An heir to the DuPont family, Lunger began racing in 1965 with a Corvette, later graduating to Can-Am with a Caldwell-Chevrolet, but by his own admission he did not really know how to race properly, and it was more for fun than anything else.

    His career then went on hold while he went to Vietnam with the Marines, only resuming in 1971 when he took part in the L & M F5000 series, finishing third in the championship. For 1972 Brett came to Europe to race in Formula 2 as well with a works-supported March 722, but could not match his Stateside success.

    Lunger stayed in F5000 on both sides of the Atlantic until 1975, when he finally got a taste of Grand Prix racing with Hesketh, contesting three races in a second car alongside James Hunt. During the next three seasons the personable American, armed with a sizeable budget, plugged away without any real signs of making a breakthrough, even though he had decent cars at his disposal, including McLaren M23 and M26 machines run by B & S Fabrications.

    Eventually falling out with his team at the end of 1978, Brett enjoyed a one-off ride with Ensign - his last Grand Prix appearance - after which he briefly drove in sports car events.

(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000