Peter Brock
Encyclopedia
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM
(26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006) otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia
's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden
for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other manufacturers including BMW
, Ford
, Volvo
, Porsche
and Peugeot
. He won the Bathurst 1000
endurance race nine times, the Sandown 500
touring car race nine times, the Australian Touring Car Championship
three times and was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
in 2001. Brock's business activities included the Holden Dealer Team
(HDT) that produced Brock's racing machines as well as a number of modified high-performance road versions of his racing cars.
, Richmond, Victoria
. Brock's parents were Geoff Brock and Ruth Brock née
Laidlay. The family lived in the country town of Hurstbridge
(now an outer suburb of Melbourne) and Brock continued to live there throughout his life. He attended Eltham High School
in Eltham Victoria His first car was an Austin 7
that he bought for £
5 (A$
10). His driving skill improved greatly at this point of his life because the car didn't have brakes (or a body, which was removed with his father's axe). He ended up trying to stop the car by sliding and anticipating the line.
During his early career Brock raced some "wild and woolly" creations including the famous blue 6-cylinder Holden-powered Austin A30
. Brock rose to public attention in touring car racing
.
In 1969 he raced in the Bathurst 500
—as it was then known—Australia's most prestigious endurance road race and won it for the first time in 1972. Brock would win the event a total of nine times between 1972 and 1987, a feat that has not been equalled. His 1979 win was remarkable in that he claimed the flag by six laps, a record that (due to changes in race regulations introduced in the 1990s) may never be broken, and broke the circuit lap record on his final lap. In 32 starts at Bathurst he claimed pole position a record six times. His record at this race earned him the titles King of the Mountain and the Bradman of Bathurst—after cricketer Don Bradman—although Brock himself cared little for the latter title.
race nine times, including a string of seven consecutive wins. He won a total of 37 races during his career in the Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar championship
, a record only eventually equalled by Mark Skaife
in 2006 and beaten in 2007.
in a succession of both 6- and 8-cylinder Holden Torana
s and, later, V8
Commodores
the smooth-talking clean-cut Brock became a household name that transcended motor racing as he emerged to be one of the best-known modern Australia
and New Zealand
racing drivers, spoken of with the same reverence as Sir Jack Brabham
, Alan Jones
and Jim Richards
.
Brock and the Holden Dealer Team worked in partnership, with full factory approval and assistance, to produce a number of high-performance modifications to the Commodores under existing CAMS Group C regulations from 1980 to 1988. Some of these were HDT "homologation
specials"—one step away from race cars. It was around this time that Brock began his run of six Bathurst 1000 wins in seven years, including his six-lap victory in the 1979 event.
In 1986, Brock was crowned King of Moomba
by the Melbourne based festival committee.
three times in privateer vehicles, firstly in 1976 in the Team Brock BMW 3.0CSL which was bought in South Africa in late 1975 and shipped to Melbourne where it was completely stripped and rebuilt - co-driver was former Aussie and UK residentlBrian Muir;lasting 17 hours when a head gasket blew; He then returned for the 1981 race teamed with Colin Bond
and Jim Richards
in the Porsche
Cars Australia #74 Porsche 924 Carrera GTR
but while the team practiced, they were only named as a reserve, not participating in the race itself; then in 1984 in the orange Bob Jane T-Marts
sponsored Porsche 956
with co-driver Larry Perkins
, running as high as 5th at one stage of the race, they retired after Perkins crashed on lap 145. This attempt was covered extensively in the Peter Mckay/Barry Naismith book "LeMans The Australian Assault"
Brock drove a Vauxhall Magnum
with British
driver Gerry Marshall
to a surprise second place in the 1977 Spa 24 Hours
. He also won the 1979 Repco
Round Australia trial driving for HDT in a 6cyl Holden VB Commodore along with co-drivers Noel Richards and Matthew Philip. The Repco was a long-distance endurance rally that drove clockwise
around Australia featuring some dirt road sections completely different to the circuit racing where he made his name.
authorities promoting the campaign against drunk driving. The most obvious sign of this association was the race car number 05 which related to the 0.05% blood alcohol limit in Victoria, which he utilized constantly from the mid-1970s. Most cars he raced in, regardless of the motor racing division, bore this number, including the one in which he died.
Brock began to consult health practitioner Eric Dowker. He gave up alcohol and cigarettes, and became a vegan. Brock began publicly supporting and, eventually, began to fit to all Holden Dealer Team specials a device called the "Energy Polariser" containing crystals and magnets that, it was claimed, improved the performance and handling of vehicles through "aligning the molecules". The device was based on the principles of orgone
pseudoscience.
The "Polariser" is being sold once more in an official HDT, Brock tribute upgrade pack.
