Being Jack: Brabham track test

Jack Brabham, through the eyes of three of his most important cars. Dickie Meaden and Black Jack's son David drive the BT7, BT24 and BT33 for what is a very special track test.
Plus David looks back on his Formula 1 world champion father and what it took to race the cars to Grand Prix victory during F1's most dangerous era.

[@sanjursan]

In 1967 at the Canadian GP at Mosport I had the distinct honor of having a deep conversation with Mr. Brabham on Saturday after qualifying; he was still in his racing coveralls coming down the stairs from the stewards tower. Me: "Good luck tomorrow Mr. Brabham." Brabham: Shy smile and a silent nod of "thank you." He was a man of few words but his warm eye contact and tender recognition recognition of a young teen aged fan is long remembered.

[@ozmark]

This is excellent, thank you. Jack deserves the recognition he sometimes doesn't get, a true legend.

[@frankiedogturner1516]

There is an article that lists the greatest unbeatable records of all time. Jack Brabham winning the world championship and the world manufacturing championship in the same year is near the top of the list.

[@jimiverson3085]

At some level, Brabham's real mastery may have been running a racing business. The F1 cars were almost an advertisement to sell F3 and Junior cars which were produced in volume. He was also willing to shift to the background when he had another top-tier driver with the team, letting Gurney, Hulme and Ickx take the spotlight when they drove for him. But right up until his retirement, he could always step in and win races when needed.

[@Quadrant14]

I saw Jack race a Group C Porsche 956 {think it was, not a 962} at Sandown Race Track in Melbourne Australia in 1984, the race that gave a young Stefan Bellof his World title, Jack wore no gloves driving this high ground effect Rothmans Porsche, amazing and he was in his 50's

[@volt7cooltangs701]

Jeez Jack, what a bloody legend you were mate. Straight outta Surbiton and Chessington, NE Surrey / SW London via NSW Oz. Triple F1 world Champion. Raced and won in his own cars when he was 44 in 1970. Jack Brabham , an all time great.

[@lifelongbachelor3651]

the great sir jack brabham. a national treasure.

[@probablygraham]

I was at the British Grand Prix in 1970 when Jack ran out of fuel coming up to the last corner and Jochen Rindt won. It was the first Grand Prix I ever went to but I'll never forget that day.

[@lwoodt1]

My favorite era of F1

[@scotthecarnerd1995]

The 60s and 70s in terms of Motorsport was truly a Fabulous time

[@nnoddy8161]

Great stuff. Couple of things. As an Australian Black Jack is an absolute legend. - Ron Tauranac does not get the recognition he deserves (he is 97?). He co designed and built the Brabham cars, hence the 'T' in the 'BT' designation. His career at Brabham and later at RALT has been completely underestimated. - the REPCO engine - won in '66 and '67 and beat the DFV in '67. Based on a production engine block. Great Australian innovation that beat the best in the world. Please do something on Ron - no one deserves it more!

[@adriancole3165]

Said it all. Champion driver, engineer, genius.

[@Dave.S.TT600]

perfect tone and pitch. Great video of a great man. Well done

[@daveferguson9541]

Very, very classy piece. Thank you for this.

[@vs800rider]

Without doubt the most underrated driver and builder in F1 history. Clearly the inspiration and role model for Dan Gurney. Thanks for the post.

[@twillis449]

First, amazing that he survived an era where so many drivers didn't. I watched Denny Hulme win the 1967 German GP in the BT24. The BT24 was so reliable, compared to the rival Lotus 49 - that's what got Denny the championship. I also remember Jack putting the BT33 into the hay bales at the last corner of the 1970 Monaco GP.. That was one of the first, maybe the first, European race, presented in close to real-time in the US on ABC.

[@brucelamberton8819]

A VERY good documentary - thank you! When the greats of F1 are discussed, too many times "experts" overlook Sir Jack Brabham and do not give his achievements the recognition they deserve. BTW the BT24 - drop dead gorgeous!

[@hedusoto6076]

i always wanted to know more about Jack. Thank you for this video.

[@sanjursan]

Note Jimmy Clark's standing start from the grid at 2:08. In those years, there was simply no one better than Jimmy at any aspect of the game, including being very gentle with the equipment. Chapman was indeed lucky to have him.

