Geoff Brabham


Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States.

Racing career

CART

He raced successfully in CART early in his career, finishing 8th in 1982, 1984 and 1987 with nine podiums. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, he had a best result of fourth in 1983 and fifth in 1981.

Sports car racing

His greatest source of success was in various forms of sports cars, winning four IMSA GTP titles when racing for Nissan, and one Can-Am championship.
Brabham also won the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans driving one of the factory Peugeot 905 alongside French drivers Éric Hélary and Christophe Bouchut. His younger brother David Brabham had won the GT class in the race driving a Jaguar XJ220 for Tom Walkinshaw Racing, but the team was later disqualified for technical infringements. Geoff Brabham became just the third Australian driver to win Le Mans after Bernard Rubin and Vern Schuppan in 1983. David Brabham would also go on to win Le Mans in 2009, also driving for the factory Peugeot team.

Touring car racing

Later in his career, Brabham returned to Australia, where he was runner-up in the 1995 and 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship, and won the 1997 Bathurst 1000 Super Touring race driving a BMW 320i alongside brother David. The pair initially finished second behind BMW Motorsport Australia teammates Paul Morris and Craig Baird, but a blunder by the team left Baird in his car at the final pit stop which meant that by the end of the race, the Kiwi driver had breached the race regulation which limited any one driver to a maximum of three hours continuous driving. This caused their disqualification and handed the win to the Brabham brothers.
Brabham dabbled in V8 Supercar drives in his native Australia throughout his career. He is still one of the few drivers to win his first race, Sandown 500 in 1993. He started eleven races for one victory.

Stock car racing

Brabham took two race victories in the International Race of Champions stock car series, both at Michigan. He made his only NASCAR Winston Cup Series start at the first ever Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in 1994, driving for Michael Kranefuss. Brabham crashed in the second half of the race.

Personal life

He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. He has two younger brothers; Gary and David. Geoff teamed with David to win the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in a BMW, becoming the only brothers to have combined to win the race. Although the most successful of the second generation of racing Brabhams, unlike his siblings he did not compete in World Championship Formula One.
Married to Roseina Brabham, a multi-time jet-ski champion, Brabham has retired from competition himself to focus on his son Matthew's racing career. After a successful karting career, Matthew moved into international open-wheel racing and the Road to Indy ladder; he is also a two-time Stadium Super Trucks champion.

Awards

He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2004.

Racing career

SeasonSeriesPositionCarTeam
1973TAA Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series7thElfin 620 FordJack Brabham Ford
1974TAA Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series3rdBowin P6F Ford
1975Australian Formula 2 Championship1stBirrana 274 FordGrace Bros - Levi's Racing Team
1976Shellsport F3 Series11thRalt RT1 Toyota
1976BP Super Visco F3 Series8thRalt RT1 Toyota
1977Vandervell F3 Series6thRalt RT1 Toyota
1977BP F3 Series4thRalt RT1 Toyota
1978British Formula One Championship24thBoxer PR2 HartBoxer Cars
1979Formula Super Vee Championship1stRalt RT1 Volkswagen
1979Canadian-American Challenge Cup15thHogan HR-001 ChevroletHogan Racing
1980Canadian-American Challenge Cup3rdLola T530 ChevroletRacing Team VDS
1981Canadian-American Challenge Cup1stLola T530 Chevrolet
VDS 001 Chevrolet		Racing Team VDS
1982CART PPG Indy Car World Series8thMarch 81C CosworthBignotti-Cotter Racing
1982Canadian-American Challenge Cup14thFrissbee GR2 ChevroletRick Galles Racing
1983CART PPG Indy Car World Series21stPenske PC-10/82 Cosworth
March 83C Cosworth		Racing Team VDS
Kraco Racing
1984CART PPG Indy Car World Series8thMarch 84C CosworthKraco Racing
1985CART PPG Indy Car World Series15thMarch 85C CosworthKraco Racing
1986CART PPG Indy Car World Series12thLola T8600 CosworthGalles Racing
1987CART PPG Indy Car World Series8thMarch 87C HondaGalles Racing
1988IMSA GTP Championship1stNissan GTP ZX-TNissan Motorsport
1989IMSA GTP Championship1stNissan GTP ZX-TNissan Performance Technology
1989International Race of Champions10thChevrolet Camaro
1990IMSA GTP Championship1stNissan GTP ZX-T
Nissan NPT90		Nissan Performance Technology
1990International Race of Champions11thDodge Daytona
1991IMSA GTP Championship1stNissan R90C
Nissan NPT90
Nissan NPT91		Nissan Performance Technology
1991International Race of Champions7thDodge Daytona
1992International Race of Champions6thDodge Daytona
1993International Race of Champions6thDodge Daytona
1994International Race of Champions11thDodge Avenger
1995Australian Super Touring Championship2ndBMW 318iPaul Morris Motorsport
1996Australian Super Touring Championship4thBMW 318iPaul Morris Motorsport
1997Australian Super Touring Championship2ndBMW 320iPaul Morris Motorsport
1999Shell Championship Series31stFord AU FalconGlenn Seton Racing
2001Shell Championship Series36thFord AU FalconSteven Ellery Racing