The overwhelming majority of the Australian motoring community regarded the device as pseudoscience
, and Brock's promotion of it drove away HDT drivers like Larry Perkins
. Brock also recommended tyre pressures of 22psi (150kPa
) for his polariser-equipped vehicles, a level which many regarded as near-dangerously low. Holden, fearing the consequences of being associated with the device and a resulting breakdown in communications over Brock's plans for new models, cut ties with Brock and set up an alternative racing/modification operation, Holden Special Vehicles
. During this period, Brock also became involved in the importation and even the modification of the Lada Samara
, a cheap Soviet
-built hatchback a world away from the high-performance V8-powered Commodores he was famous for.
After his work with Lada
, Brock, during the period 1988-1990 sold around 200 personally modified EA-series Ford Falcons, Fairmont Ghias, Fairlanes and Mavericks through Austech Automotive Developments.
While Brock was always typecast
in a Holden, he did have 'brief flirtations' with other makes in touring car racing. After his 1987 Holden split, he campaigned a BMW M3
(1988), and a Ford Sierra
(1989–90). He also campaigned a Ford Falcon
in the AUSCAR series.
By 1991 he and Holden, having patched up their relationship, were back together. A further flirtation of Brock's was in 1994 when he raced a Volvo 850
in the one-off Bathurst 12-Hour. He also competed for Volvo in the Australian Super Touring Championship in 1996.
He announced to a packed race track he was forming 'The Peter Brock Foundation' A philanthropic organisation funded by corporate sponsors and donations from the public. Aimed at disadvantaged youth and others experiencing difficulties in Australia. As of 2008, the Foundation still continues operating and has financed many activities and people.
After his nominal 'retirement' he made two returns to Bathurst (2002 and 2004) and competed in the Nations Cup
for highly modified and exotic cars in 2004. In 2002, he returned to top-level touring car racing as a team patron with Rod Nash Racing
in V8 Supercar
Commodore
in that year's Bathurst 1000
and the team was renamed 'Team Brock' as a branding exercise. The 'Team Brock' branding exercise was revived for 2003
this time with Paul Weel Racing but this time Brock's role was as a mentor rather than a driver. Frustrated with the lack of control he held over a team bearing his name, Brock and the team parted company at the end of the season.
He occasionally competed in various enthusiast-level motorsport events such as the Targa Tasmania
. The team's vehicles are actually constructed by Holden Special Vehicles. His smooth on-camera persona and familiarity to older Australians continued to sell products, including Mobil Oils and Bridgestone tyres
, as the controversy of the Energy Polarizer had been largely forgotten.
He achieved a tenth Bathurst win, in a manner of sorts, later in 2003, at the Bathurst 24 Hour
, when he won, with Greg Murphy
, Jason Bright
and Todd Kelly
in a Garry Rogers Motorsport
prepared HRT 427C, a highly modified version of the Holden Monaro
production car.
television screens as a presenter; hosting motoring shows such as TV3's Police Stop
(1996–1998) and TVNZ's Love that Car (2000).
He was also due to star in a racing film King of the Mountain in early 2007.
Brock has been the subject of several DVD
documentaries—The Legend (1997 - updated 2004) http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/220439 Peter Brock - Nine Times a Champion, Holden First Around Australia (Repco Trial VB Commodore)25 Years of HDT Special Vehicles Collectors Edition (2006) and 35 Years on the Mountain (2005) http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/778389.
Several years later Brock met 1973 Miss Australia
pageant winner and Channel Seven
weather presenter Michelle Downes. They married in April 1974 but this marriage was to be even shorter than his first, ending after only one year. In 2006, Downes claimed Brock repeatedly beat her, and forced her to have an abortion.
Brock next entered into a relationship with Bev McIntosh, the wife of one of his motor racing team. After his two failed marriages Brock was hesitant to marry McIntosh.
Although the couple never formally married, Peter always called Bev his "wife", and she changed her surname to Brock by deed poll
. They had two children together, Robert and Alexandra. Her oldest, James, is Bev's son from a previous marriage.
Bev wrote Peter's biography herself in 2004 after finding most potential authors had incorrect preconceived notions about him. She also expressed a desire to show his human side, to encourage others that they, too, can achieve their goals. "Even Allan Moffat
said it's okay for him—it's us mortals that have the problem," she said.
Brock split with Bev in May 2005 after 28 years together. Alexandra gave birth to their grandson Oliver on 28 June 2006, two months before Brock's death.
According to Bev, Brock was not an entirely faithful partner. She has described in a book her eventual tiring in the early 1990s of his relationships with "one too many secretaries".
After splitting with Bev, Peter began a relationship with Julie Bamford, whom he had met through his former partner Bev some 20 years previously. Subsequently Bamford's estranged husband Ron McCurdy, who had once been a close friend of Brock's, assaulted Brock during a chance meeting outside the Peter Brock Foundation's office.
