Brabhams to drive iconic Brabham BT19 in Adelaide
Matthew Brabham at the wheel of the BT19 during the 2020 Superloop Adelaide 500 Repco Supercars event
The Brabham BT19 in which Sir Jack Brabham won the 1966 Formula 1 world championship will be driven by the three-time champion’s son David and grandson Sam at this weekend’s Adelaide Motorsport Festival.
The BT19 was described by the late Sir Jack Brabham as, “A beautiful car to drive actually, probably one of the best cars I ever had,” when he spoke with Speedcafe.com in 2010.
“Of course its results tell everything really. What more can you say about it? We won four or five Grands Prix and the Championship,” Sir Jack added.
The BT19 was designed by legendary Australian car designer Ron Tauranac for Brabham and made its debut on January 1, 1966, with its last Grand Prix Belgium in 1967.
“The significance of the Repco and Brabham partnership is a really important piece in the history of motorsport,” said Sam Brabham.
“Repco built the engines for the Brabham cars for a number of years, ultimately winning the Formula 1 world championship with Jack in his own car in 1966. It’s a feat that has never been done since, and in all likelihood, will never happen again.
“It’s going to be fantastic to not only have the BT19 on track, but to have my father [David] coming to drive it with me at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival is going to be really special.
PHOTOS: The world-championship winning Brabham BT19 at the 2020 Superloop 500.
The 2023 Adelaide Motorsport Festival will celebrate the Brabham team, commemorating the team’s 30-year history in Formula 1 as well as the 40th anniversary of its last Formula 1 drivers’ championship win, achieved by Nelson Piquet in 1983.
The iconic BT19 will be joined by the 1989 Brabham BT58 Judd, which was raced by Martin Brundle and Stefano Modena during the 1989 season, as well as the Brabham Formula 1 car, the BT60B, driven by drivers including Damon Hill in 1992.
Held in the Victoria Park section of the Adelaide Street Circuit on March 25-26, the Adelaide Motorsport Festival will also see Craig Lowndes and Valtteri Bottas among a number of high-profile drivers showcasing heritage race cars during the weekend.
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