Thanks to their father, the name Brabham rose to legend status well before Geoff and David ever won Le Mans. A three-time Formula 1 world champion, Sir Jack Brabham (1926-2014) was the first world champion at the wheel of a rear-engine single-seater (1959, 1960) before becoming the only driver to date to win the trophy at the wheel of an F1 bearing his name (1966). The Australian only took the start in the 24 Hours three times, in 1957 (15th), 1958 and 1970 (retirements). Prior to retiring from competition, he won his final international victory at the wheel of a Matra prototype at the 1970 1000 km of Paris with François Cevert.

Born in 1952, Geoff Brabham spend the bulk of his career in the U.S., competing at the Indianapolis 500 a staggering 10 times between 1981 and 1993, with as best result fourth place in 1983. His exceptional career in the IMSA includes four consecutive titles from 1988 to 1991 with Nissan. During that golden era, he took the start in the 24 Hours with the Japanese marque in 1989 and 1990, but both early participations ended in retirements.

1993-2009 | Two wins, a hat trick and a one-two

Geoff's talent did not go unnoticed by Jean Todt, the head of Peugeot's sporting activities at the time, who teamed him with Christophe Bouchut and Eric Hélary (two young French drivers he discovered at Le Mans) at the wheel of a 905 prototype in 1993.

Having qualified in sixth position, the trio reached the provisional podium in the fourth hour before definitively taking the lead shortly before 04:00 on Sunday. Geoff was given the honour of the final stint, passing under the chequered flag victorious at the wheel of the #3 Peugeot 905. For his last 24 Hours, the Australian and his teammates offered Peugeot a stunning hat trick completed by Thierry Boutsen/Yannick Dalmas/Teo Fabi (second) and Philippe Alliot/Mauro Baldi/Jean-Pierre Jabouille (third).

By the time his big brother had claimed the top step on the podium in 1993, David Brabham, born in 1965, had already kicked off a nearly two-decade tenure at Le Mans, first as a factory Toyota driver for his rookie participation in 1992 (retirement).

On the heels of fifth place in 1995 with a McLaren F1 GTR, David enjoyed a long collaboration with Panoz and its spectacular front-engine prototypes from 1997 to 2002. The following year, he joined Bentley and scored his first overall podium finish, trailing winners Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Guy Smith for a one-two.

David then took part in another British marque's return to the 24 Hours: Aston Martin. Two class wins at the wheel of a DBR9 in 2007 and 2008 earned him a seat in a Peugeot prototype at the 2009 24 Hours, replacing Jacques Villeneuve.

The French constructor dominated the 77th 24 Hours in its duel with Audi begun in 2007. First, with pole position for the #8 908 HDi FAP of Sébastien Bourdais/Franck Montagny/Stéphane Sarrazin. Then, shortly after 20:00 on Saturday, the car's technical problems allowed the #9 of David Brabham/Marc Gené/Alex Wurz to snatch the lead and never let go. David not only joined his brother Geoff in the hall of fame at Le Mans, but also in American endurance racing with two consecutive titles in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 and 2010. He finished his last 24 Hours in sixth place in 2012 sharing a Honda HPD with British driver Peter Dumbreck and Indian driver Karun Chandhok.

The Brabham dynasty boasts a whopping 25 participations in the 24 Hours: three each for Sir Jack and Geoff, 18 for David and one for Gary (the third son, born in 1961). Though they never shared a car at Le Mans, Geoff and David Brabham remain the only siblings ever to win the famous Australian touring car race, the Bathurst 1000, in 1997 with BMW.

In recent years, after a grueling legal battle, David has succeeded in recovering the intellectual property of the family name. He has therefore been able to relaunch manufacturer activities, first with a large crowdfunding campaign, then with a sporty mid-engine GT called the BT62. Released in 2018, it was followed by a modified version BT63 in 2021 with the goal of participating in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours in the near future.

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1993-2008-2009 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: along with Christophe Bouchut and Eric Hélary (here at the wheel), Geoff Brabham gave the Peugeot 905 its second consecutive win in 1993; Geoff Brabham handing the wheel to Eric Hélary after a stint; David Brabham (at centre) during the Drivers' Parade at the 2008 24 Hours with teammates Antonio García (foreground) and Darren Turner, the class winning trio with an Aston Martin DBR9 that year; the following year, David Brabham (at right) clinched the overall win with a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP shared with Marc Gené (at left) and Alex Wurz (at centre).