'06 rally, Brock was 3 kilometres from the finish of the second stage of the race at Gidgegannup
, about 40 km from Perth, Western Australia
when he skidded off a downhill left-hand bend on Clenton Road for over 50 metres in his 2001 Daytona Sportscar and hit a tree. The 61-year-old Brock was killed instantly. His co-driver, Mick Hone, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. Video footage of the crash (provided by a fan and the in-car camera) was reviewed by Western Australian police to help determine the cause of the accident. Coroner Alastair Hope decided that his death was caused by high speed and that no coronial inquest would be performed.
Brock's children accepted the offer of a Victorian
state funeral
, with former partner Bev telling ABC Radio
:
The editor of Wheels Magazine
, Ged Bulmer, said that Brock would be remembered for his nine victories at Bathurst
, for "He had a long and very successful career there, he was the 'King of the Mountain' as he came to be known."
Brock was farewelled with a state funeral at Melbourne's
St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, on 19 September 2006. A permanent memorial was placed at Peter Brock's "home" raceway, Sandown Raceway
, on 22 September.
winner's trophy now carries his name.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006) otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other manufacturers including BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Volvo
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
, Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
and Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
. He won the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
endurance race nine times, the Sandown 500
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
touring car race nine times, the Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
three times and was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
The V8 Supercar Hall of Fame was instituted in 1999 with the first running of the V8 Supercars Championship Series, initially known as the Shell Championship Series. It was established to recognise the efforts of past champions and prominent figures within the sport. The initial inductees were...
in 2001. Brock's business activities included the Holden Dealer Team
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
(HDT) that produced Brock's racing machines as well as a number of modified high-performance road versions of his racing cars.
Early years
Brock was born at the Epworth HospitalEpworth Hospital
-Epworth HealthCare:Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Rehabilitation, with rehabilitation sites...
, Richmond, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Brock's parents were Geoff Brock and Ruth Brock née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Laidlay. The family lived in the country town of Hurstbridge
Hurstbridge, Victoria
Hurstbridge is a semi-rural town in Victoria, Australia, 26 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, at the junction of Diamond Creek and Arthur's Creek. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Hurstbridge had a population of 3448.- History...
(now an outer suburb of Melbourne) and Brock continued to live there throughout his life. He attended Eltham High School
Eltham High School
Eltham High School is a secondary school in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Eltham, a suburb which is north east from Melbourne. It is mainly known for the creativity of its students, in areas such as art, drama, and music....
in Eltham Victoria His first car was an Austin 7
Austin 7
The Austin 7 was a car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the "Baby Austin", it was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market, and sold well abroad...
that he bought for £
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
5 (A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
10). His driving skill improved greatly at this point of his life because the car didn't have brakes (or a body, which was removed with his father's axe). He ended up trying to stop the car by sliding and anticipating the line.
Racing career
Austin A30
The A30 was a compact car produced by Austin Motor Company in the 1950s. Introduced in 1951 as the "New Austin Seven", it was Austin's answer to the Morris Minor...
. Brock rose to public attention in touring car racing
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
.
Bathurst
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
—as it was then known—Australia's most prestigious endurance road race and won it for the first time in 1972. Brock would win the event a total of nine times between 1972 and 1987, a feat that has not been equalled. His 1979 win was remarkable in that he claimed the flag by six laps, a record that (due to changes in race regulations introduced in the 1990s) may never be broken, and broke the circuit lap record on his final lap. In 32 starts at Bathurst he claimed pole position a record six times. His record at this race earned him the titles King of the Mountain and the Bradman of Bathurst—after cricketer Don Bradman—although Brock himself cared little for the latter title.
Sandown
Along with his record at the Bathurst race, Brock also claimed victory in the Sandown 500Sandown Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. It is considered a power circuit with its front straight being 899m long and back straight 910m long.-History:...
race nine times, including a string of seven consecutive wins. He won a total of 37 races during his career in the Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar championship
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
, a record only eventually equalled by Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
in 2006 and beaten in 2007.
Standing in community
As the lead driver for the Holden Dealer TeamHolden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
in a succession of both 6- and 8-cylinder Holden Torana
Holden Torana
The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana appeared in 1967 and was a four-cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the...
s and, later, V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
Commodores
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
the smooth-talking clean-cut Brock became a household name that transcended motor racing as he emerged to be one of the best-known modern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
racing drivers, spoken of with the same reverence as Sir Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
, Alan Jones
Alan Jones (Formula 1)
Alan Stanley Jones MBE is an Australian former Formula One driver. He was the first driver to win a Formula One World Championship with the Williams team, becoming the 1980 World Drivers' Champion....
and Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
.
Brock and the Holden Dealer Team worked in partnership, with full factory approval and assistance, to produce a number of high-performance modifications to the Commodores under existing CAMS Group C regulations from 1980 to 1988. Some of these were HDT "homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
specials"—one step away from race cars. It was around this time that Brock began his run of six Bathurst 1000 wins in seven years, including his six-lap victory in the 1979 event.
