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Brabham Crowned American Le Mans Series Champion

David Brabham was crowned American Le Mans Series Champion 2009 in the final round at Laguna Seca, California. The 44 year-old signed off a sensational season with yet another podium finish to take third and add the ALMS title spoils to his Le Mans 24 Hours victory. 

The only driver to boast pole positions and wins in all ALMS classes, Brabham can now add the title to his illustrious CV after racing in the premier championship since its inception in 1999. 

Ten years on and an impressive race log of three pole positions, a hat-trick of wins, four second places, not to mention a recovering charge to sixth at Petit Le Mans, ensured Brabham secured the ALMS laurels. 

The Patrón Highcroft crew have been strong season long but their phenomenal effort to build a brand new car and make the penultimate Petit Le Mans round two weeks ago cemented their championship chances. Thanks to their heroic work, Brabham and team mate Scott Sharp entered the final round needing to complete just 70% of the race distance. 

The four-hour Laguna Seca race was not without incident for Brabham and the team who managed to escape a major incident with minor bodywork damage and overcome an electrical glitch to take the podium for the final time in 2009. 

“The Patrón Highcroft team has worked so hard for so long and it’s absolutely fantastic to finally take the ALMS championship title,” said Brabham. “We’ve been up against some terrific competition all year - de Ferran is a quality team with excellent drivers so it really means something to beat them. 

“I can’t say enough about the Patrón Highcroft crew. These guys are amazing — you just have to look at what they have achieved and bounced back from over the years to prove how good they really are. 

“This has been an unbelievable year for me. Winning the Le Mans 24 Hours was fantastic but it also means a lot to take the ALMS title. I’ve raced in the Series since 1999 and I’ve come close to winning the title before, so it’s amazing to finally do it. The ALMS means a lot to me, it’s like one big community and the racing is unrivalled. 

“I celebrated the 50th anniversary of my father, Sir Jack’s first Formula One World Championship title in 1959 at the opening Sebring round. I’m delighted to win both Le Mans and now the ALMS title during what is a special time for the entire family and something else to be proud of.” 

After qualifying less than one hundredth of a second off pole sitter Gil de Ferran, Brabham got a solid start to his final round assault and retained position before the first full course caution on lap three. When racing resumed on lap nine, a progressing Jon Field dropped Brabham to third until the Patrón Highcroft Acura reclaimed the place on lap 21. 

With a second safety car period within the first 50 minutes, Brabham took the opportunity to pit for fuel and tyres on lap 34. The restart on lap 40 went far from smoothly but Brabham’s lightening reactions saved the Patrón Highcroft car from serious harm, escaping with a tap from Oliver Gavin’s Corvette that caused only minor damage to the rear. 

A quick visit to the pits under the resulting third full course caution to remove the loose bumper bodywork and Brabham was back in the fray sixth overall and fourth in LMP1. Back to green flag racing on lap 44, Brabham had recovered up to fifth and third in class when he was forced to make an unscheduled stop to fix a failed gear sensor with just over two hours and 30 minutes remaining, losing two laps on the leaders. 

Rejoining in seventh with the electrical glitch resolved Brabham was able to push to climb back up to fifth and third in LMP1 by the fourth safety car period on lap 71. While the leading cars took the chance to take their scheduled stops, the splash of fuel during his last pit visit helped Brabham gain a lap back on the leaders. 

With racing under way again just over the halfway mark on lap 78, Brabham clocked up some of the fastest laps of the field to claw back lost time. Charging up to third overall and second in class, his final stint of the 2009 ALMS season came to a close after nearly two hours and forty minutes at the wheel. 

Sharp took over the Acura ARX-02a to drive the Patrón Highcroft team past the 70% race distance and clinch the championship in an impressive stint in cooling conditions to finish third. 

Brabham commented: “We struggled with tyres for some reason, we aren’t sure why. I just had a lot of pick-up I couldn’t clear and didn’t have much grip. We weren’t in a position to fight so we just had to keep safe but I nearly got caught up in a massive accident in turn two at one of the restarts. Luckily I only got clipped at the rear and we just had some minor damage we were able to sort in the pits. 

“The conditions were quite changeable, which affected the tyres, but we knew what we had to do and just got on with the job of winning the championship. I couldn’t be happier for Patrón Highcroft Racing today. This team is like family to me and to win the title with Scott means so much. It’s certainly been a year to savour.”

