There are few families in world motorsport that are as iconic as the Brabhams.
An icon in the 1950s and ’60s, the late Sir Jack Brabham thrice won the F1 world championship. He remains the only driver to win the crown in a car of his own design.
His three sons all went on to race, David Brabham continuing the legacy in F1 with his father’s eponymous team.
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The second-generation racer contested two F1 seasons in 1990 and 1994 but found more success in sports car racing, famously winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009.
Now, there’s a third-generation Brabham on the block looking to continue that legacy in the SpeedSeries.
Sam Brabham is a relative latecomer to motorsport. Although he spent much of his upbringing surrounded by the sport, he had little interest growing up.
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Born in the United Kingdom, Brabham was fixated on football into his early teens.
The turning point was when a motorsport-mad mate showed him what he was missing out on.
“There was no hiding from it, that’s for sure,” Brabham told Wide World of Sports.
“I actually got into it because I started watching Ayrton Senna videos on YouTube with my best mate.
“I’d been around it but I wasn’t really interested. He was really into it, probably more than I was. All I wanted to do was play football.
“I wasn’t really interested until about 14 and then I bugged Dad for about a year to get me a go-kart.
“As soon as I did that, there was no going back. I just loved every second of it and that’s all I wanted to do.
“I parked every other commitment that I had – playing cricket, cross country, whatever sport it went straight out the window.
“All I wanted to do was go racing and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to do so up until a certain point.”
Brabham raced karts on and off for a few years before graduating to Formula Ford where he won several races, but his career didn’t progress much further.
His introduction to driving came not long after his father had fought a lengthy legal battle for the Brabham name, leaving the family strapped for cash.
He didn’t go much further than Formula Ford, only making sporadic appearances in Carrera Cup.
In the end, he decided to move to Australia for a fresh start and to begin pursuing a career Down Under.
Plans were in place to race in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately scuppered those.
His racing return eventually came in 2022 when he joined the Harrolds Racing team in GT World Challenge Australia behind the wheel of a GT4 car.
Now, he’s racing in the top class with Ross Poulakis in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 where he hopes he can prove he’s as good as the best sports car racers in Australia.
Brabham believes it’s important to continue the family legacy given the more than 60-year history behind the name.
“I’ve always felt very proud of that history and grateful to have been to be a part of that,” he said.
“If I can do half the things that most of my family have done, I would have had a really amazing career.
“Life’s thrown different challenges along the way. I didn’t always have the opportunity maybe that others had, but you just make the best of the situation you’re in.
“It’s kind of led me to be, to be where I am now with a GT3 drive. That was always the dream.
“As a kid, you want to be an F1 driver, but the reality is different, right? I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. There’s always more, but I’m just very grateful to be here.”
Brabham’s debut on the support card of the Bathurst 6 Hour has offered a rare opportunity to share it with his father David.
The family has been separated for three years due to the pandemic and only reunited a week before the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
“It was a bit of an emotional few weeks, which has been really nice to spend some good time with them,” said Brabham.
“Me and Dad stayed in Katoomba where my grandma grew up and her ashes were spread at the Three Sisters. We went and did a nice walk through there on the way up.
“He’s a great help and he’s a good calming influence for me as well.”
After trying to get his career kick-started nearly a decade ago, Brabham said he’s keen to get the new season underway.
“Last year, I met the Harolds guys and managed to get the incredible opportunity to go racing,” said Brabham.
“I’m so grateful because without the Harrolds team I wouldn’t be doing this, to be honest.
“It feels like a 10-year process to get to this point. It’s been a lot of hard work and moving to Australia.”
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