MOTORSPORT: Brabham returns to open-wheelers

Gun-for-hire Matt Brabham will face off against Rubens Barrichello in Australia’s new single-seater racing category, S5000.

The one-time Indianapolis 500 starter, who led the world’s biggest race briefly in 2016, is the latest signing for the opening event of the new open-wheeler class at Sandown on September 20-22.

Brabham is a third-generation racer who has dabbled in a huge range of racing categories, winning in Formula Ford as a junior and most recently taking a Stadium Truck championship in the USA and leading this year’s series.

Now he is jumping into S5000, in a field which is headed by former Ferrari F1 driver Barrichello.

"I have obviously kept an eye on the development of the S5000 and was a bit excited when I got the call offering me a drive,” Brabham says.

“The S5000 looks like it will be fun to drive.”

The Brabham deal is the latest in a series of impressive moves by the Australian Racing Group, which is backing both S5000 and the fledging carsales TCR Australia Series, as well as taking on promotional deals for the Touring Car Masters and TA2 series for TransAm-style cars.

“Matt has a great background in various open-wheel cars, particularly in the US, and it will be good to see how he comes to terms with the S5000 car at Sandown when he goes up against Rubens Barrichello and other top tier drivers,” says ARG director, Matt Braid.

Brabham can track his open-wheeler roots to Sir Jack in the 1950s, through his father Geoff, who began in Formula Ford in Australia and had a best finish of fourth in the Indy 500.

Jack won the 1964 Australian Grand Prix at Sandown, providing another link to Matt’s new drive.

"Obviously the Brabham family has had links with open-wheel racing for many decades now and I am proud to be flying the flag in the first race of this new Australian-created formula,” he says.

"To be having the race at Sandown International Raceway is also pretty cool, considering its history in Australian motorsport. To have Rubens Barrichello also in the field is pretty cool and I am looking forward to seeing who else we will be battling against.”

The next step in the roll-out of S5000 is an open test at Phillip Island next week, before a 14-car shake-down in the week ahead of Sandown.

The first three drivers confirmed for the test are open-wheeler ace John Martin, who has already driven the car at Queensland Raceway, 19-year-old Formula 4 champion Luis Leeds and car racing rookie Beau Beaton, who is considering a switch from Superbike racing.

Martin is closing on an S5000 deal for Sandown and is keen to build his experience.

“These S5000 cars are so cool. I definitely want to be involved and there’s a lot of really positive hype and talk about it,” Martin says.

“It’s another opportunity to drive the car, and it’s a good opportunity to drive one of the new cars, tune it up with a view is to get as much knowledge as we can before Sandown.

“We certainly want to do Sandown, but I need a couple more things to fall into place before it is confirmed.”