Brabham & Patrón Highcroft Fight Back To Take Title Fight To Final Round

David Brabham and the Patrón Highcroft Racing crew made a sensational comeback, after rebuilding a new car from scratch in 24 hours following Scott Sharp’s massive accident on Thursday, to score vital championship points in the 12th Petit Le Mans 1000miles/10 hour race at Road Atlanta. 

Brabham, together with Sharp and Dario Franchitti, repaid the team’s round-the-clock work to drive turn perfect through challenging weather conditions in a race that was eventually red flagged due to heavy rain. Their reward of a 21 point lead from de Ferran Motorsports takes the LMP1 title fight to the final round of the season at Laguna Seca on 11 October. 

Thankfully Scott Sharp walked away unharmed from a horrendous accident during Thursday’s second practice session that totalled the Patrón Highcroft Acura. An awesome effort by the Patrón Highcroft crew saw the car rebuilt from the ground up, turning a bare tub flown in from Honda Performance Development head quarters in California into a complete Acura ARX-02a in less than 24 hours. 

With around only 10% of usable parts left from the original car, the team worked through the night to assemble and attach a mind blowing 4000 mechanical components. The car was ready to roll by 5:45am - in time for Brabham to run in morning warm-up which was delayed due to heavy overnight rain. 

After starting from the pit lane, Brabham wasted little time slicing his way through the field up to seventh within 45 minutes and the Le Mans 24 Hours 2009 winner continued his charge to lie fifth after the first round of pit stops were complete. 

Brabham took advantage of the first full course caution after 90 minutes of racing to pit and handover to Sharp. Brabham had experienced issues with the steering wheel dash during his session and when the problem wasn’t resolved with the reconnection of the wheel during the driver switch, Sharp pitted again for a change of wheel. He joined the field for green flag racing in seventh. 

Taking the wheel of the new Acura for the first time, Sharp recovered sixth place and delivered a solid double stint through a session littered with four full course cautions. 

During the fifth full yellow, Sharp pitted on lap 150 to make way for Dario Franchitti but the Scottish IndyCar driver spent much of his stint sitting behind the safety car. 

Conditions took a further turn for the worse and the resulting downpour was so severe that the race was red flagged on lap 184, with the clock approaching the 4 hours and 50 minute mark. 

With conditions unchanged and parts of the track still water-logged, the chequered flag was waved and a full race result declared at 8.44pm.

Commenting on Patrón Highcroft’s awesome comeback to retain the LMP1 championship lead, Brabham said: “It’s really job done all round today after an unbelievable effort by the crew for the second year in a row, but the rebuild was much tougher this year. Thankfully Scott walked away from a really violent accident, which is a testament to the car’s strength and to the team, HPD and Wirth. 

“What the Patrón Highcroft crew has achieved here is magic. We had to wait for a new tub to arrive, but in that time the team jumped into action and did vital preparation work that helped them to build the new car ahead of schedule. It was amazing to see a team working in harmony towards a common goal. I wear the Humanity’s Team logo on my helmet in support of the Oneness campaign and this really was a perfect example of Oneness.

“A lot of good things came from this experience, not only the team’s effort but the offers of help we received, from teams up and down the pit lane to local businesses offering to stay open 24 hours if needed. That’s what makes the American Le Mans Series so special — you wouldn’t find it anywhere else. 

“The car felt fine out of the box, but I had a big problem trying to get enough traction out of the corners without getting a misfire down the straight. I had to drive conservatively, as I was worried someone might hit the back of the car because I was so slow out of the corners. I decided to try a TC setting I wouldn’t usually use and it cured the problem and I went two seconds a lap quicker. 

“There was a different mindset for this race, especially after the events of the last 48 hours. The mentality had to be to hold back and finish, which was weird as we are used to going for it and your natural instinct is to push. It was absolutely the right decision to end the race, which probably should have been stopped earlier as cars were spinning off under yellow and there was a lot of water on the track. 

“We leave here 21 points clear of the de Ferran team, who I was sorry to see had a tough race. The points difference means we have to get to 70% race distance at Laguna Seca to win the championship. We go there with a brand new car, although not too many spares, so the guys in the factory are going to be busy. We were quick there last year and got pole, so we have a good idea of the set-up needed which will give us a good base to be competitive. No doubt, it’s going to be a great battle for the fans.” 