[@gavinivers8941]

Jack Brabham comes from a time when drivers got their hands dirty and worked on theirs cars, not like now...

[@matgee8892]

Yes but also from a time where a person with average mechanical knowledge would understand an F1 car. If you stuck a lot of the drivers from that era under the hood of a modern F1 car i think they would struggle. You only needed a car, trailer and a couple of mates to go racing back then but now its a 10 man operation just to start an engine.

[@stephenscholes4758]

Pretty sure the average Briton working on Austin A50's in the 1960's would have been exasperated looking at the 1960's Honda F1 V12 or BRM H16. F1 racing was fully professional by the 1960's, in fact, most top line drivers themselves were professional even before WWII. Surtees talks about have divided mechanics at Ferrari in early '60s, his opposed to the other drivers' - like now. Brabham was much smaller but even then they would have had 6-8 full-time employees (with 20+ more building engines in Australia at Repco) - and a large transporter. You could have made the grid with mates but you would have spent lots and lots (the cost of a DFV V8 in the late '60s would have bought you a nice Sydney house) to come near last

[@gernotschmidt7381]

Jim Clark never got his hands dirty! He wasn't able to change a wheel on a street car, as a friend said. But he was able to describe how the car worked.

[@AirsoftReviewArgentina]

Fangio was actually a mechanic before he became F1 driver!

[@tomekk503]

Mat Gee like everyone else. Made design, engine all foreigner. Same for game, toys, house, material home object all made in Shita exported for lower cost. That for me pollute more than being still expanseve like Tommy Hilfiger made in all asian.

[@ezras4216]

Wow!! It was such a joy and great pleassure to watch this fim!! 💥 JACK WAS REALLY SUCH A BIG LEGEND - THAT NO ONE WOULD EVER SURPASS!! 🏆 Many Thanks for producing this great documentation!! 🙏💝💖

[@thomaselliott573]

A fitting tribute to a very very rare man.

[@hypercomms2001]

As a teenager in Australia, I remember going to his house in Cotham Road Kew, that used to be opposite Saint George's hospital. In the time of the cultural cringe that we Australians had at that time, we were very proud, and still are of Jack Brabham. Yet in my case I am now 60 years old, but I am not sure if he is well remembered by the younger generation now. This short documentary helps keep that memory of great Australian engineers and drivers, The left the field guys such as Ben Lexcen, who could come out of nowhere and beat the best.

[@arconeagain]

My dad grew up there, didn't know Jack's house was on Cotham Rd.

[@lifelongbachelor3651]

the younger generation is full of dolts.

[@independentcontractor1633]

Thank you Dickie! I was a boy at Watkins Glen in the late sixties and was fortunate enough to see Brabham Cars and Sir jack in action! Superb video about an amazing man and the company/ legacy he created! thank you again!

[@kevharper1378]

As a kid we rode our bikes up to Jack Brabham Motors, a ford dealership in Bankstown NSW. I got to sit in the 1966 championship winning car in pride of place in the showroom. Only the once though, Jack was nice about it the one time but not indulgent. There was always other race cars in the workshop as well.

[@andymckee53]

Great video. Well done to Dickie Meaden for treating this subject with such care and knowledge. I was lucky enough to see Black Jack at Goodwood FOS one year, he was quick even then.

[@guillermohoffmann8417]

Great documental about the great Old Jack!...My hero Carlos Reutemann debuted driving the BT33 in 1971 race of Champion at Brands... the sad day we lost Sepi Siffert!

[@Miatacrosser]

I saw Jo Siffert race at Laguna Seca in the Can-Am race just before this race on Oct. 17. He finished 5th in a Porsche 917/10. I was very sad to learn he died. I very much enjoyed reading Rob Walker's stories about the Grand Prixs in R&T which Seppi was a huge part of. Became a real fan especially since Lotus was my favorite team and Rob always used a slightly older model(48?)or Lotus customer cars. I miss those days but not the carnage.

[@furyofbongos]

Jack lived to a ripe 88 years old. Good on ya mate!

[@Miatacrosser]

And I just became the 888th like on this vid.

[@1972juankarlos]

Beautiful piece of history, one of the greatest engineers and drivers of all time. I would love the 2019 F1 cars have that incredible engine sound of the BT7

[@Miatacrosser]

I'd settle for the 33 myself. That's the number of rock music which that car does.

