Brabham Returns To P1 For Le Mans With Peugeot Sport

Press Release

Date: Monday 9 January 2009

 

Brabham Returns To P1 For Le Mans With Peugeot Sport

 

Double Le Mans GT1 class winner David Brabham is set to return to the P1
category for the Le Mans 24 Hours 2009 race with Peugeot Sport, it was
announced at a Paris press conference today, Monday 9 February. Brabham, who
lives in Henley-on-Thames, will chariot the new-liveried Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
in his bid to take his third consecutive Le Mans victory in the year that
his father, Sir Jack, celebrates the 50th anniversary of his first Formula
One World Championship crown.   

 

The legendary Australian sports car ace, born in Britain, is one of nine
drivers completing the Peugeot Sport line-up this year. In addition to Le
Mans, Brabham will also contest the Spa 1,000 kilometres in May, all with
the full approval of Patrón Highcroft Racing and Acura to take the drives
alongside his American Le Mans Series commitments.

 

A seasoned Le Mans veteran dating back to 1992, Brabham already boasts
back-to-back GT1 class victories (in 2007 and 2008) with Aston Martin
Racing, for each of which he and teammate Darren Turner received the BRDC
Wolf Barnato Trophy as the highest-placed British or Commonwealth driver/s
in a British car.

 

The 43 year-old will return to the P1 category at Le Mans in 2009 for the
first time since 2003 when he teamed with Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell
in the Bentley EXP Speed 8 and finished second. Already the most successful
driver in the history of the American Le Mans Series, boasting pole
positions and race wins in all four categories, Brabham will be hoping to
get one step closer to repeating the feat at Le Mans by capturing a P1 and
outright win this year.  

 

The Brabham family is enthroned in the history of Le Mans. Sir Jack first
tackled the mammoth endurance race back in 1957, two years before he took
his first of three Formula One World titles. In fact, each of the three
Brabham brothers have taken on the Le Mans challenge with Geoff competing
several times and taking overall victory in 1993 in the Peugeot 905 Ev1
while Gary raced with Porsche in 1989. 

 

“I’m absolutely delighted to be asked to drive the Le Mans 24 Hours with
Peugeot Sport and I am very grateful to Duncan Dayton and Patrón Highcroft
Racing, John Mendel and Acura, and Erik Berkman at Honda Performance
Development for giving me their blessing to race once again in this historic
event,” said Brabs. “I’m really looking forward to racing at both Spa and Le
Mans and to continuing the testing programme leading up to the events. 

 

“I had the opportunity to drive the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP at Barcelona last
week, which was also my first time at the track since I last raced there in
Formula One in 1994. The car and the turbo diesel engine are naturally
completely different to what I am used to but it was a great experience and
I left the test extremely optimistic of Peugeot Sport doing well at Le Mans
this year. It’s been fantastic to be able to win the GT1 class for the past
two years and this drive gives me a great opportunity to go for outright
victory and three wins in a row.”

 

Attached Photography – courtesy of www.peugeot-media.com, Grégory
Lenormand/DPPI 

David Brabham Peugeot Sport Launch 2009 – David Brabham speaking at the
Peugeot Sport Press Conference on Monday 9 February, Avenue de la Grande
Armée, Paris (France).

Peugeot 908 HDi FAP – The new 2009 liveried Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. 

 

-Ends-

 

For further information on David Brabham, including his career history and
biography, visit  <http://www.davidbrabham.com/> www.davidbrabham.com 

 

For further information and photography contact:

Emma Spearing, Hazel PR:

Tel: +44 (0)1202 862410  Mobile: +44 (0)7736 341828                 

E-mail:   emma.spearing@hazelpr.com

 

Emma Spearing
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