The Jack Brabham Story

~~RRP £30.00~~

Hardcover, 256 pages

Reviews

(Rated 5 out of 5)

Sir Jack Brabham is probably one of the sharpest minds to have ever got involved with something as daft as motor racing; in this splendid autobiography the normally reticent knight and co-writer Doug Nye cover the whole Brabham story, from his childhood and RAF service right up to his current life in Surfer's Paradise - but the heart of the book is the description of his racing career, from midgets in Australia to three-times World Champion and owner of one of the most successful racing car firms of the sixties. It's all here - F1, Tasman, F2, his forays into sports cars and Indy, the story of Sir Jack's years at Cooper and his first two titles, his relationship with Ron Tauranac and the rise of Brabham; his third title, his decision to retire...

A few passages remind the reader of Sir Jack's earlier volume of autobiography "When The Flag Drops", but age has mellowed the author and retirement has allowed him to be a little more direct about some issues, so it's definitely well worth a read even if you have his earlier book; similarly, a few bits clearly draw from co-author Nye's "Cooper Cars", but given that that is one of the best marque histories ever it's no hardship!

As you'd expect, this reads wonderfully, contains a lot that is new, and looks great. The illustrations are excellent, a good mix of contemporary photos, some posed photoshoots of key cars in Sir Jack's career, and shots of memorabilia. It's one of the best memoirs of the 50s/60s I've read, and deserves a place on every fan's bookshelf.