In 1986, Brock was crowned King of Moomba
Moomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
by the Melbourne based festival committee.
International racing
Unlike several other Australian drivers, Brock did not seek a full-time racing career outside Australia. He did attempt the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
three times in privateer vehicles, firstly in 1976 in the Team Brock BMW 3.0CSL which was bought in South Africa in late 1975 and shipped to Melbourne where it was completely stripped and rebuilt - co-driver was former Aussie and UK residentlBrian Muir;lasting 17 hours when a head gasket blew; He then returned for the 1981 race teamed with Colin Bond
Colin Bond
Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...
and Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
in the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
Cars Australia #74 Porsche 924 Carrera GTR
Porsche 924
The Porsche 924 is an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry-level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. In production terms, the 924 was the first Porsche model powered by a...
but while the team practiced, they were only named as a reserve, not participating in the race itself; then in 1984 in the orange Bob Jane T-Marts
Bob Jane
Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,...
sponsored Porsche 956
Porsche 956
The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship...
with co-driver Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
, running as high as 5th at one stage of the race, they retired after Perkins crashed on lap 145. This attempt was covered extensively in the Peter Mckay/Barry Naismith book "LeMans The Australian Assault"
Brock drove a Vauxhall Magnum
Vauxhall Magnum
The Magnum was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1973 to 1978. First seen at the London Motor Show in October 1973, the Magnum as was an HC Viva with a larger engine, more luxurious interior, vinyl roof, higher trim level and twin headlights...
with British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
driver Gerry Marshall
Gerry Marshall
Gerry Marshall was a British saloon car racing driver, and, according to a 2002 magazine poll, one of the best drivers of all time.- Career :...
to a surprise second place in the 1977 Spa 24 Hours
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...
. He also won the 1979 Repco
Repco
Repco is an Australian automotive engineering company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and it is best known for spare parts and motor accessories....
Round Australia trial driving for HDT in a 6cyl Holden VB Commodore along with co-drivers Noel Richards and Matthew Philip. The Repco was a long-distance endurance rally that drove clockwise
Clockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
around Australia featuring some dirt road sections completely different to the circuit racing where he made his name.
Motoring safety campaign
Brock also worked with the VictorianVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
authorities promoting the campaign against drunk driving. The most obvious sign of this association was the race car number 05 which related to the 0.05% blood alcohol limit in Victoria, which he utilized constantly from the mid-1970s. Most cars he raced in, regardless of the motor racing division, bore this number, including the one in which he died.
Other activities
Brock, who lived hard in his early years, changed his lifestyle considerably after the failed 1984 Le Mans attempt left him physically and emotionally drained.Brock began to consult health practitioner Eric Dowker. He gave up alcohol and cigarettes, and became a vegan. Brock began publicly supporting and, eventually, began to fit to all Holden Dealer Team specials a device called the "Energy Polariser" containing crystals and magnets that, it was claimed, improved the performance and handling of vehicles through "aligning the molecules". The device was based on the principles of orgone
Orgone
Orgone energy is a theory originally proposed in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich. Reich, originally part of Sigmund Freud's Vienna circle, extrapolated the Freudian concept of libido first as a biophysical and later as a universal life force...
pseudoscience.
The "Polariser" is being sold once more in an official HDT, Brock tribute upgrade pack.
The overwhelming majority of the Australian motoring community regarded the device as pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
, and Brock's promotion of it drove away HDT drivers like Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
. Brock also recommended tyre pressures of 22psi (150kPa
KPA
KPA may refer to:* Kenya Ports Authority* Kiln phosphoric acid, a dry process to produce phosphoric acid at high temperature in a kiln* Kilopascal , a unit of pressure* Known-plaintext attack, a method of cryptanalysis* Korean People's Army...
) for his polariser-equipped vehicles, a level which many regarded as near-dangerously low. Holden, fearing the consequences of being associated with the device and a resulting breakdown in communications over Brock's plans for new models, cut ties with Brock and set up an alternative racing/modification operation, Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
. During this period, Brock also became involved in the importation and even the modification of the Lada Samara
Lada Samara
The Lada Samara or VAZ-2108 is an economy car produced by Soviet/Russian vehicle manufacturer AvtoVAZ's Lada brand, from 1984 until 2004. The brand name Samara originally was used only for exported models, in Russia the same model was called "Sputnik" , until 1991, when the sedan version of Samara...
, a cheap Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-built hatchback a world away from the high-performance V8-powered Commodores he was famous for.
After his work with Lada
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
, Brock, during the period 1988-1990 sold around 200 personally modified EA-series Ford Falcons, Fairmont Ghias, Fairlanes and Mavericks through Austech Automotive Developments.
