Brabham's Fascinating New Open Source Le Mans Team Lets You Become A Motorsport Engineer

All motorsport fans will know the name Brabham. In 1966 Sir Jack Brabham became the first - and only - man to win a Formula 1 World Championship in a self-built car. The manufacturer that wore his name would go on to be hugely successful, but it’s been more than 20 years since we last saw a race car wearing the famous name.

That’s about to change, though, as Brabham Racing is back, and it’s going against the grain once more. The team has started a crowdfunding campaign to enter into the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, and race at Le Mans 24 Hours. If all goes to plan, Brabham aims to use the same process to enter Formula 1 and Formula E teams.

The way it works is by giving access to a web portal for fans, drivers and engineers. Those who pledge as fans get unrivalled access to the team, while those who fund through the drivers’ package get a three-year subscription to comprehensive online driver training. Perhaps the most intriguing concept, however, is the engineer portal. It allows the community to contribute to the development of the race car, as well as providing training to those who want to learn more.

The initial goal is to raise £250k, which will help set this whole project up. It looks highly likely that it will be successful, with the amount raised increasing every time you refresh the page. Should the team exceed its expectations, it has outlined how much the next stages of development will cost. £500k will help to finalise the cloud-based portal, as well as building up background staff. £2.5m is required to purchase the team’s first car and a factory to develop it in, while £8m is required to get the team into the World Endurance Championship.

If you’re interested in getting involved, check out the Indiegogo page outlining the project’s finer details, and get involved! It’ll be fascinating to see if this works out, as we’d all love to see the Brabham name back in motorsport.