It seemed rather surreal meeting in a coffee shop just off the M40 but this proved to be an ideal and relaxed environment for me to meet David and a couple of hours flew past as he started to recall his memories and stories.
Although born in Wimbledon he is a native Australian. His father Sir Jack Brabham (F1 World Champion in 1959,1960 and 1966) was designing and racing cars on the world stage. Among his many accolades Sir Jack is the only person to design, build, race and win in his own Formula 1 car.
David recalls growing up in this environment
When I was five my father was one of the most famous people in the world and especially in our native Australia. Simple things like going shopping and restaurants turned into a bit of a media and public scrum. I failed to understand what all the fuss was about as to us he was Dad and part of our family. At times life was like being a goldfish bowl and we had to learn to deal with it.
Although my brothers Geoff and Gary started racing cars I had little initial interest in the sport. I left school at 16 and went to agricultural boarding school in Australia. There I learnt the basics of farming and even learnt how to identify the microns in wool so that I could grade the fleeces in sheep shearing season. I was seemed destined and content then to manage the family farm as my career.
Whilst working on the farm I learnt how to drive the vehicles quickly and to the limit having endless fun driving sideways on the outback gravel.
I started to gain an interest in motorsport in 1982 when I went to visit my brother in the US where he was developing a successful career in the IndyCar Series. I became interested in race strategy and although not a trained engineer I became fascinated by design and aerodynamics.
While I was in the USA I saw a Go Kart in a workshop where I brother was getting a seat fit done in a Can Am car, I had never seen one before and I didn’t even know people actually raced Go Karts. My mate Terry Guttler who lived next door and I made a Go Kart for the farm for some fun, but this racing Go Kart was something different. I came home and announced to my father I wanted to have a go in a Go Kart, his face went white.! Jack wasn’t helpful so my mate and I bought a kart and off we went for our first test. We got the kart in the back of the Ute and we were about to head off to our first test when dad knocked on the window and said I better come with you.!
My first race event I suffered one of my worst accidents. It was hot and safety clothing was non existent. I left the track, turned over and my jumper reeved up. The bare skin on my back was badly burned from the friction with the tarmac and the scars remain to this day. I used to play Aussie Rules football along side my karting but I broke my collarbone playing so I decided to stop playing .
After racing karts for two years David 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.
Although I never had a serious long term vision a route to Formula 1 would then of consisted in competing in F2, F3, F3000 and then F1. Drivers only entered F1 based on years of experience and this seemed a natural route for me over time.
1989 was a memorable year. I not only won the British F3 Championship I also won the acclaimed FIA F3 World Cup at the Macau Grand Prix, soundly beating fellow competitors such as Michael Schumacher, Mikka Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine, Alex Zinardi, Mika Salo and Gianni Morbidelli. I was testing a F3000 car with Middlebridge Racing, alongside Damon Hill, when the opportunity arose to drive in Formula. I declined this offer on the basis that I felt at the time that I was not fit enough to drive in F1 and I needed to gain more experience. However, the F3000 route quickly closed as Middlebridge, who brought the Brabham F1 team, had taken on running the Brabham BT59 Judd and wanted me as a driver. However, a tight budget meant that the car was never really competitive within the field making just qualifying the car for the race a real challenge and I could not really make my mark.
It was at this point that David’s illustrious career had its first taste of endurance racing
In 1991 I had the chance to drive in a XJR 15 in a dedicated series and I got myself on the radar of Tom Walkinshaw. After finishing 2nd at Monaco in the XJR15, I was asked to attend a test session driving the formidable purple Silk Cut sponsored XJR-14 which was the last car designed by Ross Brawn. After Monaco I phoned the team to ask details of the test session and was told it’s no good just testing the car if your not a works driver. I therefore assumed I was already part of the World Sports Car team!
In 1992 I received a call from Toyota inviting me to join the team for that year’s Le Mans. This was an incredible opportunity that I wanted to grab at all costs. However, it was not all plain sailing. Earlier in the year I competed in a local banger race in support of my wife’s sponsors. On the last lap I had a bad accident and suffered a whiplash injury. The ongoing problems left me being deaf in one ear and having problems with my overall balance. Not wanting to lose the Le Manas seat I continued, not letting on to anyone my symptoms. Also, I had never driven at Le Mans before and in the days before simulators or computer games I could not gain any initial track experience. My first drive stint was at night and it was wet and foggy. The conditions were tricky and I never got out of third gear on the first lap of the race as I could not see a thing, but I was not overtaken either.
In 1994 the opportunity arose to race for the Simtek F1 team. Imola that year was defining moment for many and David elaborates;
The whole weekend just seem an unfolding nightmare. Rubens Barrichello in the Jordan had a bad accident and then on the Saturday Roland (Ratzenburger) had that fateful crash. I passed the wreckage on my following lap and I knew then it was not good. Returning to the pits the team were asking for information and I could only relay what I saw. Later we heard the news that he had passed away and it hit everyone hard. I became numb as we tried to deal with the emotion and the media who were clamouring for information.
