The Rennmax name was applied to a series of open wheel racing cars and sports racing cars constructed by Rennmax Engineering in Sydney, Australia between 1962 and 1978. [1] Rennmax Engineering was established by Bob Britton in 1961, its name derived from the German word "Renn", meaning race and the abbreviation "max", for maximum. [1]
Although Rennmax cars are often referred to by model designations such as BN2, BN3 etc., Britton claimed that the origins of these were unknown to him and in practice he did not even stamp chassis numbers on his creations. [2] The following list utilises these unofficial model designations and also includes models which were built by Rennmax Engineering but raced under names other than Rennmax.
The first Rennmax chassis, built for Noel Hall in 1962, utilised numerous components from Hall's Cooper, including a 2.2-litre Coventry Climax engine. [2]
The Rennmax BN1 was a single seater racing car incorporating concepts from the Lotus 20 & Lotus 22 designs. [3] At least 6 examples were built circa 1962–1964. [3]
The Rennmax Vee was a Formula Vee racing car produced in series for Greg Cusack and Bruce Burr. [4] Nine cars were built during 1965–66. [1] The cars were originally referred to as CBs but each example was later renamed to "Rennmax". [2]
The Mildren Maserati was a sports racing car built for Alec Mildren in 1965. [4] It was constructed in the style of the Lotus 23, utilised various components from a Cooper T51 and was powered by a 2.9-litre Maserati Type 61 engine. [4]
A series of replica Lotus 23 sports racing cars were constructed [4] in the mid 1960s. [2]
The Matich SR3 sports racing cars were constructed by Rennmax Engineering for Frank Matich. [2] Bob Britton then accompanied Matich to the United States when he competed in the 1967 Can-Am season. [2]
The Rennmax BN2 was a one-off single seater model, based on the Brabham BT14 and built for Max Stewart in February 1968. [5] It used a 1.5-litre Ford twin cam engine. [5]
The Mildren, based on the Brabham BT23, was produced for Alec Mildren in 1968. [6] Initially power by a 1.6 Alfa Romeo engine, it later used a Waggott powerplant. [6] Racing as the Mildren Waggott, the car was used by Max Stewart to win the 1969 Australian Formula 2 Championship, the 1970 Australian Formula 2 Championship and the 1971 Australian Drivers' Championship.
The Rennmax BN3 was an open wheeler design derived from the Brabham BT23-based Mildren. [6] Five examples were built between 1968 and 1971. [6]
A Rennmax sports racing car, powered by a 2-litre BMW engine, was built in 1970 for Doug Macarthur. [2] A second chassis was built the following year for Ray Hanger who also commissioned another example in 1982. [2] This model has been referred to as the Rennmax BN6 [7] although this designation has also been applied to an Australian Formula 2 car of 1974. (see Rennmax BN6 (Formula 2) below)
The Rennmax Repco was a one off sports racing car built in 1972 for Lionel Ayers and powered by a 5-litre Repco V8 engine. [4]
The Rennmax BN6 was a one off prototype of the BN7 Australian Formula 2 car of 1974. [4] The BN6 designation has also been applied to the 1970-71 Rennmax sports racing car. (see Rennmax BN6 (Sports racing car) above).
The Rennmax BN7 was an Australian Formula 2 car of 1974, four of which were built. [1]
A second Formula Vee design was released in 1975. [1] Fourteen examples were built. [8]
Brabham is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac the team won four Drivers' and two Constructors' World Championships in its 30-year Formula One history. Jack Brabham's 1966 FIA Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.
Sir John Arthur Brabham, was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in 1959, 1960, and 1966. He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name.
The 1966 Formula One season was the 20th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a nine-race series that commenced on 22 May and ended on 23 October. The season also included a number of non-championship races for Formula One cars.
Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retailer company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and it is best known for spare parts and motor accessories.
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle, March, Lola, Lotus, Elfin, Matich and Chevron.
Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the Ralt name. Tauranac won the 1954 NSW Hillclimb Championship in the Ralt 500.
