WEBVTT - Jack Brabham's Worst Nightmare

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<v Speaker 1>Nineteen to fifty nine was just the tenth season of

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<v Speaker 1>Formula One. It featured eight racers on the calendar, and

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<v Speaker 1>rear engine cars had only recently become the norm. The

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<v Speaker 1>season kicked off in May at the prestigious Monaco Circuit

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<v Speaker 1>and ended in the United States in December. Heading into

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<v Speaker 1>the last Grand Prix of the year at Florida's Sebring

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<v Speaker 1>racewayzz he Jack Brabham was on the verge of his

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<v Speaker 1>first championship. Racing for the Cooper Car Company, Jack only

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<v Speaker 1>needed to finish ahead of his two closest rivals to

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<v Speaker 1>secure an F one crown. On the final lap of

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<v Speaker 1>the race, Jack was in the lead, his closest title threat,

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<v Speaker 1>Tony Brooks, was on his heels pushing up the grid,

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<v Speaker 1>and then every driver's worst nightmare became Jack Brabham's reality.

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<v Speaker 1>He ran out of fuel. Hi, I'm Tony Armstrong and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the ballroom where we celebrate the winners, losers

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<v Speaker 1>and the weird stuff between. Jack Brabham loved engines. He

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<v Speaker 1>learned to drive at twelve years old and was working

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<v Speaker 1>on cars and studying mechanical engineering by fifteen. Three years later,

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<v Speaker 1>he was a flight mechanic in the Air Force during

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<v Speaker 1>World War Two. After that, he ran a small repair

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<v Speaker 1>shop behind his grandfather's house. But even then, becoming a

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<v Speaker 1>racing driver wasn't on his radar. The first time a

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<v Speaker 1>friend took him to a speed car race, he thought

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<v Speaker 1>the whole thing was pretty wild. To be fair, those

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<v Speaker 1>tiny cars flying around the dirt track were death traps.

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<v Speaker 1>Back in the day, safety was kind of an afterthought,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess, But eventually Jack started to see things differently.

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<v Speaker 1>Jack's mate, Johnny, was a driver himself. Jack went to

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<v Speaker 1>watch him race a few times until one day when

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<v Speaker 1>Johnny asked if he wanted to build a new car together.

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<v Speaker 1>Jack agreed and the pair got to work. About five

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<v Speaker 1>months later, the custom built speed car was finished. Initially

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<v Speaker 1>it was Johnny behind the wheel until his wife convinced

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<v Speaker 1>him to give the dangerous sport away. Now he was Jack,

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<v Speaker 1>with the car and no driver. There was only one

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<v Speaker 1>thing to do but hop in the driver's seat. Jack

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<v Speaker 1>may have been an expert mechanic, but he was still

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<v Speaker 1>a novice driver. Knowing his way around an engine surely helped, though,

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<v Speaker 1>because he managed his first win in just his third race.

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<v Speaker 1>From there, Jack never looked back. He continued winning, stepping

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<v Speaker 1>up to bigger and tougher competitions until speeders just weren't

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<v Speaker 1>challenging enough. Jack moved on to hill climbing. Yep, that's

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<v Speaker 1>still a motorsport, and that gave him a taste for

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<v Speaker 1>road racing. He competed around Australia and New Zealand before

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<v Speaker 1>being lured to Europe were a career in Formula one

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<v Speaker 1>Beckond Jack Brabham made his F one debut in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifty five, racing for British team Cooper. It took him

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<v Speaker 1>a while to adjust, so he also spent time in

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<v Speaker 1>Formula two honing his racecraft on Europe's challenging circuits, but

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<v Speaker 1>by nineteen fifty nine Jack had become a serious contender

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<v Speaker 1>for the F one Drivers Championship. He started the season strongly,

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<v Speaker 1>winning at Monaco, one of the world's hardest races. He

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<v Speaker 1>placed second and third in the next two before winning

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<v Speaker 1>the British Grand Prix. Jack could have had the championship

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<v Speaker 1>wrapped up early if it wasn't for the Germany and