American Open-Wheel racing results

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

Complete USAC Championship Car results

CART

YearTeamChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617RankPoints
1981Kraco RacingPenske PC-7Cosworth DFX V8tPHX1
9		MIL1ATL1ATL2MIS27th14
1981All American RacersEagle 81Chevrolet V8RIV
Ret		MIL2MIS2WGLMEX
9		PHX227th14
1982Pentax SuperMarch 81CCosworth DFX V8tPHX1
Ret		ATL
Ret		 8th110
1982Pentax SuperMarch 82CCosworth DFX V8tMIL1
7		CLE
6		MIS1
7		MIL2
10		POC
4		RIV
Ret		ROA
Ret		MIS2
3		PHX2
Ret		 8th110
1983Team VDSPenske PC-10Cosworth DFX V8tATLINDY
4		MILCLE21st13
1983Wysard RacingMarch 83CCosworth DFX V8tMIS1
Ret		ROAPOC21st13
1983Kraco RacingMarch 83CCosworth DFX V8tRIV
Ret		MDOMIS2
12		LVG
Ret		LS
Ret		PHX21st13
1984Kraco RacingMarch 84CCosworth DFX V8tLBH
2		PHX1
Ret		INDY
Ret		MIL
17		POR
2		MEA
3		CLE
8		MIS1
9		ROA
5		POC
14		MDO
Ret		SAN
Ret		MIS2
11		PHX2
Ret		LS
5		LVG
5		8th87
1985Galles RacingMarch 85CCosworth DFX V8tLBH
6		INDY
Ret		MIL
12		POR
Ret		MEA
Ret		CLE
2		MIS1
Ret		ROA
15		POC
Ret		MDO
13		SAN
4		MIS2
16		LS
Ret		PHX
12		MIA
Ret		15th41
1986Galles RacingLola T86/00Cosworth DFX V8tPHX1
10		LBH
3		INDY
12		MIL
Ret		SAN
11		MIS2
11		LS
6		PHX2
Ret		MIA
Ret		12th64
1986Galles RacingLola T86/00Brabham-Honda V8tPOR
7		MEA
Ret		CLE
Ret		TOR
14		MIS1
Ret		POC
12		MDO
Ret		ROA
Ret		12th64
1987Galles RacingMarch 87CBrabham-Honda V8tLBH
Ret		PHX
8		INDY
Ret		MIL
12		POR
Ret		MEA
4		CLE
Ret		TOR
DNS		MIS
8		POC
2		ROA
2		MDO
7		NAZ
12		LS
5		MIA
3		8th90
1989Team PenskePenske PC-18Chevrolet 265A V8tPHXLBHINDY
Wth		MILDETPOR
Ret		CLEMEATORMISPOCMDOROANAZLS39th0
1990TruesportsLola T89/00Judd AV V8tPHXLBHINDY
19		MILDETPORCLEMEATORMISDENVANMDOROANAZLS41st0
1991King RacingTruesports 91CJudd AV V8tSRFLBHPHXINDY
Ret		MILDETPORCLEMEATORMISDENVANMDOROANAZLS44th0
1993Team MenardLola T93/00Menard V6tSRFPHXLBHINDY
Ret		MILDETPORCLETORMISNHAROAVANMDONAZLS50th0
1994Team MenardLola T93/00Menard V6tSRFPHXLBHINDY
DNQ		MILDETPORCLETORMISMDONHAVANROANAZLSNC-

Indianapolis 500

Touring/Sports Cars

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

V8 Supercar results

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Sandown 500 results