VICS: Matthew Brabham To Run Indianapolis 500 in May

Team Murray announced on Thursday, December 3 that they will enter Matthew Braham in both the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 14 and the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.

“There is no doubt that this is a dream come true,” he said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it is nice to get this plan in place this far out. We now have the job of creating a first-class experience on and off the track for everyone involved.”

Team Murray is ran by Brett Murray, an  Australian motorsports promoter.  The team will partner with KV Racing Technology to make the effort possible; KV Racing Technology’s owners include Australian Kevin Kalkhoven and retired Indy car driver Jimmy Vasser.

“If you are going to enter into such a program, you need to do it with people you trust and who share a similar passion,” Murray said. “So that made KV Racing the natural choice for us because of my long-term personal and professional relationships with Kevin and Jimmy.”

Brabham has competed in the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder the past two years, winning the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in 2012 and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2013. He has made 17 Indy Lights starts over the past two years, winning on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2014.

If Brabham is able to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, his family will join the Vukovichs and the Andrettis as families to have three generations compete in the famed event. His grandfather Jack Braham was a Formula One Legend, finishing ninth in the 1961 Indianapolis 500; Matthew will honor his grandfather by running the No. 61. Matthew’s father Geoff ran 10 Indianapolis 500s.

“I have had a dream of having my own car in the Indy 500 since before Matt was born and Matt has had a dream of being a starter in the ‘500’ since he was old enough to get behind the wheel,” Murray said. “I made a promise to Sir Jack before he passed away (in May 2014) that I would do what I could to help Matt’s career.”

The 21-year-old’s opportunity comes about thanks to sponsorship from PIRTEK, an international fluid transfer solution specialist company based in Australia. They will announce additional sponsorship at the PRI Motorsports Trade Show in Indianapolis from December 10-12 as part of their United States launch.