Honda Car Forum

It is a tough chore for any second-generation driver to
match the marks set by a parent.

For David Brabham, it has been a more difficult chore
since his father [Jack] was a Formula One world driving
champion and his older brother [Geoff] was a sports-car
champion and Indy Car star. Both Brabhams have been
enshrined in motorsports Halls of Fame.

As the youngest of the Brabhams (David's middle brother,
Gary, was also an accomplished driver), David had plenty
to live up to when he decided to follow the Brabham legacy
as a racing driver.

He made the usual steps for a young racer, going from
karts to small formula cars to prototype sports cars and
even to Formula One machines.

David defeated legendary F-1 champion Michael
Schumacher in the 1988 Macau Grand Prix for formula
cars. He was on the fast track to stardom, winning the
Australian Formula Two championship and the British
Formula Three title.

After starting 24 races with two Formula One teams,
Brabham made a similar career decision as his older
brother, Geoff. He moved into the sports-car ranks.

"I think that if I was in the right place at the right time,
I could have made a good career in Formula One," said
Brabham, the 42-year-old Australian. "But, like in many
sports, timing is everything. The seats didn't open for me
at the right time. And the right seats opened in sports-car
racing. It was a great decision for me. I love driving sports
cars."

Now, Brabham is making his own legacy.

Known as "Brabs" in the paddock area, David has put
together a career that continues to set records.
After racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twelve times
without a victory, Brabham has won the GT-1 class the last
two years in the most famous sports-car race in the world.
And his records continue to grow with each subsequent
victory.

When he drove the Highcroft Acura to the overall pole
at Houston last year, Brabham became the first driver in
American Le Mans Series history to win at least one pole
in each of the four divisions of competition [LMP1, LMP2,
GT-1 and GT-2].

"That was very exciting for the whole Highcroft team," said
Brabham, who now resides in Maidenhead, England. "We
were a very young team and still learning. Then we got that
pole at Houston and we had a chance to win that race. We
were able to go on and get four podium finishes in 2007 as
a rookie organization. That was
a solid start for the team."

In 2008, Brabham has
become more of a sports-car
"folk hero" with his sensational
come-from-behind drives in
the Patrón Highcroft Acura
ARX-01b. He took an LMP2
class win at Long Beach over
Romain Dumas in the Penske
Porsche with a great inside
move on the next-to-last lap.

The Long Beach victory gave
Brabham another ALMS
"first." He became the first
driver to win a race in each of
the series' four divisions.

He won his second Le Mans
crown in June, then headed to Patrón Highcroft Racing
headquarters in Danbury, Conn., to make preparations for
the second half of the ALMS tour.

At Lime Rock Park in mid-July, Brabham, along with codriver
Scott Sharp, recorded Acura's first overall American
Le Mans Series victory over Timo Bernhard in the Penske
Porsche. It was another come-from-behind triumph,
as Brabham came from five seconds down with just 10
minutes remaining to make an outside Turn One pass.

"Wow! That Lime Rock weekend was huge for Patrón
Highcroft Racing, Acura and myself," said the personable
Brabham. "That is a weekend I will always remember. We
were racing close to the team's headquarters [45 minutes
away] and we had a big group of supporters at the race.
Then we won the pole, having just nipped my friend Gil's
[de Ferran] car. It was a one-two qualifying performance
for Acura, and it was the first time for that feat. Then, to
come back and pass Timo on the next-to-last lap for the
overall win was incredible. I am so proud to be a part of
Acura racing history with that victory."

Brabham might be following in the footsteps of his father
and older brother, but the Acura pilot has unquestionably
made his own legacy. Don't be surprised if he continues
to expand on it in the potent No. 9 green and blue Patrón
Highcroft Acura ARX-01b.

"I have driven a lot of racing cars in my career," Brabham
says. "But this Patrón Highcroft Acura is the best I have
ever driven."