Brackley celebrates Brawn win (Pictures)

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Ross Brawn and Nick Fry led the celebrations in Brackley

F1 Fanatic reader Scott Joslin was in Brackley on Monday to join in the celebrations for Brawn GP’s world championship win. Here’s his report from the celebrations.

A beaming Ross Brawn told the Brackley crowd this was the best moment of his F1 career. Certainly better than his first championship win with Benetton in 1994 – when his team was the target of angry Damon Hill fans following that infamous collision…

With the towns’ streets full with thousands of locals waving flags and singing along to "We are the Champions" Ross Brawn’s message throughout the day of celebrations was that while his team had won all before them in 2009, thoughts still had to go out to those that lost their jobs as part of the restructuring in March.

Three red open-top buses took the proud Brawn GP team members down the towns high street towards the small Brackley town market place to be greeted by thousands of local fans and the towns proud mayor. The main focus of attention for the fans was on the two characters carried up front of the team buses in a white open top Mercedes – Nick Fry and Ross Brawn.

Travelling the route from the factory little over a mile saw scenes and hysteria more like that usually reserved for pop or film stars. Once upon the large podium in the centre of the towns Market Place Brawn and Fry were presented with various gifts and presents on behalf of the town’s mayor and local authorities.

Mayor of Brackley Town Caryl Billingham talked to locals about the time line of events of the last 12 months, reminding everyone that they only found out about the potential severity Honda’s decision to pull out of F1 less than a year ago. The mayor was visibly overcome with emotion as she thanked the hard work and commitment by the teams management to save as many local jobs and careers as possible.

When the microphone was passed to Ross Brawn he further endeared himself to the locals by saying this was his proudest moment in his time in F1. He stated that at his time in Italy they never put on such a warm welcome and when he won his first championship for the Benetton team in 1994 as he returned to the Enstone teams base he was greeted large crowds of irate Damon Hill fans at the gates taking their frustrations out on him for Michael Schumacher’s collision with Hill thus robbing him of the 1994 championship. He thanked the town for its local expertise in F1 and the great access to a rich vain of skills and talent being based in F1’s Motorsport Valley.

Nick Fry thanked the hard work and commitment show by the teams employees especially over the dark winter months last year but also took the chance to thank all the teams backers that helped them out throughout the year.

Both men then took time to sign autographs for the towns locals and the many young school children who had been given the afternoon off had photos with the team principals.

This event was a breath of fresh air, fans were given the chance to ask questions of Ross and Nick as they worked through the crowd. The only slight negative was absence of any of the drivers. The only driver present was Anthony Davidson, who was seen waving from one of the open top buses along the route.

The locals of Brackley got their chance to revel in the success of the fairytale story of the team which employs over 400 local residences. Nick Fry closed summarising the optimism of the team, saying that he could never have anticipated a day like this 12 months ago and he was sure the team was in good shape for another attack on the championship and hoped to see the many faces again this time next year.

Here are some of Scott’s pictures from the event. You can find many more on the F1 Fanatic drop.io:

Button and Brawn, world champions

28 comments on “Brackley celebrates Brawn win (Pictures)”

  1. Congrats Brawn GP Team Ross and Jenson….

    It was a win truely deserved. Who would have imagined this day same time last year…..

  2. Prisoner Monkeys
    11th November 2009, 8:16

    How long is it goign to take for an inept journalist to decide that JB’s lack of presence is evidence of his going to McLaren?

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        11th November 2009, 13:20

        I do believe that was one of – if not the – first articles to run. I’ve seen it referenced in some of the earliest articles to come about.

        So in the end, it’s just the tabloids doing what tabloids do and making stuff up.

        Case closed.

      2. McEvoy is an idiot

  3. How many of the locals actually came out to cheer for Jenson Button, only to find out he hadn’t turned up?

    I take it he will be having his own parade in Monaco…

  4. Two points I’d like to make – why didn’t McLaren get such a reception in Woking?

    And if Lewis Hamilton had been absent from a similar McLaren event, I can just imagine the almighty **** storm that would have fallen on his head. Talk about disrespect from Button and Barrichello – they may be off to different teams next year, but without that car they would have been nowhere. Disgusting. I can’t imagine that they weren’t invited.

