Known by friends as "Brocky" or "Peter Perfect", Peter Brock was an Australian racing legend. A race car driver whose career spanned over almost four decades, Brock gave fans years of motoring excitement and enjoyment in many disciplines of the sport. He dominated the racing scene, mainly in touring-car circuit in his country and also overseas.
A native of Richmond, Yarra City, in the inner east of Melbourne, state of Victoria in south-eastern Australia, Peter Brock grew up in Hurstbridge, a small town north of Melbourne, where he lived throughout his life. He began his career in his early twenties, with his brother Phil who co-drove him in the Bathurst 1000 on two occasions. He ran his own Holden Dealer Team (HDT) and was associated with the Australian automobile manufacturer Holden, for almost his whole career, although he raced vehicles of other makes, including BMW, Ford, Volvo, Chevrolet, Vauxhall, Porsche and Peugeot. He won the Australian Touring Car Championship three times, in 1974, 1978, and 1980, finishing as the second-place runner-up five times, in 1973, 1979, 1981, 1984, and 1990.
Sadly, it was while participating in a rally that Peter Brock would lose his life. It happened on Friday, 08 September 2006, during the Targa West tarmac rally in Western Australia. He was at the wheel of a 2001 Daytona Coupe, an Australian built sportscar, powered by a 6-litre LS2 General Motors engine. Created by Richard Bendell's company Motec in Braeside, Victoria, the car was a reproduction of the Shelby Daytona coupé from 1964. It was designed by Ross Holder and manufactured by chassis builder Michael Borland.
Peter Brock lost control of the car and smashed sideways on the driver's door into a tree, at 11h50 o'clock during the second stage of the rally, near Gidgegannup, north-east of Perth, Western Australia. His death was almost instantaneous. He was 61 years old.
R.I.P
