Brabham has announced it will be joining the competitive esports scene today (March 8th 2022).
Teaming up with the Zansho Esports Group and Milton Keynes-based racing simulator centre Simply Race, Brabham will be joining the virtual grid this year as Brabham Esports.
Brabham was formed in 1960 by Sir Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac. Although originally hailing from Australia, the Brabham race team was UK-based, with Sir Jack holding the distinction of being the only F1 World Champion to win in a car bearing his name.
Many of F1’s most talented individuals have worked for the team through the years, including Gordon Murray, Charlie Whiting, Herbie Blash, and Ron Dennis, helping create iconic racing machines such as the BT46B ‘fan car’.
In recent times, Sir Jack’s son – and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans winner – David launched Brabham Automotive, building the BT62 racecar and piloting it to a win in its debut meeting at Brands Hatch, with an eye on competing at Le Mans in future. David Brabham is also spearheading the brand’s foray into esports.
Brabham Esports is set to make its debut in the upcoming Esports Racing League (ERL) by VCO this Wednesday, (8th March 2022) fielding AMG Mercedes GT3 cars with liveries inspired by the 1966 F1 championship-winning Brabham BT19.
Using Assetto Corsa Competizione, the team is aiming to mix it with the biggest esports names in the world, including Max Verstappen-associated Team Redline, Coanda Simsport and Romain Grosjean’s R8G Esports outfit.
The ERL also features racing across rFactor 2 and iRacing platforms, and Brabham Esports will be fielding cars inspired by more of its historic liveries, using the BT52 as basis for its iRacing Holden Supercar and the BT46B for its rFactor 2 Formula Pro challenger.
With the likes of Williams, Ferrari, and McLaren already investing heavily in their esports programs, another historic name from the world of F1 joining them on the grid is a real boon for esports racing round the globe.
“The creation of the Brabham Esports Team is an exciting new era, bringing over 70 years of our winning heritage and philosophy into the virtual racing world. This represents an exciting new journey as the Brabham brand enters an eighth decade, in which we hope to add success in the esports arena to achievements across Formula One, Le Mans and championships worldwide.” explained David Brabham.
You can watch Brabham Esports make its debut on VCO’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Broadcast starts at 1900 CET/1800 GMT on Wednesday 9th March.
What do you think about the Brabham name joining esports? Which is your favourite Brabham-inspired livery? Let us know in the comments below.