While Brock was always typecast
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
in a Holden, he did have 'brief flirtations' with other makes in touring car racing. After his 1987 Holden split, he campaigned a BMW M3
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
(1988), and a Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
(1989–90). He also campaigned a Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
in the AUSCAR series.
By 1991 he and Holden, having patched up their relationship, were back together. A further flirtation of Brock's was in 1994 when he raced a Volvo 850
Volvo 850
The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North...
in the one-off Bathurst 12-Hour. He also competed for Volvo in the Australian Super Touring Championship in 1996.
Retirement activities
Brock continued to race in privately supported teams for some years afterwards, but returned to the factory Holden Racing Team in 1994. Brock retired from full-time driving in 1997.He announced to a packed race track he was forming 'The Peter Brock Foundation' A philanthropic organisation funded by corporate sponsors and donations from the public. Aimed at disadvantaged youth and others experiencing difficulties in Australia. As of 2008, the Foundation still continues operating and has financed many activities and people.
After his nominal 'retirement' he made two returns to Bathurst (2002 and 2004) and competed in the Nations Cup
Australian Nations Cup Championship
The Australian Nations Cup Championship was a motor racing title sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport from 2000 to 2004.-History:...
for highly modified and exotic cars in 2004. In 2002, he returned to top-level touring car racing as a team patron with Rod Nash Racing
Rod Nash Racing
Rod Nash Racing is a V8 Supercar racing entity, owned by Rod Nash. Nash continues to own a V8 Supercar Racing Entitlement Contract and his #55 runs on the flanks of the Ford Performance Racing Ford FG Falcon....
in V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
in that year's Bathurst 1000
2002 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the sixth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997...
and the team was renamed 'Team Brock' as a branding exercise. The 'Team Brock' branding exercise was revived for 2003
2003 V8 Supercar season
The 2003 V8 Supercar season was the 44th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
this time with Paul Weel Racing but this time Brock's role was as a mentor rather than a driver. Frustrated with the lack of control he held over a team bearing his name, Brock and the team parted company at the end of the season.
He occasionally competed in various enthusiast-level motorsport events such as the Targa Tasmania
Targa Tasmania
Targa Tasmania is a tarmac-based rally event held on the island state of Tasmania, Australia, annually since 1992. The event takes its name from the Targa Florio, a former motoring event held on the island of Sicily...
. The team's vehicles are actually constructed by Holden Special Vehicles. His smooth on-camera persona and familiarity to older Australians continued to sell products, including Mobil Oils and Bridgestone tyres
Bridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
, as the controversy of the Energy Polarizer had been largely forgotten.
He achieved a tenth Bathurst win, in a manner of sorts, later in 2003, at the Bathurst 24 Hour
2003 Bathurst 24 Hour
The 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour was the second 24 hour race run at Bathurst. The race started at 2:00pm on 22 November 2003 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst and finished at 2:00pm on 23 November....
, when he won, with Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
, Jason Bright
Jason Bright
Jason Bright is an Australian racing driver currently competing in the V8 Supercar series.-Australia:...
and Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
in a Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team presently competing in V8 Supercar.-The early years:Garry Rogers Motorsport has its origins in Garry Rogers' own exploits in Sports Sedans during the late 1960s and the 1970s. In the mid-1970s Rogers got more serious, running a BDA Escort...
prepared HRT 427C, a highly modified version of the Holden Monaro
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
production car.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Victorian Rallycross Championship | 1st | Holden LC Torana GTR | Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s... |
| 1972 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
NC | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1973 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship The 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the seventh Australian Formula 2 Championship to be awarded by CAMS.... |
Australian Formula 2 Championship | 8th | Birrana 273 Ford | Team Brock |
| 1973 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and drivers:The following... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
2nd | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1973 | South Pacific Touring Series South Pacific Touring Series The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian touring car series held during the 1970s and run in conjunction with the famous open-wheeler Tasman Series.The South Pacific Series was held between 1970 and 1975 during the month of February... |
1st | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1974 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 15th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 4 March 1974 and ended at Adelaide International Raceway on 9 June after eight rounds. The series was won by Peter Brock in a Holden Torana LJ XU1 and Holden... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 |
Holden Dealer Team |
| 1974 | South Pacific Touring Series | 1st | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1975 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 16th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after seven rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 7th | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 | Gown - Hindhaugh |
| 1976 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was a series of motor races for Touring cars conforming to the Australia Group C touring car regulations. It was the 17th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 29 February and ended at Phillip Island... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 | Team Brock |
| 1977 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and it began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 7 March and ended at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 20... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 Holden LX Torana SS A9X |
Bill Patterson Holden |