After another sensational season in the ALMS with the Patrón Highcroft team, Brabham has once again made it through to the final poll for the ‘Most Popular Driver’ award. The British-born Australian was voted the fans favourite in 2008 after a stellar LMP2 campaign while Patrón Highcroft team principal Duncan Dayton is again elected a finalist in the ‘From the Fans’ category. Polls remain open through Sunday, simply log on to www.americanlemans.com to cast your vote.

Brabham Makes History With Victory At Le Mans 

David Brabham proudly took a place in the annals of Le Mans 24 Hours history with his first overall race and LMP1 victory, finally gifting Team Peugeot Total the coveted spoils on home soil and ending an era of Audi domination at Le Mans. 

The Australian has finally achieved his dream of taking the laurels at Le Mans, sealing a hat trick of different class wins in the process and granting him membership to a select club of drivers that can claim the same.  

Brabham, who currently leads the ALMS LMP1 championship battle, once again teamed with Marc Gene and Alexander Wurz. The trio drove faultlessly, turning their fifth place on the grid in to the race lead after just over five hours and 50 minutes. A position they refused to relinquish for the rest of the race, accept through the course of the odd pit stop. 

Fresh from the podium champagne celebrations, Brabham commented: “I think it might take a few days for this to sink in. It’s all quite unbelievable. What can I say? I am delighted that we could take the win for the team who have done a magnificent job. We had a faultless race, as I’ve had for the past two years with Aston Martin Racing. There’s been a lot of pressure on Peugeot and they’ve stepped up to the plate and delivered, it’s fantastic. 

“Our strategy was really to take care of the car; the tyres, the brakes — particularly the front brakes which were wearing a bit more than we would have liked. We just agreed to adjust our driving styles and keep within a consistent lap time target. We were running at a restricted pace but other cars were having problems, so it worked out ok. We didn’t make one mistake and that’s what it takes to win this race. 

“The amount of testing and analyses that Peugeot has done in the last six months is astounding. I don’t think that I have ever been involved in a programme so big. But that’s what it takes to beat Audi and Peugeot have done just that, which is really something. 

“It was a joy to drive with Marc (Gene) and Alex (Wurz). They are both very fast and very consistent drivers. We all got on very well and kept our focus together. It’s been a privilege driving with them. 

“This victory obviously means a lot to me. I was standing on pit lane with around thirty minutes to go when my good friend Justin Bell from Speed TV put his cans on my head. I caught the tail end of a conversation between Speed and my brother Geoff in Australia. That was pretty cool — definitely a personal highlight. I’ve just looked at my phone and I’ve got 63 texts already. I have received an enormous amount of support from my family, friends and work colleagues, and that means such a lot to me. 

“I would sincerely like to thank Peugeot Sport for inviting me to be a part of this fantastic programme and giving me the chance to win. And if it wasn’t for the backing of Patrón Highcroft Racing, Acura and HPD, I wouldn’t even be here. Thanks, guys.” 

The 43 year-old’s momentous victory has echoes of history repeating itself some 16 years after older brother Geoff took Peugeot to victory lane in 1993. Their father, Sir Jack, won the French Grand Prix in a car bearing his own name on the Bugatti circuit back in 1968, meaning David’s efforts today marks a further hat trick of success for the family. 

Race Report 

The #9 Team Peugeot Total made a solid start in the hands of Wurz to maintain fifth and charge up to third within the first four minutes. Wurz made his second pit stop under the first safety car, caused by debris on the track left by the #7 Peugeot’s puncture, to make an early handover to Gene. 

Gene climbed through the front runners from fifth to third before passing Mike Rockenfeller in the #2 Audi for second, to trail the leading #8 Peugeot of Franck Montagny by just over one minute and 50 seconds. 

Brabham jumped in to the hot seat approaching the three hour mark and joined the race in second, nearly three minutes down on the sister Peugeot. Clocking consistent lap times throughout his double stint on the same set of tyres, Brabham kept a constant gap of one lap to Stephane Sarrazin in the #8 Peugeot approaching the five hour marker. The second safety car period presented an obvious opportunity to switch drivers and Wurz took over from Brabham. 

