42 replies to this topic

[Wirra]

Reading through the threads on this forum reminds me of just how dangerous racing was in the 1960s-70s and before. I started to think how fortunate that Sir Jack made it through his very long career unscathed - hearing loss excluded. From what I can recall he never had a serious 'off' and, if this is so, it is both statistically amazing and testament to his skill. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

I would also put Mario Andretti in this category and wonder if it could be argued that it had something to do with their start in dirt speedway.

As I understand it this is the car Sir Jack started in.

[grocons]

I believe Sir Jack had quite a serious accident at the Goodwood Revival in late 90's early noughties if I remember correctly. I think he may have broken his arm or collarbone.

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by grocons

I think he may have broken his arm or collarbone.

In terms of bone damage that might well be the case, but I believe that he came very close to dying in that accident.

Strange - or perhaps the reverse, in fact - that both Sir Jack and Mario should have probably their most severe accidents after their careers had ended; Andretti surviving that enormous reverse-somersault while testing an IRL car (at the IMS?) a few years back.

[simonlewisbooks]

He was lucky to escape from a couple of enormous shunts - one at Brands in about 1960 I think, which, but for the Gods smiling down on him, could easily have ended his career.
He's a tough old boy, and massively underrated by most of the historians today.
You don't win three world titles without being an exceptional racing driver.

[Bonde]

Wasn't Sir Jack also caught inverted in the catchfencing somewhere in 1970? Had fire erupted...

[Pat Clarke]

Quote Grocons.."I believe Sir Jack had quite a serious accident at the Goodwood Revival in late 90's early noughties if I remember correctly".

I think Sir Jacks injury was caused when the rollover bar broke off while he was being towed. The bar hit him hard on he head. His current macular degeneration is believed to have been triggered by that incident.

Ron T tells me Sir J still drives, but only near his home where he can remember where the road goes. Ron also talks about Sir J's phenomenal eyesight when he was racing. He recounts blasting through the fog with Sir J at the wheel, unable to see a thing, but the driver obviously could!

Pat

[David Shaw]

Silverstone during private testing? Broken leg IIRC.

[Stephen W]

Didn't he end up upside down at Zandvoort and released the seatbelts, at this point he fell out of the car and injured his neck or back?

[cooper997]

One of his early lucky escapes was the 1959 Portuguese GP where he was baulked by another driver and the end result was a telegraph pole taken out, with Jack thrown from the up-ended car into the path of his team-mate, Masten Gregory.

The T51 was rather bent to say the least. In "The Cooper Golden Years 1959-60" with what was probably an Andrew Ferguson captioned photo of the damaged car, it states - "We used our short chassis car for Portugal."

In more recent years, he also had a tangle with a tree on the Classic Adelaide in a Aston Martin. The tree won.


Stephen

[lil'chris]

Originally posted by cooper997
One of his early lucky escapes was the 1959 Portuguese GP where he was baulked by another driver

Mario Cabral I think

[Odseybod]

Ron T tells me Sir J still drives, but only near his home where he can remember where the road goes. Ron also talks about Sir J's phenomenal eyesight when he was racing. He recounts blasting through the fog with Sir J at the wheel, unable to see a thing, but the driver obviously could!

Sir Jack was of course one of the first of his generation to fly himself to and from races (which might also have contributed to his hearing loss). Seen to remember a nice story about the Air Traffic people one very foggy Silverstone evening (before an International Trophy meeting maybe?) saying words to the effect of "We'll put on some runway lights if he radios in but don't expect he try it in this weather" when JB strolls in and enquires politely what they're all still doing there. One of a kind.

[nmansellfan]

Originally posted by Pat Clarke

Ron T tells me Sir J still drives, but only near his home where he can remember where the road goes. Ron also talks about Sir J's phenomenal eyesight when he was racing. He recounts blasting through the fog with Sir J at the wheel, unable to see a thing, but the driver obviously could!

Pat

This is from a couple of years ago now, But Sir Jack definately knew how to drive aound Taupo Motorsport Park when demonstrating the ex Denny Hulme Mclaren M23. I hope i can drive like this when i'm in my eighties...

[D-Type]

Originally posted by Pat Clarke
Quote Grocons.."I believe Sir Jack had quite a serious accident at the Goodwood Revival in late 90's early noughties if I remember correctly".

I think Sir Jacks injury was caused when the rollover bar broke off while he was being towed. The bar hit him hard on he head. His current macular degeneration is believed to have been triggered by that incident.

