Speedcafe.com celebrates the extraordinary life of Sir Jack Brabham by publishing the legend’s last major sit-down interview in full for the first time.
Part 2 embraces Sir Jack’s memories of winning his second constructor’s championship with Kiwi Denny Hulme beating him to the title and his bond with Stirling Moss.
The following are excerpts and video from the four-part interview between Sir Jack and Speedcafe.com editor-in-chief Gordon Lomas.
DENNY HULME WINNING THE 1967 TITLE
Unfortunately I had an engine blow up before the end of the season.
I had just lost enough points to lose the championship.
Anyway, Denny won it – a team member – and we won the championship two years in a row and two constructors championships was a great feather in our cap.
Denny was actually a very good driver and was a sort of down-to-earth chap and he didn’t pull any punches and was a great team member.
We had a terrific team of people around us. Mostly Australian mechanics who came over to work in England.
It got us (Brabham team) to (first) winning in 1966.
RELATIONSHIP WITH STIRLING MOSS
We got on very well together.
We met at the Steering Wheel club just after I got to England in ‘55.
Stirling was on top of the game at the time.
I learnt a lot from Stirling in the racing and we became very good friends and still are.
Stirling was very hard on the car but was certainly a fantastic driver and the reliability of the car really stopped him from winning championships.
He should have really won as many championships as I did and unfortunately the reliability of his car didn’t stand up.
Stirling was a really good all-round driver.
Winning the Mille Miglia in in Italy 1955 (with Denis Jenkinson in the Mercedes 300 SLR) was a fantastic effort.
To win that race was just incredible.
I personally think the best driver I drove with was Stirling Moss.
Jimmy (Clark) was probably next but Stirling Moss was really the best driver I drove with in my career.
FIERCE RIVALS AND GOOD FRIENDS
It was fantastic the comradeship we had between the drivers in those days.
We used to party on after the race and that sort of thing which unfortunately doesn’t happen today.
But the big thing is there is money today and there wasn’t when I was driving.
Graham Hill used to be the life of the party, absolutely.
Many a time we would go to a function after a race and Graham Hill virtually took it over.
He finished up being the star of the night.
It was fantastic how he used to be able to entertain the crowd.
TALKING ABOUT THE TALENTS OF JIM CLARK
Jimmy was a very good driver and unfortunately he got killed at Hockenheim.
And really the reason he got killed is he didn’t realise he had a puncture and lost control and hit a tree.
Jimmy was a really good F1 driver.
PART 3: Tomorrow Sir Jack recounts a time when he was announced to drive Donald Campbell’s Bluebird but it was all a smokescreen.
SEE BELOW FOR PART 2 OF SPEEDCAFE.COM’S SIR JACK BRABHAM INTERVIEW
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