The 18th BRDC International Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 14 May 1966 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. The race was run over 35 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and was won by Australian Jack Brabham in the Brabham-Repco BT19. With no Race of Champions in 1966, the International Trophy formed the first major race of the European season, being run just a week before the start of the FIA World Championship in Monaco. The 1966 season was significant, as changes to the F1 formula had allowed an increase in engine capacity from 1.5L to 3L. This then was the first opportunity for many teams to test their new cars against top-line opposition.
The Brabham BT19 is a Formula One racing car designed by Ron Tauranac for the British Brabham team. The BT19 competed in the 1966 and 1967 Formula One World Championships and was used by Australian driver Jack Brabham to win his third World Championship in 1966. The BT19, which Brabham referred to as his "Old Nail", was the first car bearing its driver's name to win a World Championship race.
The Repco Brabham BT24 was a Formula One racing car design. It was one of three cars used by the Brabham racing team during their championship-winning 1967 Formula One season. Only three BT24 chassis were ever raced.
Warwick Farm Raceway was a motor racing facility which was in operation from 1960 to 1973. Warwick Farm Raceway hosted numerous major events during its life such as the Australian Grand Prix and rounds of both the Australian Touring Car Championship and the Tasman Series.
Leo Geoghegan was a former Australian racing driver. He was the elder of two sons of former New South Wales car dealer Tom Geoghegan, both of whom become dominant names in Australian motor racing in the 1960s. While his younger brother Ian "Pete" Geoghegan had much of his success in touring car racing, winning five Australian Touring Car Championships, Leo spent most of his racing career in open wheel racing cars.
The Matich name was applied to a series of sports racing cars and open wheel racing cars produced in Australia between 1967 and 1974 under the direction of Sydney-based racing driver and engineer Frank Matich.
The 1965 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian national motor racing title open to racing cars complying with the Australian National Formula or the Australian 1½ Litre Formula. The title was contested over a six race series with the winner awarded the 1965 CAMS Gold Star. It was the ninth Australian Drivers' Championship.
The 1967 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Australian National Formula or Australian 1½ Litre Formula regulations. The winner of the championship was awarded the 1967 CAMS Gold Star. It was the 11th Australian Drivers' Championship to be awarded by CAMS.
The 1968 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title open to racing cars complying with the Australian National Formula or the Australian 1½ Litre Formula. The title was contested over a six-race series, with the winner awarded the 1968 CAMS Gold Star.
The 1969 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Australian National Formula or Australian Formula 2 regulations. The championship was contested over a six race series with the winner awarded the 1969 CAMS Gold Star. It was the thirteenth Australian Drivers' Championship to be awarded by CAMS.
The Brabham BT3 is a Formula One racing car. It was the first Formula One design to be produced by Motor Racing Developments for the Brabham Racing Organisation, and debuted at the 1962 German Grand Prix. The Brabham BT3 was the vehicle with which team owner – then two-time World Champion – Jack Brabham, became the first driver ever to score World Championship points in a car bearing his own name, at the 1962 United States Grand Prix. The following year Brabham also became the first driver ever to win a Formula One race at the wheel of an eponymous car, again driving the BT3, at the 1963 Solitude Grand Prix. The BT3 design was modified only slightly to form the Tasman Series-specification Brabham BT4 cars.
The Mildren name was used on a series of racing vehicles constructed for, or acquired by, Australian racing team owner Alec Mildren during the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Repco Brabham BT26 was a Formula One racing car design. A development of the previous BT24, its Repco engines were unreliable, but following a switch to Cosworth DFV engines it scored two World Championship Grand Prix wins and finished runner up in the 1969 World Constructors' Championship.
The Brabham BT7 is a Formula One racing car. It was raced by the Brabham Racing Organisation and several privateers from 1963 to 1966. A development of its predecessor, the Brabham BT3, the car proved to be competitive during 1963 and 1964, taking Dan Gurney to two victories. Technical issues prevented the BT7 from scoring better results. The car was equipped with a more reliable Hewland gearbox compared to the Colotti-Francis in the BT3. Malcolm Sayer from Jaguar Cars was consulted to give input for the revised chassis. The slick aerodynamics proved particularly strong at high speed circuits such as Monza or Spa. Its successor, the BT11, was a slightly altered BT7 aimed for customers such as Rob Walker or Jo Siffert.