Ron T tells me Sir J still drives, but only near his home where he can remember where the road goes. Ron also talks about Sir J's phenomenal eyesight when he was racing. He recounts blasting through the fog with Sir J at the wheel, unable to see a thing, but the driver obviously could!

Pat

I think there were two separate Goodwood accidents that both hospitalised Sir Jack:
(1) An accident during a race at the Revival. I think driving a sixties F1 McLaren.
(2) The safety hoop broke when a tow rope was attached at the Festival. The marshalls, being used to modern cars, simply didn't realise how frangible the period item was.

And wasn't the Targa Tasmania or Classic Adelaide incident caused by his not being able to hear his navigator's warning?

It does make you wonder whether we should as a matter of policy lavish as much car on old drivers as on old cars

[Giraffe]

Originally posted by nmansellfan


This is from a couple of years ago now, But Sir Jack definately knew how to drive aound Taupo Motorsport Park when demonstrating the ex Denny Hulme Mclaren M23. I hope i can drive like this when i'm in my eighties...

Are you quite sure that was Jack in the M23? The commentary sort of indicates that Jack was out in a '59 Cooper following up, or maybe I'm mistaken?.I'd be amazed if that was Jack in 2007, as he's not been in great health for a while, and that McLaren wasn't hanging about!
DCN posted a great pic of Sir Jack and Vern Schuppan sharing a beer earlier this year, and he looked in better shape than for a while.
Getting back to Jack and his accidents, I remember him hobbling on a stick at the 1969 Gold Cup at Oulton Park as he had broken his ankle in testing at Silverstone, and missed three GP's that season as a result.
Actually, when you look back, he had more accidents than most in his long career, but got away with it, thank God!

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

Photo as posted by Doug Nye on 26th Dec, 2008.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Wirra
Reading through the threads on this forum reminds me of just how dangerous racing was in the 1960s-70s and before. I started to think how fortunate that Sir Jack made it through his very long career unscathed - hearing loss excluded. From what I can recall he never had a serious 'off' and, if this is so, it is both statistically amazing and testament to his skill. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

I would also put Mario Andretti in this category and wonder if it could be argued that it had something to do with their start in dirt speedway.

Mario had two occasions, IIRC, which resulted in broken bones. In 1985 he broke a shoulder after smiting the wall at Pocono, and missed the subsequent Road America round. (which, as an aside, was the only Indy car race of Alan Jones' career as he substituted for Mario and finished third.) At Indy in, what was it, 1991 or 1992, he broke his toes after hitting the wall.

As long as we are on the subject, the recent passing of the great Phil Hill brought forth the interesting fact that Hill was NEVER injured in a race car in his entire career, running at a very dangerous time.

Tom

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Giraffe

By giraffe138

Photo as posted by Doug Nye on 26th Dec, 2008.

Is that Vern Schuppan with Sir Jack?
Tom

[Giraffe]

Yes Tom; see my post 15.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Giraffe
Yes Tom; see my post 15.

Oh, for crying out loud! I should read everything before I make such a silly post!

Tom

[Giraffe]

It's not compulsary to do so Tom, but I find it often helps, having made the same gaff myself! :

[terry mcgrath]

On the subject of the safety of motor racing it reminds me when Sir Jack Brabham walked into a Jaguar Car Club meeting here in Western Australia and during his talk and refering to the old days
"when sex was safe and the motor racing was dangerous"
terry

[Doug Nye]

Jack survived remarkably unbloodied during most of his frontline career.

Early 1950s - midget racing, struck in face by stones thrown up by car ahead, broke his nose.

1959 Portuguese GP - thrown out of somersaulting Cooper after Cabral moved across on him while being lapped and put Jack's Cooper into the roadside strawbales. Jack found the subsequent ambulance ride infinitely more frightening than the admittedly scary somersault. Bumps and bruises.

1969 Silverstone tyre testing BT26A - broke his ankle after a tyre failure put him into the bank at Club Corner, I believe. Trapped in car with burst fuel tanks leaking. Ron Dennis - chief mechanic - did first rate job of laying a foam blanket on the puddled fuel while Jack was cut clear of the tangled frame.

1970 Dutch GP practice BT33 - another tyre failure put him off into the catch fencing - car rolled and tangled itself up in a ball, trapping Blackie within the cockpit. Worst injury as already mentioned came after he released the seat belt and fell on his head. Tweaked neck, bruises.

