The only man to have designed, built, and driven a championship winning Formula 1 car is dead.  Sir Jack Brabham died at his home on the Gold Coast after a long battle with liver disease at age 88.

“He lived an incredible life, achieving more than anyone would ever dream of,” said his son David Brabham.

Brabham served as a mechanic in the Royal Australian Air Force in the last year of World War II.  He wanted to be a pilot, but there were already a glut of flyers, and Brabham was just too good of a mechanic.  He turned to racing in 1948, and after great success in Australia and New Zealand entered his first UK Grand Prix in 1955.  Sir Jack won the F1 championship in 1959, 1960, and 1966.