Close racing with aspiring motorsport champions- Special livery celebrates father Sir Jack’s achievements
- Tribute to Australian engineering and excellence
Elite sports-car racer David Brabham has praised the fun and confidence-inspiring nature of Toyota’s 86 sports car after competing in the Toyota 86 Racing Series at Bathurst.
The Le Mans 24-Hour and Bathurst 1000 winner wound back his career clock three decades to his beginnings in a one-make racing series in Australia.
“You can tell by the smile on my face that I had a fantastic time – it was a lot of fun with plenty of action and really close racing,” Brabham said.
“Coming to Bathurst is always a thrill and the 86 is a nice car to drive, really forgiving. It was great to mix it with young guys who have an exciting career path ahead of them.”
Brabham gained multiple places in each of the three races, cutting through the field to finish 15th, ninth and seventh after a minor technical issue affected his qualifying.
Brabham chose to race at Bathurst with number 66 and the livery of his famous father Sir Jack who in 1966 became the only driver to win the Formula One world championship in a car of his own construction.
He said the special livery also paid tribute to Australian engineering and excellence with Sir Jack’s car being Australian-designed with an Australian-built engine and an Australian driver.
“They took on the world and they beat them… I think that is a bit of history that needs to be celebrated,” he said.
In 1992, Toyota gave Brabham his first opportunity to compete in the famed Le Mans 24-Hour race and he has since carved out his own legacy befitting the Brabham name.
Among the highlights of an illustrious motorsport career, he won at Le Mans in 2009 – one of only four Australians to taste victory in the famous endurance classic.
Brabham won the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in its Super Touring era.
Toyota 86 Racing Series
The Toyota 86 Racing Series is designed to provide an entry point and training ground for up-and-coming drivers, offering a confirmed prize pool of $125,000.
Open to variants of Toyota’s cult-classic sports car, the series is part of the support program at selected rounds of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
In 2017 the Toyota 86 Racing Series is being run over five events: Phillip Island 500 (April 21-23), Townsville 400 (July 7-9), Sydney SuperSprint (August 18-20), Bathurst 1000 (October 5-8) and Newcastle 500 (November 24-26).