In retirement he did score a direct hit upon a large tree in the Classic Adelaide - deafness meant he didn't hear navigator's increasingly urgent reports of an approaching Double Caution 90-right on crest. Daftness meant he didn't SEE the metre-square fluorescent-yellow Double Caution signboards beside the road counting down to the corner.

Goodwood Revival 1999 (ish) - tangled wheels with Jackie Oliver at St Mary's left-hander, while trying to overtake him with two right-side wheels on the infield grass. His McCaw Collection McLaren-BRM M5A spun into the outside bank, severely damaged. Jack was knocked-out and suffered bruised kidneys, burst blood vessel in eye, assorted contusions (and a right ear-bashing from Lady Brabham). This was the first time that Jack had ever been knocked out in a racing incident.

Goodwood Festival (some years later) - being towed back down the hill in BT12 Indycar - tow line plucked the unbraced roll-over bar forward off the chassis, and on the way it knocked Jack's crash helmet clean off - inflicting severe concussion.

Tough old warrior - for many years absolutely the most wily and wisest man in motor racing - total hero. mellowed into a lovely bloke.

DCN

[thomaskomm]

Hello all, and
yes Mr. Nye, he is a really tough guy! JB was in his time and today very underated, perhaps cause he didn´t spoke much with the press? 1970 he was almost a fourth time worldchampionship and 1967 he had a little unfortune too for a fourth time...... he himself thought retirement was probably three or four years to early..
He was 44 years and really much faster than Rolf Stommelen at example.
This is one of my racingheroes!

Thomas

[James Page]

I hesistate to wade in without checking sources, but I thought the Zandvoort accident in 1970 was during testing a week or so before the race, rather than during practice at the event itself?

I believe it occured at the same quick right-hander at the back of the circuit that Piers Courage sadly crashed at during the race that year.

[Doug Nye]

You are probably quite right James and I am quite wrong - unchecked memory often misleads.

DCN

[James Page]

According to Adam Cooper's excellent book about Piers, Jack's accident was during private testing on the Wednesday before the Grand Prix. I thought I'd better pop downstairs and check it!

Never knew about the incident with the roll bar at the Festival - bit worrying.

[PeterElleray]

Originally posted by terry mcgrath
On the subject of the safety of motor racing it reminds me when Sir Jack Brabham walked into a Jaguar Car Club meeting here in Western Australia and during his talk and refering to the old days
"when sex was safe and the motor racing was dangerous"
terry

unfortunately that phrase found its way into the vocabulary here for some years - the last time i heard it was about 1/2 hour before the start of practice for the 1994 San Marino GP - funny, never heard it again till now...

peter

[Giraffe]

Originally posted by James Page
According to Adam Cooper's excellent book about Piers, Jack's accident was during private testing on the Wednesday before the Grand Prix. I thought I'd better pop downstairs and check it!

Never knew about the incident with the roll bar at the Festival - bit worrying.

Somehow I missed his Festival accident too; how long was Jack hospitalised for? It must have been an unpleasant event to witness; the Festival has not been kind to Aussies. :

[Murray Lord]

Originally posted by Doug Nye

In retirement he did score a direct hit upon a large tree in the Classic Adelaide - deafness meant he didn't hear navigator's increasingly urgent reports of an approaching Double Caution 90-right on crest. Daftness meant he didn't SEE the metre-square fluorescent-yellow Double Caution signboards beside the road counting down to the corner.
DCN

He's a repeat offender on that front - you can add the very similar incident in Targa Tasmania 1994 when his M3 ended up on its roof next to a tree. His pacenotes had a caution noted on that corner.

Did he 'fess up on that one to his Classic Adelaide navigator??

[Jones Foyer]

Originally posted by Pat Clarke
Quote Grocons.."I believe Sir Jack had quite a serious accident at the Goodwood Revival in late 90's early noughties if I remember correctly".

I think Sir Jacks injury was caused when the rollover bar broke off while he was being towed. The bar hit him hard on he head. His current macular degeneration is believed to have been triggered by that incident.

Ron T tells me Sir J still drives, but only near his home where he can remember where the road goes. Ron also talks about Sir J's phenomenal eyesight when he was racing. He recounts blasting through the fog with Sir J at the wheel, unable to see a thing, but the driver obviously could!

Pat

A great majority of rollbars are designed for loading in the vertical direction, attaching a cable to it and pulling it laterally (often with jerking movements in towing situation where speed is not synched between the two vehicles) is somewhat dangerous. That's a shame.