The decision to race the next day was given to myself. There was no pressure from the team or Bernie (Ecclestone). Roland had suffered a front wing failure so I was naturally concerned for my own safety. Nick Wirth (Technical Director) assured me that the revised design was strong by literally jumping up and down on it so as to demonstrate it would not break. I agreed to initially do the warm up lap and decide from there. I agreed to race only to support all my team who were naturally feeling awful. In the early laps my times were better than ever, which lifted everyone, although perhaps they sent me out on light tanks.
Of course, during the race itself we lost Senna to his accident and I remember passing the scene initially thinking it was a Tyrell that I gone off. Back in the pits I learnt it was Ayrton and it was not until we left the track that we heard he had passed away. When I returned home all the emotions fully came out.
In 1995 I joined the BMW Factory (Schnitzer Motorsport) team and was teammate to Jonny Cecotto. It was great to be part of the British Touring Car Series at this time driving alongside John Cleland, Paul Radisich, Derek Warwick, Rickard Rydell and Gabriele Tarquini. The BMW was not that competitive that year and we finished 13th overall.
On reflection 93,94 and 95 proved to be a run of poor results for me and my career at that time was at a crossroads. It was in 1996 that I got the opportunity to drive the legendary Mclaren GT1 car. The naturally aspirated V12 was great although you had to adapt your driving style because the weight of the engine made the back end feel heavy. Driving thered and grey livered Lark sponsored car was a great experience ultimately winning the All-Japan GT Championship.
During 1996 I had the offer to test and be part of the Joest-Porsche programme for Le Mans. It was a difficult decision to either commit to a one race programme or have the opportunity to have a full season programme in the McLaren. I chose the latter but of course the Joest-Porsche went onto win at Le Mans in 1997 and the team, over the years became subsumed into the Audi race program. The rest is history.
Whilst negotiating a 1997 team drive with McLaren I was approached by David Price to join the new Panoz GTR programme racing in both the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series. This relation with Panoz lasted 6 years. A programme that was a great favourite for both the drivers and fans alike.
I really enjoyed this project. The Panoz was an absolute brute of a car. It was as noisy inside the car as it was outside. The sound and the vibrations could be overwhelming and you did at times lose the will to live as it was just all consuming. They were 6 great years and I look back on that time with great fondness.
2003 saw a return to Bentley for David and the opportunity to drive the Bentley EXP Speed 8.
David recalls; At the end of 2002 I was let go by Panoz, which was a relief as the money dried up and the programme wasn’t looking good. I then reached out to John Wickham at Bentley to let him know I was available. I signed up and became part of a very special squad who ultimately won Le Mans that year. I was disappointed to finish second but great to have the opportunity to drive with Jonny (Herbert) and Mark (Blundell). Although the car used an Audi engine it was a brilliant bespoke design and a testament to British engineering.
In 2004 David drove again at Le mans this time in a Zytek
“My memory from Le Mans 2004 driving the Zytek 675 car was special because I drove the most incredible laps of my career.After the disappointment of finishing second at Le Mans in 2003 with Bentley I reinvented myself to be stronger, fitter and more focussed for 2004. In my hands was a Zytek 675, an LMP2 in today’s world, and it was fast. How fast at Le Mans we were not sure, but we were confident we’d be quickest in the 675 class.
In qualifying, I had one of those Lap of the God’s moments as I saw myself above the car just watching, a kind of different dimension. I was P11 overall until we bolted on a set of qualifying tyres, then the magic happened. I was in the zone and saw the lap in my mind before it begun. I was at one with the car as I flew through the corners as fast as it could go, as the 675’s were slow on the straights compared higher horsepower LMP1’s. To say I was on a mission was an understatement! I knew the car would not last in the race but we could do something special in qualifying.
The team were all waiting for me to cross the line and, when I did, there was utter silence. Why? Because my name disappeared and it took time for people to find me, they looked all the way up the list and there I was, P1 overall! I went for another lap and pinged a purple sector in sector 1 but then hit a wall of traffic. After Audi threw multiple sets of qualifying tyres at their R8s, I dropped to P3 overall and the next fastest of the 675 cars was 12th. The engine expired in the middle of the night….but what a moment….”It was also during 2003 when David was driving for Prodrive a Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello in the American Le Mans Series. This was at the time when Aston Martin were teaming up with David Richards at Prodrive to launch a new Sports car programme for Le Mans and the Global Endurance Championship with the DBR9.
It was through this link that David Richards approached me and I was the first second driver to be signed up for the Aston programme with Darren (Turner) being the first, I was also the first person to drive the DBR9 when we tested at Sebring in late 2004. We drove the car to breaking point and there were plenty of breakages meaning that parts needed to be redesigned and replaced. However, we won our class at the car’s debut in March 2005 at the 12 Hours of Sebring and it was great for me to bring the car over the finish line for that historic win. We then went onto to take a 1-2 finish at the RAC Tourist Trophy race at Silverstone in May.