As daylight began to fade over the historic French circuit, a series of events ignited the race battle. Sebastien Bourdais in the #8 Peugeot lost 10 minutes in the garage and then Lucas Luhr suffered a heavy off that would retire the #2 Audi while the #3 Audi endured several trips to the pits. 

Wurz charged in to the lead after five hours and 50 minutes to pull out a 43 second gap over the #1 Audi as the seventh hour approached. By the time Wurz switched with Gene an hour later that gap had doubled, with the #8 car now recovered to second place. 

Brabham was back in the car as the 10th hour approached and holding a one lap lead over the #1 Audi now in the hands of Alan McNish. As darkness fell about the La Sarthe circuit and the 11th racing hour dawned, Brabham and McNish simultaneously picked up the race pace. The pair lapped consistently in the 3’28-3’29 bracket for much of the next hour but Brabham kept McNish at bay and retained the margin. 

Brabham pit after a triple stint and Wurz took up the leading mantle nearing the 12th hour. At half distance the #9 Peugeot had completed 196 laps and continued to lead McNish with the #8 Peugeot third, just a few seconds adrift of the Audi. 

Gene joined the fray with around 12 hours and 30 minutes of racing complete still with a one-lap buffer to the #8 Peugeot which had jumped the Audi. The safety car and medical support crews were scrambled at the 14th hour following Benoit Treluyer’s sizeable accident in the #17 Pescarolo Peugeot from which he thankfully emerged unhurt. 

The 45-minute safety car period cut the #9 car’s lead down to 90 seconds until racing resumed and Gene increased that gap by over a minute with nine hours to go. A further 30 minute safety car period just 15 minutes later sliced the leading Peugeot’s advantage once again.

Arguably the most experienced Le Mans driver in the field, Brabham took the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP again at 7am. Although Montagny in the second placed sister Peugeot closed a little on the race veteran, Brabham held station just over 90 seconds up the track. 

With another triple stint in the bag and over 18 hours of racing complete, Brabham took the #9 Peugeot in to its 13th hour in the lead before handing over to Wurz. 

Team Peugeot Total took the opportunity to re-fuel and change the rear deck on the #9 car with minimal delay during a further safety car period barely 30 minutes later. As the final five hours came in to sight, Wurz led Sarrazin by nearly one minute and 50 seconds. 

And so the healthy margin remained as the race approached the final hour which wasn’t without drama - there was time for one more safety car. The field was finally released for the last 40 minutes of racing but with a one lap advantage, bar any technical gremlins, the #9 car seemed unreachable. 

The trio of Team Peugeot Total cars formed to lap line astern around the 8.4 mile circuit for the closing laps before Bourdais and Nicolas Minassian flanked Gene on his final run to the line and the chequered flag. 

ALMS

Brabham Scores Third Podium In Four Rounds To Retain LMP1 Championship Lead

David Brabham secured his third American Le Mans Series podium finish in four rounds with second overall despite setbacks at the Miller Motorsports Park, Utah, on Sunday 17 May. Brabham’s consistent form with the Patrón Highcroft team retains his place at the top of the LMP1 championship leader board as the season edges towards the halfway mark.  

Salt Lake City seals Brabham’s and team mate Scott Sharp’s double second-place finish of the season so far after taking Acura’s first LMP1 victory at St Petersburg and second at Long Beach last time out.  

Despite a good start for round four Sharp couldn’t hold off Jon Field, whose turbo powered Lola enjoyed a straight-line speed advantage thanks to the high altitude, but regained position on lap four. The precious laps spent trying to pass the Lola lost valuable time which would prove impossible to regain, especially when chasing an identical car, the de Ferran Acura.  

Brabham took control of the Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-02a approaching one hour in to the race after Sharp pit from a solid second place around 30 seconds behind the leading Acura. More time was lost when Sharp had difficulty loosening his left lap belt, delaying his exit from the car.  

Upon leaving the pits, Brabham realised that his left shoulder belt was not securely fastened, forcing him to slow on his out lap while he tried to get it in place, losing at least half a lap off race-pace.  

With Simon Pagenaud now in the de Ferran Acura nearly a minute up the track, the 43 year-old battled through the traffic to claw back around 12 seconds, setting the car’s fastest lap of 1:33.008 – mere tenths off the blistering pace set by the leading Acura.  

