Repco to celebrate Jack Brabham in 2026
Twenty-twenty six marks 60 years since Jack Brabham made history, becoming the first driver to win the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship in a car of his own construction. The car that Brabham drove to that 1966 title, the Repco Brabham BT19, ensured Brabham won the Constructors’ World Championship in 1966, too.
Repco, a key backer of Brabham back then, will honour those 1966 championships in 2026.
Australia’s most successful Formula 1 driver, Brabham won 14 Grands Prix in an F1 career that spanned 16 years. In 1959, he became the first Australian to win the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship. Repeating the feat in 1960, Brabham won again in 1966. Those first two titles came with Cooper, while the 1966 crown was achieved leading his own team, which included engineer Ron Tauranac - the ‘T’ in all Brabham ‘BT’ car designations.
Knighted in 1979 for services to motorsport - the first F1 driver to receive such an accolade – Brabham’s other honours include Australian of the Year in 1966, induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and being made an Officer of the Order of Australia.
“Sir Jack Brabham and the Repco Brabham BT19 are powerful emblems of Australian capability and culture,” said Wayne Bryant, Chief Merchandise and Growth officer at GPC Asia Pacific, the parent company of Repco.
“Jack Brabham’s mastery as an F1 driver, constructor and team owner remains unmatched to this day. The Repco Brabham BT19 that powered him to these extraordinary achievements nearly 60 years ago stands tall amongst Australia’s greatest sporting icons.”
To honour Brabham’s 1966 accomplishments – and the BT19 he named the ‘Old Nail’ – Repco will allow people to see the car up close and see it being driven at a series of events throughout 2026.
The BT19 is currently on display at the ‘Formula 1 Exhibition’ in Melbourne, which opened in November at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and runs until 19 April.
Further events paying tribute to Brabham and the BT19 in 2026 will be announced in the coming months.
