BrianRedman

Origins

Brian Herman Thomas Redman was born in 1937 in Burnley, Lancashire, England. He started motor racing in club-level Triumph TR2s and Lotus 7s in the late 1950s, working through British clubman racing while running a small motor business in Bolton. He moved into Formula 2 and Formula 5000 in the mid-1960s, establishing a reputation as one of the most consistent and intelligent racers in British single-seater competition. The Formula 5000 success earned him a Cooper-BRM Formula 1 seat for 1968.

Rise

Redman made his Formula 1 debut for Cooper-BRM at the 1968 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, finishing third in only his third Grand Prix start. The podium debut was extraordinary — Cooper-BRM was a midfield team and Redman's pace was consistent throughout the season. He raced Formula 1 sporadically through the early 1970s, accumulating 12 World Championship starts with eight points and one podium. His true career was elsewhere — Redman became one of the most successful international sportscar drivers of his era.

Championship Years

Redman's sportscar achievements are extraordinary. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans GT class in 1969 driving for Porsche. He won the World Sportscar Championship class titles in 1968, 1972 and 1973 driving for Porsche and Ferrari. He won the Targa Florio three times (1968, 1970, 1971) and the Sebring 12 Hours twice. His Targa Florio 1970 win in a Porsche 908 alongside Jo Siffert remains one of the most celebrated wet-weather drives in Sicilian mountain road racing history. He raced and won across European, American and South African sportscar championships throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, becoming one of the most international and accomplished sportscar drivers of his generation.

Style and Legend

Redman's combination of Formula 1 podium finishes and sportscar championship class wins across multiple manufacturers (Porsche, Ferrari, Chevron, BRM) made him one of the most versatile international racers of the 1960s-1970s. He raced Formula 5000 in America in the mid-1970s, winning three consecutive American Formula 5000 championships (1974, 1975, 1976) for Carl Hogan Racing — the only driver ever to win three consecutive American F5000 titles. The triple championship combined with his sportscar pedigree made him, by the late 1970s, the most successful British international racing driver of his generation outside Formula 1's championship-front-runner ranks.

Beyond Racing

Redman moved to America in the late 1970s and ran the Brian Redman Racing Schools at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, and Road Atlanta, Georgia, throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He became one of the most prominent racing instructors in the American motorsport community and taught generations of American open-wheel and sportscar drivers his racing techniques. He also competed as a vintage racer in classic Porsche, Ferrari and Chevron sportscars at events including the Goodwood Revival, the Monterey Historic Races and the 24 Hours of Le Mans Classic. He has written extensively on his racing career, including the autobiography "Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks" published in 2016. He returned to Lancashire periodically into the 2020s and remains a celebrated figure in British and American historic motorsport. The Targa Florio victories, the Le Mans GT championship class win, the three American F5000 titles, and the Cooper-BRM 1968 South African podium combine to define one of the most varied and accomplished careers in 1960s-1970s international racing.