| 1978 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 19th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Holden LX Torana SS A9X | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1979 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 20th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Holden LX Torana SS A9X | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1980 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 21st running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Peter Brock won his third and final ATCC title, driving a Holden VB Commodore for the Holden Dealer Team.-Teams and drivers:... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Holden VB Commodore | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1981 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 22nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains Raceway and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after 8... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Holden VC Commodore | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1982 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars. It began on 18 February 1982 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 16 May at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 5th | Holden VC Commodore | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1982 | Australian GT Championship | 5th | Chevrolet Monza Chevrolet Monza The Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1975–1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width and 140 CID inline-4 engine... |
Bob Jane T-Marts |
| 1983 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The title, which was the 24th Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a series which began on 6 February 1983 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on 19 June at... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden VH Commodore SS Holden VH Commodore The Holden VH Commodore, an evolution of the previous Holden Commodore VC model, was released in October 1981. The frontal appearance was mildly facelifted with a new horizontal-slat grille and new lighting components designed to give a lower, wider look, and for interest of aerodynamics... |
Holden Dealer Team |
| 1984 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 25th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, and was the last year of Group C regulations. The following year would see the introduction of the international Group A regulations... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Holden VH Commodore SS | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1984 1984 World Sportscar Championship season The 1984 World Endurance Championship season was the 32nd FIA World Sportscar Championship season. It was a series running under the Group C and Group B formulas, running cars in three classes known as C1, C2, and B... |
World Sportscar Championship | NC | Porsche 956 Porsche 956 The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship... |
Team Australia Holden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s... |
| 1984 1984 Australian Endurance Championship The 1984 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the fourth Australian Endurance Championship, was contested over a five round series... |
Australian Endurance Championship Australian Endurance Championship The Australian Endurance Championship was first contested in 1981, as a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for car manufacturers. Replacing the Australian Championship of Makes , it was decided over a series of endurance races for touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations.In the... |
3rd | Holden VK Commodore Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models... |
Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
| 1985 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars. It was the 26th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the first to be contested using regulations based on the FIA's International Group A regulations... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden VK Commodore Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models... |
Holden Dealer Team |
| 1985 1985 Australian Endurance Championship The 1985 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars complying with an Australian version of FIA Group A Touring Car regulations... |
Australian Endurance Championship | 5th | Holden VK Commodore | Holden Dealer Team |
| 1986 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 27th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 2 March 1986 at Amaroo Park and ended on 13 July at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds.... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 5th | Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models... |
Holden Dealer Team |
| 1987 1987 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1987 Australian Touring Car Championship was a motor racing competition which was open to Touring Cars complying with regulations as defined by CAMS and based on FIA Group A rules. The championship, which was the 28th Australian Touring Car Championship, began on 1 March 1987 at Calder Park... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 7th | Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Holden VL Commodore SS Group A Holden VL Commodore The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden... |
Mobil Holden Dealer Team |
| 1988 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars. It was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Promoted as the “1988 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship”, it began on 6 March at Calder Park... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 5th | BMW M3 | Mobil 1 Racing |
| 1989 1989 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1989 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 30th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 5 March 1989 at Amaroo Park and ended on 9 July at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Ford Sierra RS500 | Mobil 1 Racing |
| 1989 | Nissan-Mobil 500 Series | 1st | Ford Sierra RS500 | Mobil 1 Racing |
| 1990 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1990 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 31st running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 25 February 1990 at Amaroo Park and ended on 15 July at Oran Park Raceway after 8 rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Ford Sierra RS500 | Mobil 1 Racing |
| 1991 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1991 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 32nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 24 February 1991 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 11 August at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Holden VN Commodore SS Group A Holden VN Commodore The Holden VN Commodore was the sixth model of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car produced by the Australian automotive marque, Holden. It is essentially made out of an Opel donor body mated to either a Buick V6 or Holden V8, depending on the model, with slight tweaks to the front and rear ends... |
Advantage Racing / Perkins Engineering |
| 1992 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 33rd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars, commonly known as Group A cars... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 11th | Holden VN Commodore SS Group A | Advantage Racing |
| 1993 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 34th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 28 February 1993 at Amaroo Park and ended on 8 August at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds.... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
Advantage Racing |
| 1994 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 35th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 27 February 1994 at Amaroo Park and ended on 24 July at Oran Park Raceway after 10 rounds.-Teams and drivers:... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden VP Commodore | Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team The Holden Racing Team is a Melbourne based motor racing team. HRT is the most successful V8 Supercar racing team in the history of the category, having won the drivers championship six times, and the series signature race the Bathurst 1000 seven times... |