[@thethirdman225]

People forget that Jack Brabham had been a speedway driver in the mid-50s and knew absolutely how to throw a car around and even with the spectre of so many drivers not surviving, he didn’t stop doing it. He was always a ‘tail out’ guy. Even in 1970, he was well on the pace and should have won both the Monaco and British Grands Prix, but for last corner malfunctions - a crash at Monaco and running out of fuel at Brands. Perhaps his luck was running out but even a little measure of it would have changed the championship considerably.

[@davidporeilly1]

Loved it! Touching to have the great Jack Brabhams son involved. Nice one people. Thanks.

[@sueneilson896]

Jacks active ground effect car that decimated the F1 field before it was banned should have rated a mention here. Superb innovation.

[@MyFlightTV1]

Beautiful job! What a legend he was. Thanks for making and sharing this. :-)

[@AngusDalziel999]

Thank you for this fine video. I followed motor racing in those days. Jack was at the very top and is one of the greatest ever.

[@scottrichards1406]

Brilliant! I could watch stuff like this all day long.

[@Zkoon]

Wow, absolutely amazing video. Thanks!

[@LeBator]

An excellent tribute. Well done and thanks.

[@Jellybeantiger]

The sixties,best,proud Aussie of Jack and Alan and also Mark and Dan.

[@mikefry6765]

Great film I was lucky enough to meet the great man in Adelaide a decade or so ago 👍

[@TheFokker03]

3 great Brabham cars,from probably motor racing's greatest era.

[@carlosaugusto3998]

E triste acaba grande equipe a brabham da F1 de 1962 1992 ,,,faser falta ,,,era fã carlos

[@johnhanaly2943]

It's so funny how as humans we love to talk too much and express opinions and listen to opinions too much as we totally miss the point as if to spite the nose on our face. I've watched videos about drivers all day long and now it's 10 pm. I'm concluding that Jack Brabham must actually be the greatest driver of all time since he essentially comes across most humbly while obviously having done the most. In other words, considering how blind we really are with all our yacking, of course he's the best, the whole time!

[@chrisauten2039]

That little 1.5l Coventry climax V8 sounds glorious!

[@fernandosfjr]

Brabham was the greatest of all.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Great racing history, a David and Goliath story for sure.

[@The9meister]

Sir Jack Brabham, icon, and genius

[@mitchellbayer-goldman702]

Great Sir Jack Brabham son video

[@roscius6204]

That first one is such a beautiful car

[@AirsoftReviewArgentina]

my goodness... the sound of these cars!

[@HighOnThunder]

Great stuff

[@forddriver8827]

Jack was a very much his own man. He never sought the traditional family life, that was really another distraction. His success was purely his own.

[@oligan___miniaturas]

Amazing!

[@kenurquhart2061]

I Had the pleasure of meeting and working on a Brabham in the 60.s the interim 2.7 4cylinder Climax powered car witch had too much torque for the Hewiand Box.The car purchased By Aldo Scribante for Dave Charlton after the Rand GP

[@roadmantop3769]

Amazing

[@philmissy1]

Brilliant.

[@animeonperseest]

God this channel is great

[@paulstark6818]

Priceless Gem

[@kenmatthews5759]

It's a shame there's no mention of Phil Irving, without whom there would have been no success!

[@pocketmnstr11]

Without trying to take accolades from others who were part of the"BRABHAM TEAM", it MUST be mentioned time and time again, that it was Jack Brabham's Team and without him none of this would have come together nor have been successful as it was, the different personnel would have gone to different teams with a whole lot more money, both for them and for what they wanted to achieve; so there's another string to jack Brabham's bow, "his ability to sell his main idea to the best (as he saw them, engineers, mechanics and those who were good at everything, from suspension to the almost exact opposite as in cooling of different systems of the car, in other words jack of all trades but master of none". He will always be know as the Aussie, who went to England to see what real racing in Britain was all about, he wanted to see for himself how well the races were in Great Britain and the remainder of the European Continent, as it had the heritage as being the HOME of MOTOR RACING in all of it's varieties; Having little or NO financial backing, Jack set about getting a team together on the idea of winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix Championship, he had a team, gained the lease of a very small garage and tools needed to make the parts that hadn't been mass produced as they hadn't even been thought about before his time, went days without sleep to design the vehicle he felt worthy of spending the last of his sponsorship money and all private money he had or could borrow from friends and those who had similar ideas. He then set about producing a F1 car that was very crude in the beginning, but capable of racing which in turn went on to become the car that was to win Jack the World Championship in 1959, 1960 and finally 1966 and Denny Hulme (N.Z.) in 1967, when he pipped Jack Brahbam in what would have been his 4th World Champioship, at ;least he was a New Zealander and a driver for BRABHAM REPCO.

