Project Brabham

[deltawing]

The moment you have to pay even the smallest amount of money to obtain even the slightest piece of information - that is not open source. I have nothing against the individuals behind the related projects, they are definitely trying to do something different and it perhaps it could be the stepping stone to something even more interesting to come, but these are not open source projects.

[rdjones]

I think this is fantastic and it's fantastic to the Brabham back.

As for the crowdfunding I think it's a good thing look at Rob Austin in the BTCC he used a simaller idea to get him on to the grid this year and he has massive support hopefully Brabham will get the same sort of support if not bigger.

Good luck to him.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Since I've seen a number of you posting about making a donation to the Brabham project I'm wondering why you gave money to that project over the Perrin one? Especially with a lot of folks being full of praise about Perrin's response to the whole Brabham project and the headlines it has created.

I can only think that the Brabham name gave you more confidence and/or the hyped presentation led to some sort of momentum that made you decide to donate.

Also would like to ask if you (the Brabham donator) are considering donating for Perrin as well.

Thx.

It's a good question. Like I said earlier in the thread I simply couldn't see Perrin coming to fruition. This Brabham project MIGHT come off. I'm under no illusions I'll get anything out of this apart from a few emails.

[Rodger Davies]

Similar to the above. I'm glad the Brabham name is back with the family and I feel more like there's a chance of him being able to use it for something commercially viable. That said, having scrutinised it a bit more, I don't know if it is any more possible and I feel like it's a bit unfair on Perrin if people support this idea, but I feel they might.

Similar to Simmi, I'm not expecting anything out if it but a P2 programme would seem much more realistic ambition for such a goal than a P1 construction.

I'm suspicious (I really don't like the 'we get the money if we miss the target' part), if understanding, of the way they're going about promoting it, but I think I've also been influenced by how wrong I was about the mere existence of the Lotus.

[TF110]

Its already over £80,000 in 2 days. I wish him well, and with these stats, he'll reach 250k in probably a week.

[davyboy]

As the current custodians of the Brabham name, David and Sam are handling something very precious. This is a highly ambitious but extremely risky venture. From what I've seen on here and those I've spoken to, people are opening their wallet on the advice of their hearts rather than their heads. But then when has motor sport been any different ? I wish them the very best of success.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Since I've seen a number of you posting about making a donation to the Brabham project I'm wondering why you gave money to that project over the Perrin one? Especially with a lot of folks being full of praise about Perrin's response to the whole Brabham project and the headlines it has created.

I can only think that the Brabham name gave you more confidence and/or the hyped presentation led to some sort of momentum that made you decide to donate.

Also would like to ask if you (the Brabham donator) are considering donating for Perrin as well.

Thx.

I like the Perrinn concept as well but the advantages of the Brabham project are in my eyes:

David Brabham is involved. A very popular sportscar driver with a long successful career. I don't see him trying something like this unless he is fully committed to seeing it succeed.

The Brabham Team. A lot of race fans are nostalgists, as am I, and it would be exciting to see the Brabham name return as a modern racing team.

One step at a time. The Brabham team plans call for the purchase of a P2 car and engine to get things going on the track. If this is the highest level the team ever attains, I will be completely satisfied and will have no regrets about donating, knowing I, in some small way, helped put a car on track in the WEC. If their plans work out and they are able to move up to P1 in a few years and ultimately F1, then that's fantastic! Contrasted to the Perrinn team which is attempting to jump some massive hurdles and start big with a P1.

Results. Whether the team shows up next year with a Ligier, HPD, Oreca/ Nissan, Honda, Judd, I would expect them to be competitive right away and racing for podiums and possibly wins. If the Perrinn team is able to make it on track with an in house designed LMP1, I expect to see them following all the factory teams, Rebellion and Lotus around for a long time.

I'm confident the Brabham team can at least exceed my expectations, but am not confident the new Perrinn car will ever even see the asphalt, as much as I would like for them to.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Mal

What is interesting also is that manufacturers also appear to have moved away (deliberately or otherwise) from Title sponsors so that it is clearer who the manufacturer is. The names on manufacturers cars to me now are mostly those that have provided a service - either free or at a special rate - as part of a contribution to that car.

Certainly not generally. True for WEC though. Look at F1 or WRC and you have hard time finding a manufacturer without a title/major sponsor (major = livery dominated by the sponsor's logo/colors). Which makes me believe there is some kind of problem with WEC. Maybe it isn't as attractive and manufacturers are asking too much. I'm still not going to believe stamping sub-brands/own slogans on the fin a la Audi is more worth it than "free" sponsorship money.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by TF110

Its already over £80,000 in 2 days. I wish him well, and with these stats, he'll reach 250k in probably a week.

The rate always drops after the first days. Getting the final portions even if small ones might be surprisingly hard.

[porsche91722]

I might be missing something here, but how is all this sustainable? If the theory is to show prospective, major backers, that the Brabham team has a lot of support, I think they are going to struggle. Good luck with that! I guess part of their model is to use all the avenues open to them via mainstream media, social media and whatever else, to get their story out there. His PR lady is working hard on that at the moment.
Being an Aussie, I've always admired the Brabhams, and especially what Sir Jack achieved, but I don't know about this. If all you expect, after you have donated to the begging bowl, is to feel warm and fuzzy, that's fine, but if it goes toes up, nobody should whinge about it.
BTW, I'll be just as pleased to see the Brabham team on the grid again, as everyone else.

