Remembering Jack Brabham and Tom Anderson

'Black Jack' and 'Wombat' are monikers connected to these two professionals who reached the top level of their sport.   Sir Jack Brabham and Tom Anderson were men from opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to racing. Jack  figured out how to make cars corner and run like a cat while Tom found a way to make a car go faster than almost anyone in a straight line.   I never knew either personally but I feel a connection to both.  As a teen ager, I read about Jack Brabham  and studied pictures of his cars in magazines. I also went to Watkins Glen many times in the late 60's and early 70's to see him, or cars bearing his name race.  As for Tom, he had moved to my hometown area, Macedon, NY where he was good friends with 'Bubby' , or Bubbs who owns Macedon Auto Parts. I frequently shopped at Macedon Auto Parts for my project cars and often for Contant's gas station and detail shop where I worked.  If you have not read my recent blog about 'Why Men Race", you might want to scroll down a couple of posts and take a look, then read these articles I posted about Sir Jack and Tom.  You will find a common bond- the bond that racing meant so much to them. We will miss them.


Sir Jack Brabham     Three time F-1 Champion and brilliant engineer

This is not a Brabham,

But this design, the rear engine car was introduced as a successful and viable design at Indy by Jack
“Every time an Indy car runs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you can find roots that trace back to Jack Brabham’s rear-engined Cooper Climax T54 that he drove to 9th place in the 1961 Indianapolis 500,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president

And at the other end of the racing spectrum:

Racing - Quarter Mile Style
Using lessons learned from Tom, I'm sure.

Tom Anderson Passes     Drag racer and tuner extraordinaire. In 1982 Tom was the first to reach 5.7 seconds in a funny car.  Partnering with Jim Wemett, Tom had some excellent years in competition as described in this link.