[brucemoxon]

Originally posted by Doug Nye

Goodwood Revival 1999 (ish) -..... Jack was knocked-out and suffered bruised kidneys, burst blood vessel in eye, assorted contusions ...


DCN

Doug, I wonder if that crash (and the bruising) contributed to his current renal issues?

A tough old bloke, any way you look at it.





Bruce Moxon

[stevewf1]

Originally posted by Twin Window
Strange - or perhaps the reverse, in fact - that both Sir Jack and Mario should have probably their most severe accidents after their careers had ended; Andretti surviving that enormous reverse-somersault while testing an IRL car (at the IMS?) a few years back.

Mario's flying act was at IMS in 2003. If I recall, a local news helicopter was returning from another story when they paused over IMS to catch Mario on the track and just happened to catch the accident.



He was lucky the car didn't "dig in" to the fence.

[nmansellfan]

Originally posted by Giraffe


Are you quite sure that was Jack in the M23? The commentary sort of indicates that Jack was out in a '59 Cooper following up, or maybe I'm mistaken?.I'd be amazed if that was Jack in 2007, as he's not been in great health for a while, and that McLaren wasn't hanging about!
DCN posted a great pic of Sir Jack and Vern Schuppan sharing a beer earlier this year, and he looked in better shape than for a while.
Getting back to Jack and his accidents, I remember him hobbling on a stick at the 1969 Gold Cup at Oulton Park as he had broken his ankle in testing at Silverstone, and missed three GP's that season as a result.
Actually, when you look back, he had more accidents than most in his long career, but got away with it, thank God!

Good point, Giraffe. I must admit I saw the clip a while back and just searched for it again when this thread came up, and pasted the link. If it wasn't Sir Jack, whoever was behind the wheel certainly wasn't hanging about, as you say...

[fines]

Mario had quite a few "offs" early in his career... wasn't Andretti Straight at Mosport named for an early flying lesson he took there?

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Hi, Michael.

The Andretti Straightaway at Mosport was so named in honour of the competitor who set the fastest top end speed thru the traps for the 1968 running of the USAC race. Mario finished a close P2 to Dan Gurney but did notch the fastest top speed so that's the explanation.

[fines]

I stand corrected on that one, but my main argument stays.

[WGD706]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Tough old warrior - for many years absolutely the most wily and wisest man in motor racing - total hero. mellowed into a lovely bloke.

DCN

Alan Jones criticized the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) for overlooking the 50th anniversary of the first formula one championship won by an Australian driver.

Sir Jack Brabham, now 82, won his first of three titles in 1959. He and Jones are the only Australian world champions.

"He is an icon and a national treasure, and to overlook him in that fashion is pathetic," Jones said.

Brabham has turned down his invitation to attend this weekend's event, claiming it was only made after a PR company working with his son David approached the AGPC.

"The fact is, they wouldn't have issued an invitation if they hadn't been prodded and they certainly wouldn't have done anything for the 50th anniversary," Brabham's wife Margaret said.

To Jones' criticisms, AGPC chairman Ron Walker replied: "I am not going to respond to Alan Jones' gripes about the grand prix."

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by WGD706
To Jones' criticisms, AGPC chairman Ron Walker replied: "I am not going to respond to Alan Jones' gripes about the grand prix."

Does he really think Alan Jones is the only person who cares?

[Lee Nicolle]

Originally posted by David McKinney

Does he really think Alan Jones is the only person who cares?

Ron Walker usually doesnt think, God knows how he got the GP there.
Jonesy is not the only one but does have more clout [and outspokenness] than most people. And next year is 30 years since Jonesys championship.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Does he really think Alan Jones is the only person who cares?

No... be fair, David!

He obviously took note of David Brabham's gripes too...

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Lee Nicolle
And next year is 30 years since Jonesys championship.

This year is 50 years since Stan Jones's AGP win

[RStock]

Originally posted by WGD706



To Jones' criticisms, AGPC chairman Ron Walker replied: "I am not going to respond to Alan Jones' gripes about the grand prix."

What a twit . Then again , there's not much he could say in response other than he screwed up monumentaly . Jones is right , it's pathetic . Good for Sir Jack telling them to stuff their invite .

[Kingsleyrob]

Just stumbled across a recent interview with Sir Jack here http://carsguide.new...f1_not_a_sport/

Looks like we have another Brabham to look out for, grandson Mathew, an ace karter by the sound of things.

Also, another birthday next week, April 2nd - good health Sir Jack

Rob