| 1995 1995 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1995 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 36th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to CAMS Group 3A touring car specifications. It began on 5 February 1995 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 6 August at Oran Park Raceway after 10... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden VR Commodore Holden VR Commodore The Holden VR Commodore of July 1993 came with an updated, sleeker and more modern design, as well as safety enhancements such as anti-lock brakes . From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off shape used on the previous VN and VP model Commodores... |
Holden Racing Team |
| 1996 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of 5.0 Litre Touring Cars complying with Australian Group 3A regulations. The championship, which was the 37th Australian Touring Car Championship, was promoted as the Shell Australian Touring Car... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 4th | Holden VR Commodore | Holden Racing Team |
| 1996 | Australian Super Touring Championship Australian Super Touring Championship The Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars.-History:Super Touring was introduced into Australia in 1993 when CAMS replaced the existing Group 3A Touring Car category with a new two class Group 3A... |
6th | Volvo 850 Volvo 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North... |
Volvo Dealer Racing |
| 1997 1997 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1997 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship was the 38th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and was run for cars eligible to V8 Supercar specifications... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Holden VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... |
Holden Racing Team |
| 2002 | V8 Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
68th | Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore The Holden VX Commodore, Berlina and Calais range of full-size cars were the eleventh instalment of Holden Commodore, a model manufactured by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
Team Brock Rod Nash Racing Rod Nash Racing is a V8 Supercar racing entity, owned by Rod Nash. Nash continues to own a V8 Supercar Racing Entitlement Contract and his #55 runs on the flanks of the Ford Performance Racing Ford FG Falcon.... |
| 2003 | Australian Nations Cup Championship Australian Nations Cup Championship The Australian Nations Cup Championship was a motor racing title sanctioned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport from 2000 to 2004.-History:... |
4th | Holden Monaro 427C | Garry Rogers Motorsport Garry Rogers Motorsport Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team presently competing in V8 Supercar.-The early years:Garry Rogers Motorsport has its origins in Garry Rogers' own exploits in Sports Sedans during the late 1960s and the 1970s. In the mid-1970s Rogers got more serious, running a BDA Escort... |
| 2004 | Australian Nations Cup Championship | 6th | Holden Monaro 427C | Team Brock |
| 2004 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series featured the sixth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 21 March 2004 in Adelaide and ended on 5 December at Eastern Creek Raceway after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 58th | Holden VY Commodore | Holden Racing Team |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results
| Year | Pos | Class | No | Team | Co-Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | ||||||||
| 1984 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 52nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 16 – 17 June 1984. It was also the third round of the World Endurance Championship.... |
35 DNF |
C1 | 34 |  Team AustraliaHolden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...  John Fitzpatrick Racing |
Larry Perkins Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... |
Porsche 956 Porsche 956 The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship... |
145 | |
| Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... Type-935 2.6 L Turbo Flat-6 |
||||||||
| 1981 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 49th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1981. It was also the eighth round of the World Championship for Makes.-Pre-race:... |
DNS | GT | 74 | Australia Porsche Cars Australia |
Australia Colin Bond Colin Bond Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...  New Zealand Jim RichardsJim Richards (race driver) Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship... |
Porsche 924 Porsche 924 The Porsche 924 is an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry-level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. In production terms, the 924 was the first Porsche model powered by a... Carrera GTR |
0 | |
| VW EA831 2.0 L I4 | ||||||||
| 1976 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 44th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13 1976.-Race:The regulations for Le Mans were changed again, with the fuel limitations removed and Group 5 cars were allowed to compete with Group 6 cars. Porsche entered two 936s and one 935, while... |
31 | Gr.5 | 46 | Team Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... |
Brian Muir Jean-Claude Aubriet |
BMW 3.5CSL BMW E9 -BMW 2.5CS:The last version of the E9 to be introduced was the 2.5CS in 1974. This was a response to the 1973 oil crisis, such that the buyer could choose the smaller, more economical engine. The engine, from the 2500 sedan, displaced and produced at 6000 revolutions per minute... |
? | ? |
| BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands... 3.5L I6 |
||||||||
Media work
Due to his extraordinary success on the racing track Brock became the Australian racing driver with the highest-profile as he undertook several media commitments. When not racing he often appeared on New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
television screens as a presenter; hosting motoring shows such as TV3's Police Stop
Police stop
A police stop may be:* a Terry stop, in U.S. law, a brief detention of a person by police* a Traffic stop, the detention of a driver of a vehicle by police* Police Stop!, a British television program....
(1996–1998) and TVNZ's Love that Car (2000).
He was also due to star in a racing film King of the Mountain in early 2007.
Brock has been the subject of several DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
documentaries—The Legend (1997 - updated 2004) http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/220439 Peter Brock - Nine Times a Champion, Holden First Around Australia (Repco Trial VB Commodore)25 Years of HDT Special Vehicles Collectors Edition (2006) and 35 Years on the Mountain (2005) http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/778389.
Personal life
Brock married Heather Russell in 1967. The marriage ended in divorce two years later.Several years later Brock met 1973 Miss Australia
Miss Australia
Miss Australia is the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest/Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named....
pageant winner and Channel Seven
HSV-7
HSV is a television station in Melbourne. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, and its first and oldest station, having been launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne....
weather presenter Michelle Downes. They married in April 1974 but this marriage was to be even shorter than his first, ending after only one year. In 2006, Downes claimed Brock repeatedly beat her, and forced her to have an abortion.
