Mystery Monday: David Brabham – I’m working flat out to bring the Brabham Name Back To International Racing

And the legacy that my father, Sir Jack, created with his three Formula 1 titles, the third in a car bearing his own name, is too important to ignore. Long after Dad stopped racing, the Brabham name continued at the forefront of racing. To date, Brabham has racked up 35 Grand Prix wins, courtesy of Dan Gurney, my father, Denny Hulme, Jacky Ickx, Carlos Reutemann, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese between 1964 and 1985, as well as four drivers’ championships and two constructors’ titles. Understandably, I’m very proud of that.

Brabham is such a strong name that I thought we could do something with it. Little did I know that the trademarks ‘Brabham’ and ‘Brabham Racing’ were being used by somebody in Germany. And that led to a seven-year legal battle to recapture our family name.

Once that little nightmare was over, I concentrated, with help from a brand expert, on who/what we were and where we could go with Project Brabham. We created a template, our own little brand bible if you like, with which we could say, ‘right, what do we do now?’ I’ve always felt that Brabham should be back in racing – we were quite good at it!

We decided to create Brabham Digital as a means of helping to generate interest in the name and, crucially raise funds for a return-to-racing project. In addition, we wanted to create a unique online experience for supporters, something that people can really feel part of. 

Securing money in motorsport is very difficult; the traditional methods of doing that are decreasing, while digital engagement is on the increase. Using a crowd-funding process, we raised £278,000 in a few weeks, against a target of £250,000, so it showed that people are still fond of the Brabham name and are keen to see it return. It also means that supporters are involved from the very beginning, joining us on the journey and having a say in some of the steps we take. Motorsport needs to be more accessible and we feel this way is a step in the right direction. The money raised so far has allowed us to create a platform for further marketing and, we hope, attracting partners and investors.

‘Where might I see the Brabham name competing?’ is a question I get asked a lot. We’re targeting the World Endurance Championship, which is going great guns. It has a global audience, great drivers and teams, both factory-blessed and privately run, so we think that would be a great fit. International sportscar racing is something we as a family have done pretty well in, too – Dad won the Nurburgring 1,000km with Stirling Moss for Aston Martin in 1958 and my brother Geoff and I both won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Peugeot – so there’s some history there.

Our aim is the LMP2 prototype class of the WEC, which is hugely competitive and features different chassis/engine combinations. We’re keen to see what market share we could get for our products.

Initially, we’ll probably start working with an established team to help us get going. We would consider a partnership, too. There are a number of options open to us. The key thing to remember, though, is that investors want low cost and high return. We believe we have a good business model and the early signs, particularly with the crowd-funding scheme and the launch of Brabham Digital (www.brabham-digital.com), have been very encouraging.

This project requires my full attention, so as far as driving’s concerned, let’s just say I’ve parked my career! I’m still involved with my old American Le Mans Series team-mate Scott Sharp and Extreme Speed Motorsports, who did a stunning double at Daytona and Sebring recently. I’ve also enjoyed dabbling in historic racing, most notably at Goodwood. Racing the rare Ginetta G10 at the recent 74^th Members’ Meeting was great fun and I hope to be back there for the Revival in September. Goodwood’s hugely significant to the Brabham family: my Dad and my brothers and I all had our very first test on UK soil at the Motor Circuit – in my case for Derek Bell Racing in Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1988 – so it’s a pretty poignant place.

Getting Project Brabham over the first few hurdles has been an interesting journey – one that’s not been done before – and I’m working flat out to secure the necessary backing to realise my ambition: seeing the Brabham name back in the sport that brought us so much success.

Images courtesy of LAT and Project Brabham