Famous name to make Silverstone debut

Next month's final two rounds of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Silverstone will see the famous Brabham family name represented in the series for the first time with Matthew Brabham, son of Geoff and grandson of Formula One legend Sir Jack, set to make his UK race debut.

The 18-year-old, who has dual Australian/American nationality, will drive a Cliff Dempsey Racing prepared Tatuus FR 2.0 as part of his prize for winning the Team USA Scholarship and arrives in the UK off the back of claiming the USF2000 Championship a couple of weeks ago.

Having started his motorsport career in karts at the age of seven, the third generation racer moved into cars at just 14-years-of-age in 2009 and competed in Australian Formula Ford before this year turning his attention to the American scene and USF2000 where he claimed four victories and seven other podiums on his way to the title in his rookie season.

“I’m really looking forward to Silverstone”, said the Florida-born youngster, “My grandfather, dad and uncles [David & Gary Brabham] all raced in the UK and I’ve heard all the stories of those times so it’s always been one of my main aims to come to the UK, and Silverstone, to race.

“It’s fantastic to have the opportunity from the Team USA Scholarship to join Cliff’s team and to try the BARC car. I haven’t tested it yet but it looks awesome, the car looks really cool. I’ve watched some of the racing on You Tube and it looks fantastic so I can’t wait to get out there.

“I always go into all my races with the same attitude, I want to win, but this is a new challenge and we’ll have to see where I end up. If I’m in a position to be at the front, great, but I’ve never raced the guys in this championship before so I’m not sure what to expect. It’s best to keep an open mind.”