Brock next entered into a relationship with Bev McIntosh, the wife of one of his motor racing team. After his two failed marriages Brock was hesitant to marry McIntosh.
Although the couple never formally married, Peter always called Bev his "wife", and she changed her surname to Brock by deed poll
Deed poll
A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
. They had two children together, Robert and Alexandra. Her oldest, James, is Bev's son from a previous marriage.
Bev wrote Peter's biography herself in 2004 after finding most potential authors had incorrect preconceived notions about him. She also expressed a desire to show his human side, to encourage others that they, too, can achieve their goals. "Even Allan Moffat
Allan Moffat
Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...
said it's okay for him—it's us mortals that have the problem," she said.
Brock split with Bev in May 2005 after 28 years together. Alexandra gave birth to their grandson Oliver on 28 June 2006, two months before Brock's death.
According to Bev, Brock was not an entirely faithful partner. She has described in a book her eventual tiring in the early 1990s of his relationships with "one too many secretaries".
After splitting with Bev, Peter began a relationship with Julie Bamford, whom he had met through his former partner Bev some 20 years previously. Subsequently Bamford's estranged husband Ron McCurdy, who had once been a close friend of Brock's, assaulted Brock during a chance meeting outside the Peter Brock Foundation's office.
Death
On 8 September 2006, while driving in the Targa WestTarga West
Targa West is a rally event held in and around Perth, Western Australia. The event takes its name from the Targa Florio, a former motoring event held on the island of Sicily, as well as more recent Australian events including Targa Tasmania, now defunct East Coast Targa, Targa New Zealand and...
'06 rally, Brock was 3 kilometres from the finish of the second stage of the race at Gidgegannup
Gidgegannup, Western Australia
Gidgegannup is a township northeast of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. The name Gidgegannup comes from a Noongar word meaning "Place where spears are made", and was first recorded by passing surveyors in 1852....
, about 40 km from Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
when he skidded off a downhill left-hand bend on Clenton Road for over 50 metres in his 2001 Daytona Sportscar and hit a tree. The 61-year-old Brock was killed instantly. His co-driver, Mick Hone, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. Video footage of the crash (provided by a fan and the in-car camera) was reviewed by Western Australian police to help determine the cause of the accident. Coroner Alastair Hope decided that his death was caused by high speed and that no coronial inquest would be performed.
Brock's children accepted the offer of a Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
, with former partner Bev telling ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
:
- "[Brock] was loved. He was in the public eye, and everything had to be done with a flourish and with a bang. It's probably the way he would want to go out, (and) he would want to be remembered."
The editor of Wheels Magazine
Wheels magazine
Wheels is an Australian automotive magazine published monthly by ACP Magazines. The publication is well-renowned by Australian car enthusiasts...
, Ged Bulmer, said that Brock would be remembered for his nine victories at Bathurst
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
, for "He had a long and very successful career there, he was the 'King of the Mountain' as he came to be known."
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, on 19 September 2006. A permanent memorial was placed at Peter Brock's "home" raceway, Sandown Raceway
Sandown Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. It is considered a power circuit with its front straight being 899m long and back straight 910m long.-History:...
, on 22 September.
Estate
Brock's estate was not simple to distribute e.g. there were three wills. The legal proceedings to determine who got what was extensive and somewhat "ugly", and took at least three years to complete.Legacy
In honour of his achievements and in recognition of his contribution to Australian motorsport, the Bathurst 1000Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
winner's trophy now carries his name.
Awards
In addition to his racing championships, Brock's efforts to society have been recognised in various ways:- Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(9 June 1980)—AM QB80. For service to the sport of motor racing. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=886776&search_type=quick&showInd=true - Bent Spoon AwardBent Spoon AwardThe Bent Spoon Award is an award given by Australian Skeptics, "presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle". The name of the award is a reference to the spoon bending of Uri Geller...
(1986) Awarded by the Australian SkepticsAustralian SkepticsThe Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in Australia which investigates paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies.-History:...
for his promotion of the "Energy Polariser" device. http://www.skeptics.com.au/features/bent-spoon/history/ - Australian Sports MedalAustralian Sports MedalThe Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
(24 October 2000) http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=979107&search_type=quick&showInd=true - Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
(1 January 2001) For outstanding service to the community through fundraising. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1116523&search_type=quick&showInd=true - National Service MedalConscription in AustraliaConscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood...
(14 February 2006) - For Military Service (1965–67) http://www.nashoaustralia.org.au/history.htm http://users.chariot.net.au/~spcardwd/brock1.htm http://www.brock05.com/brockA30.php
See also
- List of Australian Touring Car and V8 Supercar Champions
- List of auto racing tracks
- List of vegans
- Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...