The Brabham BT23 was a formula racing car built by Brabham in 1967. [1] [2]
The Brabham BT23 was a formula racing car built by Brabham in 1967. [1] [2]
The BT23 was designed as a Formula 2 racing car and most of the vehicles of this type were also used in this racing series. There was also a Tasman version and some BT23s were converted for Formula One by private drivers.
The car was equipped with a tubular chassis in space-frame configuration, while the engine that equipped it was a Ford-Cosworth FVA, a 4-cylinder in-line of 1 600 cm³ capable of delivering a maximum power of 200–220 bhp (150–160 kW), which droves the rear wheels through a F.T.200 Hewland five-speed manual gearbox. The suspension consisted of double wishbones, coaxial coil springs, and a stabilizer bar in the front section and inverted lower wishbones, trailing arms, coil springs, and stabilizer bars in the rear section. The braking system consisted of four disc brakes.
The car had a space frame, which was reinforced by load-bearing plates in the Tasman version. Jochen Rindt dominated the 1967 and 1968 Formula 2 seasons with the BT23 at will. He won nine rounds out of 15 in 1967, but, being an A driver, did not score points for the European Drivers' Championship. [3]
Top drivers including Derek Bell, Kurt Ahrens, Piers Courage, Peter Gethin, and Robin Widdows piloted the BT23. In 1969, motorcycle racer Bill Ivy started his Formula 2 career in a BT23. Jochen Rindt found considerable success in it, winning 9 out of the 15 races in 1967.
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WCC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Gerhard Mitter | BT23 | Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | D | RSA | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | CAN | ITA | USA | MEX | —* | ||
 Gerhard Mitter | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| Roy Winkelmann Racing | F |  Alan Rees | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 1969 | Squadra Tartaruga | BT23C | Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | F | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | —* | ||
 Xavier Perrot | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| Paul Seitz | BT23B | Climax FPF 2.8 L4 |  John Cordts | Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||
* The entries in the 1967 and 1969 German Grands Prix were in the Formula 2 class and were therefore ineligible for World Championship points or classification.
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Roy Winkelmann Racing | BT23 | Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | F | ROC | SPC | INT | SYR | OUL | ESP | |
 Jochen Rindt | 6 | ||||||||||
| Alan Rees | 7 | 10 | |||||||||
| Witley Racing Syndicate | Robin Widdows | Ret | |||||||||
| George Pitt | BT23B | Climax FPF 2.8 L4 | George Pitt | DNA | 10 | ||||||
| 1968 | P&M Racing Preparations | BT23B | Climax FPF 2.8 L4 | F | ROC | INT | OUL | ||||
| Tony Lanfranchi | 7 | Ret | |||||||||
| 1969 | Antique Automobiles | BT23B | Climax FPF 2.8 L4 | D | ROC | INT | MAD | OUL | |||
 Roy Pike | DNS | ||||||||||
| Graham McRae | BT23C | Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 |  Graham McRae | DNA |
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