VHRR preserve Sir Jack Brabham memorabilia

The Victorian Historic Racing Register's (VHRR) Melbourne club rooms now have the 'Sir Jack Brabham Annexe,' which was officially opened by the 87-year-old on November 24.

Brabham's famous BT19, in which he won the third and last of his F1 World titles in 1966, along with many of the Grand Prix trophies and other memorabilia from his distinguished racing career are now on permanent display in the annexe.

The opening was attended by many Australian motorsport identities, including five members of the original team at Repco that developed the World Championship-winning Repco Brabham V8 engine.

Although unable to attend, Prime Minister Tony Abbott sent a video message in which he described Brabham as being an inspiration to future generations.

"Now after being a motor racing World Champion, you have recently championed awareness of macular degeneration," Abbott said.

The Sir Jack Brabham Annexe was created by the VHRR as a tribute to Sir Jack, who has been the Register's Patron for many years. VHRR member John Blanchard donated the area off the main clubrooms for the museum, while a team of members led by Bob Harborrow - who owns the original Maybach I racing car that Brabham competed against at the beginning of his racing career - worked to complete the facility and gather the '66 trophy and other memorabilia.

One of the largest items on display is a wall-size photograph of the start of the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, donated by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, while the trophies include those from Brabham's first Grand Prix victory at Monaco in 1959 and the trophy he received for winning the French Grand Prix at Reims, in which he stated his goal - as always - was to "beat the Ferraris"!

Brabham was humble at the opening of the Annexe, saying he was proud to be Patron of the VHRR, thanking the Register for giving his memorabilia a permanent home.

Asked if he would change anything about his career, given the chance, he replied: "No regrets. I would do it all almost exactly the same if I had my time over again."

Shannons, a long-time supporter of the VHRR, sponsors the Register's annual historic motor racing events at Phillip Island, Sandown and Winton. www.shannons.com.au.