    1. The British are funny people indeed. They show their allegiance to a team that is hardly British & to a man who worked for the Italians for over a decade & didn’t miss a single opportunity to cheat against the British teams. Maybe McLaren don’t get the local support they deserve cuz they don’t want it. And Hamilton because he lives in Switzerland?

      I thoroughly understand Rubens not attending this event, but Button? Surely he’s going elsewhere.

      1. Er, Button lives in Monaco or is that different somehow?

      2. They show their allegiance to a team that is hardly British

        Maybe I should retract that part of the statement. Never knew they employ 400 local residents.

    2. They did – after Mika Hakkinen’s title victory in 1998. A section of the ring road around the town centre was shut down and Hakkinen did a demo run. There may have been something similar in 1999 too.

      My understanding is that it wasn’t repeated in 2008 because the council refused to cough up for the costs of the event(policing, shutting roads, etc). Perhaps Brackley Council took a different view?

      1. Typical rubbish way the Brits treat Lewis!

        1. Er, not really.

          Woking Borough Council’s decision was apparently based on it not being able to afford to stage the event during the recession. Presumably the identity and/or nationality of the driver was not an issue.

          Although, you might have thought that staging an event that would have attracted thousands of people to visit and spend money in Woking city centre might have justified the cost…

  5. JB was out running again that day, according to his Twitter!

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      11th November 2009, 11:10

      After only just getting back from the other side of the world. He was probably jet-lagged as all hell; if the parade had been on a different date, he probably would have been able to go.

      From reading th article, I’d say the parade wasn’t really a celebration of Button’s championship. It was of Brawn and his team, with their massive reversal of fortunes. If Button had been there, it probably would have taken the focus off the guys who kept the wheels turning all year long.

      1. Rubbish, it’s been a couple of weeks since Abu Dhabi. When McLaren had a celebration at their factory after the 2008 WDC win, Lewis was there after flying back from Brazil a couple of days before. How can Button STILL be suffering from jet lag?

        1. Maybe this is Button’s way of protesting for his pay hike?

        2. Prisoner Monkeys
          11th November 2009, 12:56

          Simple: he technically goes back in time because China is several time zones ahead. Hamilton might have made it to the parade because, as you said, it was several days later. Not the very next day.

          And maybe Jenson Button had a perfectly good reason for not going to the parade other than his not being involved with the team. Both Brawn and Button have said they’re going to wait several weeks after Abu Dhabi before starting serious contract talks, and it’s only been ten days since the race.

          1. But he can go running?

      2. As far as I understand it, Jenson had just got back from Japan. If he was indeed running on the same day then there’s no excuse.

        Jenson for McLaren then.

        1. He’s actually still in Japan, I believe, having got there on Sunday — making nuptial plans, or something, in which case his absence can probably be excused.

  6. Ross still seems pretty sure that he has JB for next year!

    Jenson has already had lots of admiration, personally I am quite glad he was not there so that Ross and Nick could get all the credit they deserve (maybe Button fellt the same, let’s hope so)

    1. Nick Fry is the unsung hero of the team. But he gets overshadowed by R.Brawn every time.

      1. And can’t wait to have Brawn GP rechristened as Mercedes.

      2. Fry was always (unfairly in my view) blamed for BAR and Honda’s failure to deliver. In reality that was more caused by Honda’s boardroom meddling in the team’s affairs rather than anything Fry was doing. If Ross Brawn had been in Nick Fry’s job from 2005-07, he wouldn’t have achieved anything of note either.

  7. Very nice bit of reporting…wonder why Jensy didn’t bother…And Rubens should have present i believe, they both made the championship happen for the team and town…

  8. Dose anyone really think Button would bother with the hometown celebration- heck no! He’s a full-out Monaco glamour boy who probably coulden’t be bothered to fly back to home base for the afternoon. I’ve never been a Button fan for just that reason- he always acts like he’s an upper crust celeb.

    As for Hamilton, the team did have quite a celebration for him at the factory, but the local celebration was indeed toned down.

  9. Congrats guys.

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