Jack Brabham says F1 `not a sport?

He still has clear memories of the day at Sebring in Florida when he he took the 1959 title driving, and then pushing, his tiny rear- engined Cooper F1 car to a landmark victory which changed the direction of grand prix motor racing.

Jack recalls how his team boss, John Cooper, missed adding one can of fuel as he was topping the tank on his car. And how his mechanics circled the car as he pushed it 500 metres to the finish line, ensuring there was no outside assistance or any chance of disqualification.

"The drama at the end of it, when I ran out of petrol, is something I will never forget," Sir Jack says this week from his home on the Gold Coast.

"I managed to get the car over the line and was informed I was in fourth place and got the championship. It was quite a surprise."

But no bigger than the surprise of realising it is now 50 years since his championship. And that, at 82 years of age, he is now a living national treasure for any Australian with an appreciation of sporting

- not just motorsport - success.

"It's a long time, isn't it? At least I'm still here to talk about it, which is the main thing," Brabham says.

But he is doing it tough, as his health is fading.

Brabham has been almost famously deaf for more than 40 years, but now he needs regular dialysis sessions and he is much more frail than the robust youngster who headed to Europe in 1955 after winning his first Australian Grand Prix. By then he was already a top-notch dirt-track speedway driver with incredible car control and a gift with machinery that would eventually see him found his own Formula One team.

Brabham is still a close follower of F1, even if his health keeps him away from the races. He watches television with an insider's eye and an incredible wealth of knowledge.

But he does not like some of what he sees.

"It's really not a sport any more, is it? It's big business," he says bluntly.

"A lot of money and a lot of technology, but at least they are trying to curb the technology now which is a good thing. The driver asistance from the technology has been there for quite a while. In my opinion, it spoils the racing."

"My era of racing was a lot different to what we've got today, and it was more of a sport. The drivers really enjoyed racing with one another and mixing with one another. It does not seem to happen today."

Brabham lost a lot of friends and rivals during his career, which ran for more than 15 years through one of the most dangerous periods in F1 history. He began as a young tearaway and jokingly hobbled to the grid for one of his last races, aged 44, with a fake beard and cane.

"I lost 30 friends when I was racing. It was so dangerous. People getting burned to death and everything," Brabham recalls.

"The danger when I was racing was pinpointed by the number of drivers we lost. Unfortunately we lost a lot of mates. The cars were not strong enough and the circuits were extremely bad. All that mixed up was a very dangerous situation."

"The fifties and sixties were very dangerous. It wasn't until Jackie Stewart started to law down the law that we got some improvements."

"It was always a problem, but it didn't stop us from driving. We kept going out there and tried very hard not to be one of them."

Brabham's rivals have passed into the history books, and many have passed since they stopped racing, but he is clear on his toughest rivals.

"The first one, of course, was Juan Fangio. Even though I only raced with Fangio a couple of times.

Stirling Moss was probably the top driver that I drove with. I learned a lot from Stirling. He was the top of the tree when I went to England.

"Jim Clark was quite a good driver too. A very good driver. The only trouble with Jimmy was he didn't have a lot of feel for the car. He wasn't very good at setting the car up, although he certainly could drive the car.

"The other driver I really enjoyed driving with was Jochen Rindt. He was a very good driver, and a hard driver, but I could drive wheel-to- wheel with him without the fear of being knocked off. We had fantastic tussles and then had a laugh about it afterwards."

These days Brabham has firm opinions on the great and the good on the grid.

"Nothing has changed really, over the years. The competition out there has always been to beat Ferrari. And that's been from year one. They have won races and had top cars," he says.

"There are some very good drivers out there today, and some good ones coming on as well. It's a better sign than what we've seen for a while.

"I think the same top drivers are going to be there as we had last year. The top drivers always get there anywhere. The regulations have changed and the cars are different, but regardless of that the top drivers always get there.

"Fernando Alonso is one who came and raised very quickly to being one of the top drivers. He will be a force to be reckoned with this year with the Renault, because it sounds like the Renault is going very well. Renault have always been able to come up with a top car. That's a good combination.

"Of course we've got the McLaren team, which will be one of the top ones, and Ferrari.

"Lewis Hamilton, in my opinion, will be the top guy this year. What he did last year was fantastic."

Brabham also has a tie to McLaren, as company chief Ron Dennis began as a mechanic in his Formula One team.

"Ron Dennis has done a very good job actually. He was one of my mechanics in the early days and he was a very good organiser.

"Particularly all the spare parts and things.

"He had what was necessary really to do the job he's done. I really think he has done a fantastic job. I didn't think so to start with, but it didn't take him long to prove himself. Now he's been on top of the world for a long time, probably will be again this year."

But what about Australia's current F1 favourite, Mark Webber?

"Poor old Mark hasn't had much luck. Riding a pushbike is dangerous anyway. He was lucky to get away with that, really.

"Let's hope he's got a bit more luck during the year and the car goes a bit better for him. Hopefully he will do a bit better this year.

"He's proven that he can drive. Unfortunately he's had so much bad luck going against him. Hopefully this year he can turn that around."

Brabham is keen to see what will unfold at Albert Park this weekend for the first race of the 2009 season.

"It's always interesting to see how the cars perform, and who has done their homework during the winter.

And, after watching his sons Geoff, David and Gary make successful careers as racers, he has another Brabham to watch in 2009.

"My grandson Mathew has done a fantastic job so far in karting. He started racing when he was seven and he is now just turned 15 and in that time he has won four state championships and done very well. I think he's got the makings of a top driver."

So Black Jack has seen and done almost everything in motorsport and has a treasure trove of memories. But one, above all, sticks in his mind as he thinks back through 80-plus years and the 50 years since that first championship and the long push to the line in the Florida heat.

"The thing that really sticks in my mind was winning the championship for the third time in a car bearing my own name in 1966, and also doing it with a Repco engine that was made in Australia. I don't think that will ever happen again. That was really the pinnacle for me."

FAST FACTS

John Arthur Brabham

Born: April 2, 1926 in Sydney

Career:

Flight mechanic in World War II

Garage owner

Speedway racer in Australia

Formula One driver

Formula One team owner

Grand prix record:

World titles: 3 - 1959, 1960, 1967