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FIA F3 World Cup: David Brabham – 30 years on...

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11.11.19

Australian reflects on incredible Macau Grand Prix success

Being the son of a three-time Formula One World Champion comes with its fair share of pressures, particularly if you also have desires to become a professional racing car driver, but in 1989 Australian David Brabham delivered in spades at the Macau Grand Prix.

Having already cut a rapid ascent through the ranks of Australian motorsport, Brabham moved to Europe full-time in 1989 to take on the main class in the ultra-competitive British Formula 3 Championship, winning the highly regarded series at the first attempt.

To prove it was no fluke he then went on triumph in Macau at the end of the year, against one of the strongest fields in the event’s illustrious history.

Brabham beat Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine, Allan McNish, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Karl Wendlinger, Alex Zanardi and Julian Bailey, to name but a few, to claim the Macau Grand Prix trophy and launch his international career.

He subsequently moved to Formula 1, before enjoying a successful time in touring car and sportscar racing.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of his wonderful Macau success, the FIA recently caught up with David to ask him about his memories of that famous race back in 1989...

What are your recollections of the 1989 Macau GP? “I have very fond memories of Macau in 1989, I had heard so much about it as it was a very prestigious event to win. There has been some amazing drivers race there, so to join them was something special. The track had a reputation of being unforgiving and not easy to learn, so it was a real challenge.”
 
You competed against the likes of Schumacher and Hakkinen and many more that year – just how tough was the level of competition? “Just those names Schumacher and Hakkinen says enough..! Yes, the grid was full of top drivers that year, lots of people say it was one of the strongest in history. We had the top competitors from the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden so it was super competitive.”
 
What did winning the Macau GP mean to you and for your career? “It was huge, the race is regarded very highly by people in F1 and winning it meant I received an F1 Super Licence. Having that win on the CV helped secure future work.”
 
People say Macau is one of the most challenging circuits in the world – is that how you remember it? “Yes it is, it is a very fast street circuit and making mistakes is easy to do. When I look back at the race I did, there was a lot of accidents and I was lucky to avoid any damage, this for sure helped me win the event.”
 
Finally, do you have advice or a message for the next crop of talent about to take on the Macau GP? “Remember it is a long weekend and a bit of patience is needed. Get into a rhythm quickly and keep the belief even if things don’t go according to plan.”