[@anidiotinaracingcar4874]

Amazing cars

[@peterf1]

I know it sounds like the thing a geezer like myself likes to yack on about, but Jack Brabham isn't appreciated. Meaden says it, during the test of the BT33, but Jack at age 44 in his last season, wins the first race of the year, puts it on pole the next, nearly wins Monaco... all while running his own team. That's 11 years after winning his first of three WDCs.

[@doucenuit492]

Pour conduire la bt 24 il fallait en avoir dans le pantalon. Je l'ai testé sur 2 simulateur différent un vrai plaisir 😊 sauf les freins bien sûr

[@digigarb]

Legend

[@Miatacrosser]

Or maybe, David, he was called Black Jack for no other reason than it RHYMED

[@pbainbridge]

Go son.

[@bruceboembeke2088]

would love to hear the REPCO.. without the chat... without the background music. then - yes, ALL DAY. otherwise thank you for posting this -

[@har234908234]

Thinking of all the drivers who've been told they only won because they had the best car...

[@simaosilva7508]

In love.

[@regenmeister9646]

Brabham, Brabham, Brabham, ... all you hear is Jack Brabham, people forget, without Ron Tauranac, there would not have been a Jack Brabham Triple World Champion

[@sugarnads]

Who took rt to europe? Brabham. Who STARTED the team? Brabham. Who paid for all of it? Brabham.

[@stephenfasick5839]

Pardon me I forget to mention Lewey boy with his dreads and jewelry 💍💎

[@Just_lift_anyone]

Are those gloves inside-out like Senna's ? :)

[@ikeike2]

Look at the car good, I drove a Formula Ford 1600 from 1978-1984. The FF copied this car, a cheaper, basically less everything. Less HP, Hewland gear box, similar suspension, slicks, weight, not a mono body, body shape, etc.

[@pzeus11]

the advert for specialized is just bad

[@Triumphs1962]

Many of the F1 drivers of today are a very spoiled and pampered lot. Next F1 race just listen to some of the bantering going on between Lewis Hamilton and his crew chief. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the umbrella holders, GEEEEEZ!!!

[@caribman10]

Rather than whingeing about it, might I suggest to Motor Sport that it would be more enthusiast friendly if they'd provide a version WITHOUT that "dramatic" music playing in the background, please.

[@su5119]

I prefer professional race drivers to do test drives. Their descriptions of the car use technical experience and skill verbiage rather then already known history. The "gee wizz" drivers don't have the experience of a Jackie Ickx, Jackie Stewart, and many others. This guy may as well be talking to a 4th grade class. Like Jason below, " God if you're not talking all over the Repco V8 you're playing bloody music over the top of it". Blood Hell!!!

[@flyingdutchy01]

This whole video feels like a Coldplay song an no that's not a compliment.

[@johnlloyd2390]

And you're an ignorant clod with no knowledge of history, which is not a compliment, either.

[@nikolatesla7983]

You run lot of closes from same angle....and nothing properly from the car in the track.....we do not want to see driver head....or wahtever.....15 seconds of the car properly runing....

[@sugarnads]

Maybe they have to be careful whre to mount the cams??

[@jasonmcmillan4373]

God if you're not talking all over the Repco V8 you're playing bloody music over the top of it! A rare chance for us to hear the Repco V8 completely ruined. Thumbs down.

[@su5119]

This guy is a wanker or possibly a yob but definitely should go back to parking cars or McDonalds. He says, " It blows my mind". I don't think it would take much to do that. I met David Brabham at Le mans when racing LMP for Panoz. Great guy. Was upset they Panoz designated Andretti as 3rd driver. Everytime Mario return to the pits the car was hot and smoking. They finished 4th behind Audi 1, 2 & 3.

[@WendelRLima]

very best very best to than Enzo FIARRAI mafiosi