I don,t know if this came up last night:Australian Story:The Jack Brabham story. It,s on ABC2 in about 5 minutes...some of the stuff said is confronting regarding this most important Aussie icon. If you,re an enthusiast you should tape it and show the kids,grandkids,etc.
I think you,ll find,the late,Frank Hallam was one of the instrumental brains....but I will bow to a greater knowlege,if it,s dinkum.
Gotta agree with Rob on this - Irving is very much the unsung hero in the Brabham/Tauranac/Irving triumvirate. His biography is a great read, specially the time he spent with Vincent and his war work in the UK. He gives very short shrift to his involvement with Repco, and seemed bitter at being supplanted by a very young Judd as engine designer. IMO he was probably the only engine designer on the planet that could have put together a winning Grand Prix engine 12,000 miles from the factory, with few resources and fewer budget dollars, and fewer still, days available. Aussie engineering at its very best. Again, IMO, JB wasn't in the same class as Clark, for instance, but he certainly mastered the art of being in the right place at the right time and surrounding himself with the right people. I'm sorry to hear (since I obliquely worked for him at one time) that he is in poor health.
I met Phil Irving a few times he was a working class hero,who never was given the correct acknowledgement for his Repco work.yes BlackJack is a hero and a 3 time champion and was still winning GPs at 44 years old,in fact with a little luck in 1970 he should have one 3 GPS except for a last corner hick up and a fuel issue at the British GP on the last corner.that is also not taking into account his Vincent deseigns.
Irving must have been a fascinating person to meet - I only wish. I first met Brabham in the late '60s ( I learned to fly, and worked part time at, a flying school he owned) - the conversation went: JB: What are you doing son? Me: Washing your aeroplane, Mr Brabham. JB: Well, you missed that bit... Fortunately, it improved from there.
in about 1998 Brabham drove my 1st Mustang in a demo at a Sandown historic,the car was brand new,with about 400bhp on soft unsorted suspension,within a few laps he was down to 1.28s,not bad for a 70 plus year old gent,the regular historic boys like John Mann in provern cars were doing 1.25s. Their is a photo on the chat line somewhere.
It,s great to see the knowledge,history and enthusiam are alive and well,Jack is my personal hero/legend and as was indicated on the programme virtually an unknown in his own country. Not just the cab sauv talking BTW.
Program seems a bit OTT with the no recognition in Oz angle. I dropped his name in conversation yesterday and my 87 year old mother responded that "if he was no longer driving maybe she should stop" What else do they want him to get, a medal? He has a knighthood.
google him, the man whom made Vincent famous,Repco Holden V8s,12 port holden heads ect.and deseign the Rpco 3 litre GP motor. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
how many WDC did he win ? Seriously, he never even got a mention in Black Jack's book ... did they have a bust up or something ?
its called one mans EGO. Those in the know ,are well aware of his achievements. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think he had something to do with the establishment of the circuit at Phillip Island. JB doesn't get much mention in Irvings book, either.