars and has won Le Mans and multiple sports car titles.

The third generation of Brabham racers is now making their mark, with Matthew — son of Geoff — scoring multiple junior championships in the USA and aiming for the Grand Prix grid and Sam — son of David and Lisa in the UK — recently scoring his first win in the British Formula Ford championship.

Sir Jack Brabham with David Brabham at a tribute dinner. Source: News Limited

Tributes flowed for Brabham, who is likely to be honoured with a state funeral. Among those leading the applause are Ron Dennis, once Brabham's mechanic and now the boss of the mighty F1 McLaren team.

"Even as a callow youth, I could recognise greatness when I saw it, and I'll always regard it as an honour and a privilege to have worked for Sir Jack. I learned a lot from him too," Dennis said.

Alan Jones, the only other Australian to win a Formula One world championship in 1980, is an obvious fan.

"He is not only the greatest driver this country has produced, but is one of the world's best," said Jones. "He is up there with Sir Donald Bradman."

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