David Brabham: “I had seen the closed-top front-engined GTR-1 car for first time in Autosport”
Sep 08, 2007
BMW
To those who have followed the American Le Mans Series since its inception - and even before that - David Brabham’s name is synonomous with Panoz. One of the most popular and experienced drivers in the paddock, a majority of Brabham’s best moments in sports car racing came with the Georgia marque in the American Le Mans Series.
At the top of the list is an overall victory at Petit Le Mans in 1999 in a most unlikely fashion. The Panoz prototype of Brabham, Eric Bernard and Andy Wallace was running second when Jö rg Muller inexplicably spun the race-leading works BMW prototype with five minutes left.
Brabham went on to record seven overall Series victories with Panoz, and three-quarters of his triumphs have come with the brand established by Series founder Don Panoz. The relationship between Panoz and Brabham, like the 1999 Petit win, seemed at first unlikely.
“I first met Don about a year after I had seen the (closed-top, front-engined GTR-1) car for the first time in Autosport, “ Brabham said. “I thought, ‘You will never see me in a car like that. ‘ But of course that’s not what happened. I joined the next year and stayed on through 2002. The 1999 win was of course the highlight. “
Brabham is one of three drivers to have competed in each Petit Le Mans since its inaugural race in 1998 (Ron Fellows and Jon Field are the others). The only driver to record pole positions in four different Series classes, Brabham will join Stefan Johansson in Highcroft Racing’s Acura ARX. The duo currently is tied for third in the LMP2 championship.
