The Brabham BT60 was the final series of

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing cars built for the

Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...

Formula One motor racing team. Designed by

Sergio Rinland Sergio Rinland (born 17 March 1952) is an Argentine engineer best known for his work in Formula One. He is currently owner and managing director of the automotive engineering and management consulting company Astauto Ltd. Career Born in Buenos ...

, they raced in the

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

and 1992 Formula One World Championships. The car brought to a close Brabham's 30 years of construction of purpose-built racing cars, which began with Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac and the Brabham BT1

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...

design in 1961.

BT60Y

The first car, the BT60Y, was powered by the Yamaha OX99

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The fi ...

. It was driven by

Martin Brundle Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver, best known as a Formula One driver and as a commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011, and Sky Sports since 2012. Brundle contested the 19 ...

, who was returning to Brabham and Formula One again after driving for

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

in the

1990 World Sportscar Championship The 1990 World Sportscar Championship season was the 38th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the 1990 FIA World Sports-Prototype Championship for Drivers and the 1990 FIA World Sports-Prototype Championship for Teams, ...

. The team's second car was driven by Formula One rookie Mark Blundell. Brabham only scored three points in 1991, with one 5th-place for Brundle, and Blundell scoring one 6th-place finish. The team finished 10th in the Constructors' Championship.

BT60B

For the

1992 Formula One season The 1992 Formula One World Championship was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested ...

the team used a modified version of the car, dubbed the BT60B, which was powered by the Judd GV V10 engine. The cars were driven by Eric van de Poele from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and Italian rookie

Giovanna Amati Giovanna Amati () (born 20 July 1959) is a former professional racing driver from Italy. She is the most recent female driver to have entered the Formula One World Championship. Brought up in a wealthy background, Amati was kidnapped in 1978 be ...

. Part way through the year Amati was replaced by another Formula One rookie, future World Drivers' Champion Damon Hill. The BT60B was the last Formula One car produced by Brabham. The season was a complete disaster for the once great Brabham team. After van de Poele qualified 26th and last and finished 13th (again last) at the opening race in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, neither car qualified for a race until round nine, the

1992 British Grand Prix The 1992 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 12 July 1992 at Silverstone, Northamptonshire. It was the ninth round of the 1992 Formula One World Championship. The 59-lap race was won by Nigel Mansell for the Williams-Renault ...

, where Hill qualified 26th. Two races later the team had its last race meeting in Formula One, at the

Hungarian Grand Prix The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. History Origins The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...

, where Hill gave the team its highest finish of the season finishing 11th, some four laps down on race winner Ayrton Senna.

BT61

Brabham fell into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

and attempts were made by RM Motorsports to buy the team. During this time, the company engaged Galmer Engineering to build a successor for the BT60B. The BT61 would have competed in the season, but development of the car was never completed after RM Motorsport failed to name what engine would be used or pay Galmer Engineering for their work. The company never completed the purchase of the team and the team was eventually

liquidated Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

Complete Formula One results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

{{F1 cars 1992 Brabham Formula One cars 1991 Formula One season cars 1992 Formula One season cars