Warwick Brown

24/12/1949

Record updated

A tough and tallented Australian racing driver who made just one Grand Prix appearance int he USA in 1976. He raced successfully in F5000 and Can Am.

Warwick Brown
Warwick Brown started racing with a Brabham before he aquired the ex-Niel Allen MLaren M10B. He showed promise in 1972 so for the following year's Tasman Series he bought a Lola T300 (HU4-2). His season ended in disaster in February, with a big crash at Surfers Paradise. His injuries were terrible, his feet being very badly mangled as the tub wrapped around underneath itself. In fact many Lola F5000 drivers cars ended up with the limp due to the lack of strength in the footwell area. Warwick was hospitalised for three months and he was left 2 inches shorter than before!

He was back behind the wheel of his old M10B in 1974, winning the final Tasman round at Adelaide. He then set his sights on US F5000. During a successful trip he competed in three races and took third place at Riverside.

He won the 1975 Tasman title before heading to America again where he was to compete very successfully, especially for the VDS team, in both F5000 and Can-Am until 1979.

He made just one World Championship Grand Prix appearance. It came in 1976 when Chris Amon, who was driving for the Wolf Williams Team, was inured in Canada.

Brown was brought in for the United States Grand Prix to drive the Wolf Williams-Cosworth FW05, which was actually an old Hesketh. He finished 14th.

1978 he finished second in the Can-Am Championship behind Alan Jones, both driving Lola T333CS Chevrolet. He only took one win but a run of five second places and two thirds early in the season saw him finish comfortably ahead of Al Holbert (1 win) and Elliot Forbes-Robinson (2 wins).

During his career he also raced saloons and competed at Bathurst. He retired at the end of the 1979 season to take care of the family business.



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