THE ALMS IS PUMPED THAT ACURA HAS COME ABOARD...this is also good news.
Danbury, Conn. – David Brabham is returning to prototype racing, having signed with Highcroft Racing to drive its Acura-powered LMP2 entry for the 2007 American Le Mans Series. It is the first prototype ride for the Australian star in the Series since 2003.
Brabham, a winner 12 times in the Series, will join a yet-to-be-named partner for the full season in Highcroft's Acura-powered Courage LC75. He turned his first laps in the car Tuesday and Wednesday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I can't even begin to tell you how I feel at the moment," Brabham said. "Working with Highcroft and Acura on this new venture is a fantastic opportunity. It is an amazing program and I'm delighted to be part of this new era in sports car racing.
Highcroft is one of three teams that will field Acura-powered LMP2s for the 2007 season. Andretti Green Racing and Lowe's Fernandez Racing are the others. Team owner Duncan Dayton, who will drive the car at Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the Monterey Sports Car Championships, expects to make another announcement shortly to name Brabham's full-season partner for the 2007 season.
"After being away from Prototypes for two years, I'm really looking forward to getting out there on the track and mixing it up with everyone," Brabham said. "After being in GT cars for the last couple of years, it was nice to get back into a Prototype, push the car to its limit, and then work with everyone at Highcroft and Acura to extend that limit. It's a great program to be part of."
Brabham is one of only a handful of drivers to have at least one victory in seven of the eight Series seasons to date. He has 12 career wins: seven in prototypes and a combined five in GT1 and GT2. He is the only driver to post wins in three different classes.
His most recent triumph came in March at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring where he won with Scott Maxwell and Sebastien Bourdais in a Panoz Esperante GTLM. He also won there in 2005 with Aston Martin.
"I'm thrilled to have David on board to help Highcroft Racing develop our new Acura Courage LMP2 package," said Dayton. "He's not only an extremely talented driver, but his extensive experience working with so many different marques will be a great help with our chassis development program."
"I'm very pleased to have David as part of the Highcroft team," added Danny Sullivan, the team's senior advisor. "Duncan and I are trying to build a professional, first-class team with our partners, Acura/HPD. David will be a great asset to that team. He brings experience, professionalism, development capabilities, and a winning spirit to our organization."
Brabham's impressive resume includes class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Petit Le Mans and the Rolex 24, as well as an overall victory in the Bathhurst 1000. He drove for both the Brabham and the Simtek Formula 1 teams in the 1990s.
Brabham also has driven the ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen and the Krohn Barbour Lamborghini in the Series in 2004. In 2003 he drove the Prodrive Ferrari and for Team Bentley.
Prior to that he recorded several successful seasons in LMP900 for Panoz, primarily paired with Jan Magnussen. He has had other factory rides with BMW, McLaren, Toyota and Jaguar in the past.
The 41-year-old son of two-time Formula 1 champion Sir Jack Brabham and the brother of former IMSA star Geoff Brabham said he is delighted to be joining Highcroft Racing.
"After being away from Prototypes for two years, I'm really looking forward to getting out there on the track and mixing it up with everyone," he said.
"The team is very professional," he added. "Its facility in Connecticut is amazing; it's one of the nicest race shops I've ever seen. It's a fantastic facility for the team to be based out of. I'm really excited about the upcoming season."
Born in England, Brabham grew up in Australia and is an Australian citizen, although he now resides in Maidenhead, England.
Sullivan said additional announcements would follow concerning other key personnel the team will add prior to the Series' annual Winter Test at Sebring on Jan. 22-24.
For more information on the team, see highcroftracing.com. Brabham's Web site is at davidbrabham.com, while the series' Web sites are at americanlemans.com and imsaracing.net.
Highcroft Racing Selects David Brabham To Drive Its Acura Courage in the ALMS
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