Double Grand Prix Win By Brabham

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31114, 18 July 1966, Page 14

Double Grand Prix Win By Brabham

(N.Z.P.A. R*ut«r — Copyright) BRANDS HATCH. The Australian, J. Brabham, won the British Grand Prix on Saturday. He drove a car of his own make, a Repco-Brabham, as dia D. Hulme, of New Zealand, who was second.

Brabham became the first man in motor racing history to lead both the drivers and manufacturers’ world championships. He now has 21 points in the world championship for drivers, 10 points ahead of his nearest rival, J. Rindt Third in the race at Brands Hatch was G. Hill in a 8.R.M.; J. Clarke was fourth in a Lotus; Rindt of Austria was fifth in a Cooper Maserati. B. McLaren, of New Zealand, was sixth. Brabham's time for the 212 miles—Bo laps of the 2.65-mile circuit—was 2hr ISmin 13.4 sec at an average speed of 95.48 m.p.h. He also had the fastest lap time of Imin 37sec, a speed of 98.35 m.p.h. The 40-year-old Australian led from the start, and at the end had lapped every other driver except his teammate, Hulme. At the end of the day Brabham shared the lead in the manufacturers’ competition with Ferrari. McLaren won his first world championship point with his own McLaren car. While the track remained wet it seemed that the Coopers, which were shod with rain tyres, would be a threat to the Brabhams. But as the track dried out they began to fall back, and soon they were overtaken. "That’s the first target reached,” McLaren said after the race. “Now we must try for the higher places. After

all. It took Brabham tlx years to get to the top in hw car. Hulme lay well back at the start. "It was very at first, and there was 320 anl.es to go. so what was th* P»‘"t In pushing it too hard then? teammate, C. Amon, also a New Zealander, drove one of McLaren a *P or *’ cars into third place In the sports car race and was unlucky not to win. After a mishap on the first lap when he was lying ••cond —the leader spun him—he found hlmeelf pushed back Into sixteenth P>*c«. Yet it was only by a matter of yards that he failed }<> snatch the lead on the last lap.