DAVID BRABHAM I ACHIEVED SUCCESS ON MY OWN TERMS

With a junior racing CV that includes the British Formula 3 crown and a win at the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix, it is understandable that the doors will open for a young driver on his way to grand prix racing.

While that happened for David Brabham, it was almost a case of too much, too soon, as he tells us here. But the son of World champion Jack was determined to forge his own career, had a second crack at Formula 1 and then set off on a sensationally successful sportscar career.

Winning Le Mans outright in 2009 with Peugeot alongside Alex Wurz and Marc Gene was the crowning achievement, but Brabham’s trophy cabinet was full to overflowing already at that point.

There were two other class wins at Le Mans in an Aston Martin and huge rewards in the USA, including four class wins at Sebring and two titles in the American Le Mans Series.

Far from being a racing driver in the shadows of his father, Brabham steered his own highly successful path.

Now back in charge of the Brabham name following a seven-year legal fight, he has built his own sportscar, the BT62, and has plans to expand the brand even further. His career behind the wheel might not be the front-line project it once was, but his passion for motorsport continues to burn brightly.

The Australian took time out of his busy schedule to answer the Motorsport News readers’ questions and his answers are truly insightful.

Question: Some people have said that you were ‘discouraged’ from racing by your dad, while others say that it wasn’t a passion. What is the truth? Sophie Good Via email David Brabham: “It was a bit of both, really. My dad didn’t want me to drive. My two brothers were racing and he didn’t want me to follow. He had a farm and he wanted that to be looked after. He needed someone to take that over, so he never really encouraged me to go to a race or get into a go kart.

“When I was younger, racing just wasn’t something that was on my radar. For me, it was all about football and I had a passion for that. I wanted to do that for a job. I was OK at football. I wanted to play for Manchester United, but what kid wouldn’t want to play for their favourite team, right? My brother Geoff was a big Man U fan and he got me into football. When I was seven, I started playing football and Geoff said to me that he would pay me 20 cents a goal and two dollars for a headed goal when I played for a team in Sydney in the Seven Seas