Brabham BT23

Development

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.

Design

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 1,598 cm³ capable of delivering a maximum power of 200-220 bhp, 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.

Racing history

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.

A BT23 also saw service in Australian open wheel racing with Alec Mildren Racing having one (painted in Mildren's traditional yellow) for their drivers Frank Gardner and Kevin Bartlett. At first the BT23D was powered by a 2.5L Coventry Climax engine. However, as team boss Alec Mildren was also the official Australian importer for Alfa Romeo, he was able to obtain via the Autodelta the same 2462 cc V8 engine as used in the Alfa Romeo T33/2 Daytona endurance racing sports car. Bartlett won the 1968 Australian Drivers' Championships in the Brabham BT23D Alfa Romeo taking 3 wins (Lakeside, Surfers Paradise and Warwick Farm) and 1 second (Mallala) in the 6 race series. The car also contested the Tasman Series with Frank Gardner finishing 4th (with the Lotus 49T-Ford of Graham Hill) in 1968 including finishing 2nd in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Pukekohe, and Kevin Bartlett finishing 9th (contesting only the Australian rounds of the series) in 1969 with the car now dubbed the BT23E.

The Coventry Climax engine in the Mildren run Brabham produced approximately 250 bhp while the Alfa Romeo V8 produced approximately 315 bhp.

Formula One World Championship results

• 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.

Formula One Non-Championship results

References

References

1. Brown, Allen. (14 April 2023). "Brabham BT23 car-by-car histories".
2. Brown, Allen. (10 January 2022). "Brabham BT23C car-by-car histories".
3. "1967 Brabham BT23 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information".
4. [https://www.oldracingcars.com/australia/1968/ Australian Gold Star 1968 @ oldracingcars.com]