Geoff Brabham stars in Indy Vintage Invitational

Former champion racer Geoff Brabham has returned straight back to the winner’s rostrum after coming out of a 15-year retirement.

The 64-year-old Brabham won the opening Group 2 feature race in the SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational on the Indianapolis road course.

Driving a Brabham BT35 Formula 3 car owned by Ron Hornig, Brabham took the 10-lap race by just under a second from Bruce Hamilton (BT36) with Hornig (BT35) third.

It was only the second time in his career that Brabham has driven a car constructed by his father, Sir Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac.

In the second race over eight laps, Hornig took the honours while Brabham only completed five laps.

Brabham was also involved in the shared driver Indy Legends Charity Vintage Pro/Am race where he shared a Cobra 427 with Richard Wall with the pair finishing 28th.

The 25-lap race was won by Robby Unser and Andre Ahrle in a Cobra from Max Papis and Curt Vogt with Paul Tracy and Gary Moore in third.

Brabham remains in Indianapolis where his 22-year-old son Matthew Brabham finished a gallant 22nd in the Pirtek Team Murray #61 Chevrolet in his rookie Indy 500 start last month.

The younger Brabham was also in action, sharing an older Indy Lights machine with Lee Brahin in a 90-minute endurance race where he finished third.

The elder Brabham had a distinguished career in the US through the 1980s and 1990s, winning four straight IMSA titles and an IndyCar career which included 10 starts in the Indy 500 for a best finish of fourth in 1983.