Brabham

Interesting facts

Brabham was founded by Australian racer Jack Brabham and fellow engineer Ron Tauranac in 1961 under the name Motor Racing Developments (MRD), and the team made its Formula One debut at the 1962 German Grand Prix. In 1966, Jack Brabham won the World Championship in a Repco-powered car bearing his own name - to this day, he remains the only driver ever to become champion in a car carrying his own name as a constructor. The team won back-to-back Constructors' Championships in 1966 and 1967, with teammate Denny Hulme taking the Drivers' title in the latter year. Over its history Brabham cycled through a string of engine partners - Climax, Repco, Ford, Alfa Romeo, and later BMW - and led the way on technical innovation, becoming the first Formula One team to use wind-tunnel development, in 1963. Bernie Ecclestone's 1971 takeover of the team opened a new era: under designer Gordon Murray, the team won two more titles with Nelson Piquet, in 1981 and 1983, the latter making Piquet the first turbo-powered World Champion. The team's famous 'fan car' won its sole outing in 1978 before regulators banned the concept; Brabham finally collapsed financially in 1992, after thirty seasons in Formula One. Brabham's Formula 1 history ran from 1962 to 1992, 22 seasons in total as a British team. The team scored a total of 590 constructors' championship points.