Brabham joins the virtual racing world with historically inspired simulators

Brabham Automotive has joined forces with UK racing simulator company Base Performance (BPS) to create a trio of cockpits inspired by its history in motor racing.

The Anglo-Australian marque, founded by David Brabham in 2018, claims each simulator is a homage to famous Formula 1 racers driven by Sir Jack Brabham – including the BT19, BT46B 'Fan Car' and the BT52.

Bringing the historic racers into the digital age, the simulators feature state-of-the-art technology to allow drivers to emulate the vehicles at a professional level – be they a home gamer, experienced racer, or somewhere in-between.

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BT19

Pricing for an individual simulator is set at £24,990 (AU$47,220).

The green and gold sim, BT19, takes elements from the 1966 car of the same name, which was raced to victory by Sir Jack Brabham in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship – his third at the time. It is famous for being the first and only vehicle designed by a driver to win the world championship.

Also known as the ‘Fan Car’, the BT46B serves as the basis for the red, white, and blue simulator (pictured at the top). It was introduced at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix to act as a counter to the Lotus 79, which was the first F1 car to take advantage of ground effects aerodynamics.

The dominant design of the BT46B design caused then-Brabham F1 team owner Bernie Ecclestone to decide to withdraw the car from the competition after just one race, following consultation with FIA, the governing body for the Formula 1.

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BT52

A blue and white livery on the final simulator is based upon the BMW-powered BT52, an F1 car designed for the 1983 season during the period of turbocharging for power-hungry teams and fans alike.

It took Nelson Piquet to his second world championship title, and was created by a design team led by famous F1 designer Gordon Murray in just six weeks, following the banning of ground-effect cars at the end of the previous season.

Each simulator includes a Precision Sim GPX steering wheel, steering motor from Simucube, speaker system and Sennheiser headset, as well as a Samsung 49-inch curved monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The sim runs Assetto Corsa software, which allows for BPS to update various aspects – such as the vehicles and race tracks – over the air, ensuring racers are kept as up-to-date as possible.

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“The Brabham Branding team is excited to not only be involved in such a great project, but also to see these incredible works of art come to life in a way that will inspire people to get behind the wheel and develop their driving skills,” said David Brabham, 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and founder of Brabham Automotive.

“As we continue to grow the Brabham brand through our Brand Partnership Programme, this new collaboration with BPS is the next exciting chapter where those who enjoy driving on simulators can be part of the Brabham journey.”

The connection between Brabham and Base Performance Simulators was sparked by founders David Brabham and Darren Turner, who raced back-to-back as part of Aston Martin Racing’s GT1 programme in 2007 and 2008.