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<v Speaker 1>Portugal GPS he was forced to retire from both. Third

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<v Speaker 1>place at Monza got him back on track, but the

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<v Speaker 1>season was still up for grabs in the last Grand

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<v Speaker 1>Prix of nineteen fifty nine in the USA. It was

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<v Speaker 1>an unusual three months between races until the season finale,

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<v Speaker 1>but the first ever Grand Prix in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>was worth waiting for. Three men were still in contention

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<v Speaker 1>for an F one championship. Jack Brabham with a five

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<v Speaker 1>and a half point lead ahead of Sterling Moss and

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<v Speaker 1>Tony Brooks two and a half points behind him. The

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<v Speaker 1>weekend wasn't off to a good start for Jack. He

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<v Speaker 1>crashed his Cooper in practice and spent the whole night

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<v Speaker 1>fixing the car. In qualifying, Sterling Moss got pole position,

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<v Speaker 1>Jack was second and Tony Brooks fourth. To claim the championship,

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<v Speaker 1>Jack had to either finish first or at least ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of Moss and Brooks. Moss had to place first or

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<v Speaker 1>second in front of Jack, and for Brooks it was

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<v Speaker 1>do or die. He'd need to win and rely on

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<v Speaker 1>other results. Race day arrived, starting on pole, saw Moss

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<v Speaker 1>set the pace early, leading the grid. Brooks was the

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<v Speaker 1>first challenger to falter. He collided with the Ferrari on

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<v Speaker 1>lap one and dropped way behind. He never recovered. Jack's

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<v Speaker 1>job just got a little easier. Meanwhile, Moss was flying

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<v Speaker 1>at least for the first six laps. He made contact

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<v Speaker 1>with two other cars, which saw him enter the pits.

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<v Speaker 1>A mechanical failure meant he had to retire. The championship

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<v Speaker 1>was Jack's for the taking. With cars retiring one by one,

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<v Speaker 1>Jack stormed ahead, but he still had to contend with

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<v Speaker 1>his Cooper teammate Bruce McLaren. The pair battled for the lead,

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<v Speaker 1>but surprisingly kept things pretty civil. It all came down

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<v Speaker 1>to the final lap. Jack had got into the race

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<v Speaker 1>with a light fuel load, giving the Cooper a small

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<v Speaker 1>advantage in speed and acceleration. But no strategy in Formula

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<v Speaker 1>One comes without a risk. As Jack pushed for the win,

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<v Speaker 1>his car suddenly began to sputter and rapidly slowed down.

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<v Speaker 1>Running out of fuel is perhaps the most embarrassing way

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<v Speaker 1>for a driver to bow out of a race, but

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<v Speaker 1>that's exactly the scenario Jack Brabham was now facing in Florida.

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<v Speaker 1>His car came to a complete stop short of the

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<v Speaker 1>finish line as his competitors flew past him. With Moss

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<v Speaker 1>and Brooks out of the picture, Jack had the championship

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<v Speaker 1>in the bag, but now he was fighting for his

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<v Speaker 1>own pride. Jack got out of the car and began

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<v Speaker 1>to push. It was pure grit and determination. He pushed

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<v Speaker 1>his coup at the last few hundred meters down the

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<v Speaker 1>track and rolled over the finish line. Jack had finished

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<v Speaker 1>the race in fourth place and won his first Formula

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<v Speaker 1>One drivers Championship. He collapsed beside his car, exhausted. Jack

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<v Speaker 1>Brabham was a world champion. Jack went on to win

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<v Speaker 1>two more F one crowns, the third being one in

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<v Speaker 1>a car of his own making. His success helps solidify

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<v Speaker 1>rear engines as the norm in Formula One, forever changing

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<v Speaker 1>motor racing as we know it. Sir Jack Brabham, a

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<v Speaker 1>world champion and AUSSI champion. Thanks for hanging out in

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<v Speaker 1>the ballroom. I'm Tony Armstrong and you've been listening to

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<v Speaker 1>an iHeart production. See you next time for another story

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<v Speaker 1>from the wonderful world of sport. Catcha