As the final hour approached, the quick-thinking Patrón Highcroft team brought Brabham in to the pits to take on fuel, deciding to double-stint the Michelin tyres in the hope of saving around 15 seconds. Despite their efforts, the safety car-free race did not play into their hands and Brabham settled in to conserve second place in the hunt for vital championship points.  

Brabham held fast and remained unchallenged to take the chequered flag as the only other car to finish on the lead lap, to complete an all-Acura podium.   

“Another second place has scored good points and our best result at Salt Lake City to help retain the championship lead, but it was a tough race for us today,” said Brabham. “We had a few hold-ups in the pits, which lost us a ton of time, and as I got on to the pit straight I realised that my left belt wasn’t secured. So I had to coast on part throttle and try to get this the pin in the buckle, or risk coming into the pits again.  

“When I finally got going I had a good first stint and I managed to get back a chuck of time, but there was still a big gap to the de Ferran Acura, so we had no option but to double stint the tyres in the pit stop. The Michelins were handling great but to double stint the tyres is a lot to ask around here and I began to lose grip up front and couldn’t make an impression on Simon [Pagenaud].  

“We lost around 15 seconds trying to retake second at the beginning of the race and it was an uphill struggle from there. I can’t remember the last ALMS race where we didn’t have a safety car and we could have really used one today, but we didn’t get the break. Our overall pace is there and I was quicker than Simon in my first stint, so we’ve got some positives to build on. We just need to take a look at our overall performance and step things up a gear.”  

Brabham Endures Challenging Spa 1000 Kilometres 

David Brabham endured a challenging race for the Spa 1000 kilometres today, his first outing with Peugeot Sport ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours next month. On-track contact caused the #9 Peugeot HDi FAP to undergo suspension repairs in the pits just over two hours into the race, dropping the car significantly down the order. Brabham battled back from 21st to 14th place before team mate Alexander Wurz brought the car home to finish 13th. 

Alexander Wurz delivered a positive start to the weekend for the #9 Team Peugeot Total car by completing an all-Peugeot front row alongside the #7 908 HDi FAP in qualifying on Saturday. 

Spaniard Marc Gené made a good start for the race on Sunday to hold second behind Nicolas Minassian in the sister Peugeot through two safety car periods in the first 30 minutes. Remaining in position throughout a solid stint, Gené pit and Brabham took the wheel as the race edged into its third hour. 

The double Le Mans GT1 class winner joined the fray in fifth place on lap 50, 41 seconds behind the lead Peugeot. Barely a handful of laps into his stint, the 43 year-old returned to the pits to get his car checked following on-track contact with the #28 Courage. He rejoined the race, made for the pits again one lap later and the car was rolled into the garage. 

Excellent work by the Peugeot Sport team ensured that the bent right rear wishbone was swiftly replaced to get Brabham back on track in just over 13 minutes under a safety car period, six laps down on the leading Peugeot in 21st place. 

After spending most of the first hour of his stint in the pits and circulating under the safety car, Brabham was finally able to go green flag racing after more than 30 minutes under caution, to try and claw back some lost time. 

Battling through traffic and the GT class contenders, Brabham marched through to 14th place and reduced the gap on the leaders to five laps. With yet another safety car period, Brabham took the opportunity to pit just before the four hour mark to pass the reins to his Austrian team mate. 

Shortly into his stint, Wurz returned to the pits to serve a four minute penalty following Brabham’s earlier incident and contact with car #28. The #9 Peugeot rejoined the race seven laps down on the leader in 15th place and Wurz worked his way up to 13th by the time the chequered flag fell. 

“It was a disappointing result for us today but we can still walk away with a lot of vital information to take forward to Le Mans next month,” said Brabs. “The number seven Peugeot had a faultless race and it’s great that Peugeot took victory at Spa. 

“I had a pretty frustrating race. I was overtaking another prototype and I thought I had enough room but he moved over, I tried to move to avoid him, but he tagged my right rear bending the wishbone. We lost a massive amount of time in the pits but the team did a fantastic job to get me back out there. When we finally got racing again after the safety car I managed to pick up a few places but the penalty we received for that incident obviously dropped us even further down. 

“Sometimes you learn more when you have a bad race and I’ve learnt a lot today and so has the team. We’ll be putting this race behind us and only taking the positives forward for Le Mans, which is the main prize. It’s still good to have my first race for Peugeot under my belt and I’m looking forward to next time out at Le Mans.”