A brush with Brabham

PHOTO emerges of Jack Brabham's 1961 visit with his prized Cooper Climax in Albury.

Clem Gabriel holds a photograph of Jack Brabham's racing car, a Cooper Climax, pictured outside his business, Clem Gabriel Motors, Albury, when Brabham raced at the Hume Weir Circuit in 1961. Picture: MATTHEW SMITHWICK

A GLIMPSE into the Border visit of Formula 1 world champion Jack Brabham in 1961 has emerged with this photograph of his prized Cooper Climax in North Albury.

It shows the racing car outside Clem Gabriel Motors, a petrol station and auto repair workshop that was on the corner of Mate and North streets, where Albury-Wodonga Heating and Cooling is located.

Mr Gabriel, 92, contacted The Border Mail in the wake of Brabhams death on Monday, saying the F1 dynamo was bankrolled by his fuel suppliers and he housed the Cooper Climax at his garage during races at Hume Weir in March 1961.

He was sponsored by Atlantic or Esso then and he raced on Esso oils and any time he was in the area he would deal off me, Mr Gabriel said.

Thats how it came about that he would fill up there and have the car there.

Sir Jack Brabhams Cooper Climax outside Clem Gabriels garage on the corner of Mate and North streets in 1961. Mr Gabriel is third from the left. The others are, from left, Bill Eddington (fuel company representative), Brabhams mechanic, service station attendant Doug Phelps and Brabhams driver.

Mr Gabriel said the racing car was accompanied by a mechanic and a driver who steered the FC Holden station wagon towing the trailer.

On one night during the Hume Weir meeting, Mr Gabriel said his mechanic and Brabhams repairman worked into the dark to change the gearbox set-up of the Cooper Climax to suit the small Border circuit.

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A brush with Brabham