At the 80th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport we hosted an incredibly special and emotional reunion between four legends of F1: the Brabham BT52, its designer Gordon Murray, its driver Ricardo Patrese and the man who ran the team, Herbie Blash.
Forty years on from the 1983 season that saw Nelson Piquet take his second F1 world championship behind the wheel of the Brabham BT52, a car that Murray had hastily drawn up after ground effect cars were outlawed just six weeks before the opening race of the year.
Alongside Piquet, Brabham had Ricardo Patrese, who through a mix of mistakes and horrendous reliability that year ultimately found himself reduced to the role of a glorified test driver. He finally got everything together in the final race at Kyalami to win and prove his worth.
That exact car that he drove in the 1983 South African Grand Prix, chassis number six, was the one that he climbed back into 40 years later for some laps of the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit, and what an emotional moment it was.
We got Patrese, Murray and Blash together with the BT52 for a moment of reminiscence, and it was fascinating to hear what they had to say about this incredible era of F1.
Tickets for the 81st Members’ Meeting are now limited for both Saturday and Sunday so make sure you book now to avoid disappointment. Also, if you purchase your tickets before 31st March you’ll be automatically entered into a competition to win a VIP Package for you and a guest to enjoy at the event.
Video
Ricardo Patrese
Gordon Murray
Herbie Blash
Brabham
BT52
80MM
Members' Meeting