[Paradise City]

So much of motorsport is done on a wing and a prayer and sometimes people even win on a wing on a prayer.

Brabham though has the name, the history, has appealed to a fan base in a fashionable way. Big sponsors might see that and like that. It's not just a vain nostalgia trip; they are doing something new. It may work. It may just work.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by deggis

Certainly not generally. True for WEC though. Look at F1 or WRC and you have hard time finding a manufacturer without a title/major sponsor (major = livery dominated by the sponsor's logo/colors). Which makes me believe there is some kind of problem with WEC. Maybe it isn't as attractive and manufacturers are asking too much. I'm still not going to believe stamping sub-brands/own slogans on the fin a la Audi is more worth it than "free" sponsorship money.

Not true for the 'manufacturers' in F1 of which there are very few. I don't know about WRC as I don't follow it.

[TF110]

Sure its true for F1 Mercedes? Petronas. Ferrari? Shell (marlboro). Red Bull? Infinity. When Toyota was there, Panasonic. Bar Honda? Lucky Strike.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Mal

Not true for the 'manufacturers' in F1 of which there are very few.

Check yearly entry lists from wikipedia and refresh your memory or something. It is probably easier to list the ones that did not have in recent years: I can only remember Honda with the stupid earth car livery. And right now McLaren, who lost Vodafone, probably gets money from Honda and still has pretty big SAP logo on the pontoon.

I don't know about WRC as I don't follow it.

VW (Red Bull), Hyundai (Shell, titlesponsor), Citroen (Abu Dhabi, titlesponsor, in past had Red Bull), Ford had BP, Abu Dhabi and Qatar but it's no longer been really a de facto factory team anyway.

[fergus_r]

The momentum of this has now slowed significantly (as many people expected) and the popular packages have sold out, so I think they will struggle reaching £250,000 unfortunately.

The only way I see it happening is if a few more people buy the £10,000 package, which I think is highly unlikely.

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by fergus_r

The momentum of this has now slowed significantly (as many people expected) and the popular packages have sold out, so I think they will struggle reaching £250,000 unfortunately.

The only way I see it happening is if a few more people buy the £10,000 package, which I think is highly unlikely.

They have raised over £160k in under a week in an offer that was always designed to be up for a month! Talk about glass half empty!! c.£2,500 per day would get them there and there are plenty of opportunities to give it a publicity punt

[Simmi]

Would love to see the project come to fruition. I've already parted with £25. Certainly won't be throwing anything else into the kitty but hopefully more people will.

I have to agree that the slowdown in funding isn't ideal - given that this initial goal equates to just 3% of what they need to set everything up.

I don't know what the project were aiming for by now or what constitutes success in this scenario.

Smashing the initial target would have shown investors that the desire is there from the fans. The amount raised is impressive but if it splutters over the line after a month does that send the same message? Depends on the investor.

The biggest Kickstarter campaigns have made millions of dollars within the first few hours. Okay that's not realistic for everything but I'm sure if you looked at a graph on how the funding rolls in a huge percentage of it is going to be at the start. After 250k they will surely need to begin their stretch goals which means finding more people.

[Paradise City]

On launch, these things get a blitz of demand, then it'll slow down. That's normal.

But it won't be the average punter who'll see it through. It'll be a few bigshot sponsors. I'm not unduly concerned, the historic name this outfit has will be an asset that will boost its appeal. I expect we'll see them racing. Whether they do enough to manufacturer chassis, well, that is a tall order.

[Ephaeton]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

c.£2,500 per day would get them there and there are plenty of opportunities to give it a publicity punt

Do you consider yourself as being an actor in this project?
Do you get any compensation for it at least?

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Ephaeton

Do you consider yourself as being an actor in this project?
Do you get any compensation for it at least?

No, actually I am one of those that have added to the total - but thanks for asking!

Look at it this way - if you think something is actually a good idea do you:

a. keep it to yourself, or
b. use your time to relay that sentiment to other potentially like-minded people.

How many times, on these pages, have members said things along the lines of "If we all put in a tenner......" Well boys and girls here's your chance!

[Mal]

There have been many attempts to get underfunded teams going over the years and it is personal choice whether people get behind it or not.

The Brabham name is definitely iconic in the motor racing world way beyond sportscars but David Brabham is principally a sportscar legend and has always been very supportive and open to the sportscar dedicated media. Therefore I see no reason why they shouldnt help in any way they can. As we all know the main protaganists in the sportscar media were enthusiasts first who turned their passion into their profession.

[Coach Ep]

Throwback Thursday, 'only' 7 years ago!

[davyboy]

Only 25 years ago... but put up for sale yesterday.

[Juntos]

Classy reply from Perrinn. Round of applause. Rumor has it British press favorite bald could be spreading more than just good cheer. And if it's true, then there's a test out there a few of you who might not be able to pass.

[carsten66]

Just a little reminder of the project… and like Graham said: Well boys and girls here's your chance!

No more lame excuses, it's time to act now, support Brabham, spend some bucks and let's get the project running…

It's as simple as that.