Jack Brabham Honored at Sebring

[cosworth151]

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first true US Grand Prix (not counting that the Indy 500 was a points race in the 50's). The race was won by Bruce McLaren, but Jack Brabham won the season title by finishing fourth. He had run out of gas on the last lap.

Sir Jack's son, David, will commemorate his father's historic championship by driving the same Cooper Formula One car around the Sebring circuit prior to the start of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

"It is a bit of a lifetime experience for me because I have never driven one of his cars," stated David. "It is such a unique opportunity, not only to drive one of his cars, but also to do it at the track 50 years after he won his first Formulas One Championship."

"The track at Sebring was unbelievably rough when I drove there in 1959," stated Sir Jack Brabham. "I was very pleased I was driving a Cooper, which was a very strong car."

"It was interesting to hear dad's comment that Sebring was unbelievably rough," added David. "Fifty years later, nothing has changed! I am probably expecting a bit of a smoother ride in the old car as it has a lot more suspension travel than my Acura."

The track has always been rough. Like many British tracks, it's an old, World War 2 airfield. One of the things I remember most about the track is standing at the entrance to Sunset Bend, where the cars brake hard at the end of the Ulmann Straight. The cars make a staccato chatter as they skip across the high spots on the pavement. The skid marks look more like dashed lines!

[Steven Roy]

A great example of how expectation affects opinion.  Jack Brabham thought Sebring in a Cooper was really rough and you just know any modern driver is going to rave about how smooth it is compared to the modern cars.