Grand Prix racing has seen some exceptionally talented drivers who, according to many, epitomized the 'born-to-race' tag. And then were others who went one step further to completely redefine international competitive racing. The legendary Jack Brabham is one of the few racing drivers that belong to the latter category.

A mention of the name Brabham brings to mind two main achievements of the racing legend – the first racing driver to receive a knighthood and the only champion to win in a car of his own make. Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham became the first driver in grand prix history to receive a knighthood for his lifelong services to motorsport and record-breaking achievements. Also, he is the only driver in the history of the sport to have won a world title in a car of his own make. Brabham became a triple world champion when he drove his own construction, the BT19, to victory in 1966. A look at his glorious career brings to life some of the most eventful years in grand prix racing.

Jack Brabham, was born on April 2, 1926 in a small Australian suburb of Sydney called Hurstville. As the son of the town's greengrocer, Brabham had little interest in fruit and vegetables. Instead, from a very early age Brabham had a proclivity towards motor vehicles. This budding interest led him to drive and repair his father's delivery vehicles, long before he could secure an official license to drive. Realising his son's keen interest in motor mechanics, Brabham's father enrolled him in a technical college where he could study practical engineering. However, by the age of 15, Brabham had already opted out of school and joined an engineering shop, which later earned him the position of a mechanic in a local garage. World War II saw Brabham enlist in the Royal Australian Air Force in Adelaide, with the ambition to fly aircrafts but was however restricted to train, as a flight mechanic to meet the wartime demands. Following the war, Brabham established a small repair business in Sydney in 1946, with the help of an uncle in the construction business.

The 1950's introduced Brabham to oval racing in Australia, which gave him the opportunity to establish his name as a racing driver. A friend who used to race midgets on dirt track ovals initiated Brabham's lifelong connection with motorsport. Brabham first started as a racecar constructor for his friend and then took over as a racing driver following his friend's retirement. After being crowned as the champion of the Australian oval championships for four successful years, Brabham switched to hill climb championship and secured his maiden crown in 1953 in a British-built Cooper-Bristol racing car.

The year 1955 marked Brabham's grand prix debut at the British Grand Prix where he drove his own Maserati 250F. In the same year, he joined the Cooper Car Company racing team. This new partnership led to the production of the first Formula One (F1) cars with rear engines by the Brabham-inspired Cooper team which charged to the lead in the F1 championships, previously dominated by the mighty front-engined Italian and German roadsters. Having constructed and raced numerous sports cars in different motorsport championships, Brabham was able to convince the Cooper team for constructing a rear-engined F1 car which provides far better traction as the weight of the motor is concentrated on the powered rear wheels. The Brabham-designed Cooper immediately tasted success in its first full championship season of 1958 when Stirling Moss clinched the Argentinean grand prix. However, the highlight of the Cooper team's racing career came in the years that followed under the lead of its Australian driver.

Brabham won two successive World Championships for Cooper in 1959 and 1960 and heralded his arrival in F1 championship racing. He soon came to be nicknamed as 'Black Jack' in regards to both his dark hair and his unusually silent personality. This low-key profile of the Australian, had led many to believe that his Championship win in 1959 was more of stealth than skill, but his dominance in the 1960 season left no room for doubt in the minds of his greatest critics. Brabham trounced every opposition in the nine-race 1960 season, winning consecutive races in Holland, Belgium, France, Britain and Portugal.

After a relatively poor performance in the 1961 season, Brabham left Cooper and founded the Brabham Racing Organisation with fellow Australian designer, Ron Tauranac. In 1962 they launched the first Brabham F1 car, the Brabham BT-3 which made its debut at the German GP. The Brabham team secured its first victory in the 1964 season when Brabham's teammate Dan Gurney was the first to cross the chequered flag at the French GP. Gurney repeated this feat at the Mexican GP of the same season.

In 1966, the 3-litre formula for F1 cars came to be introduced by the F1 federation. Determined to make a comeback, Brabham entered into a partnership with an Australian automotive manufacturer, Repco to produce a new 3-litre Formula One engine from a venerable Oldsmobile V8 design. At this point there were many who regarded Brabham's 1966 venture as a futile attempt considering he had recently turned 40. Brabham though, had other plans as he looked at the 1966 season as an ideal opportunity to churn out his best performance yet. The 1966 F1 season surely did belong to Brabham, as he emerged victorious in the Dutch, French, British and German GPs. This remarkable winning streak awarded Brabham his third world championship and the pedestal of becoming the first and only driver (yet) in GP history to win the championship in a car of his own make.

Brabham ended his splendid racing career at the end of the 1970 season, which included his final victory at the South African GP. Following his retirement he sold the Brabham team to Bernie Ecclestone and permanently retired to Australia. As a tribute to his lifelong dedication to auto motor racing, he was officially crowned as the first knight in the field of motorsport in 1985. Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham was also honoured recently at the 2006 Monterey Historic Automobile Races.