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Sir Jack Brabham Dies Aged 88

Australia's most revered motorsport legend has succumbed to death today, May 19th, at his home in Gold Coast, Queensland. Brabham died after a long battle with a terrible kidney condition, for which he underwent dialysis three times a week in recent years.
Brabham in typical 1960s racing gear 1 photo
Photo: www.jackbrabham.com
During his prosperous racing career which stretched from his debut at the 1955 British Formula One Grand Prix and concluded with the 1970 World Sportscar Championship's Mexican Grand Prix, he competed for Cooper, Rob Walker Racing and his own Brabham Team.

The iconic sportsman born in Hurstville, New South Wales won the driver's title for the 1959, 1960 and 1966 Formula 1 seasons. He's the only F1 driver to win a world championship in a race car of his own construction - the rear-engined Brabham BT19 - a unique achievement that might never be matched.

Ron Dennis, McLaren's current CEO and team principal, was Sir Jack's team mechanic back in 1970, when the Australian won the season finale at the South African Grand Prix. According to a statement the Brit gave to the media today, Dennis said that "the word 'legend' is often used to describe successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their status. In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's entirely justified."

'Black Jack' is best remembered for his heavy right foot and an almost full opposite lock style of getting out of slow corners. But after retiring from the sport to be a full time family man, Sir Jack didn't abandon the world of motorsport for good. He visited numerous racing venues, founded his own car dealership and aviation company, and also filled the role of spokesman for a major Japanese automaker.

Brabham's last public appearance before his death was at the Sunshine Coast in Australia on Sunday, where the Sunshine Coast Daily reunited him with a car he designed - the 1967 BT23 - for a newspaper material.

Scroll down to watch his last major sit down on-camera, where Sir Jack Brabham details his life and some interesting back stories from his formative days through the achievements of his sons and grandsons.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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