Peter Brock dies.

[6speed]

Didn't this man design the Daytona?

[nota]

Didn't this man design the Daytona?

No that's Pete Brock the famous American designer of the original Cobra Daytona who was born earlier but shared the name. They were not unknown to each other, and apparently had met up again within the last few days

And ironically, as already mentioned, it was a (locally-designed but retro-bodied) Daytona Coupe in which our recently deceased Peter Brock met his very sad demise

http://borland.netvelocity.com.au/about/daytona.php

http://teambrock.com.au/home/newsandevents.html

A brief 2006 audio-video of Brock's fantastic sounding Daytona Coupe can be found on this page (560 hp & 1050kg?)
http://www.brock05.com/whatsnew.php

[nota]

To proclaim Peter Brock as an icon of Australian motorsport is but a shallow understatement. Brocky is THE ICON and for 35 years has truly been Mr Motorsport in this country - our version of Fangio, our motoring Don Bradman

His phenonemal profile and public credibility quickly transcended far beyond cars and racing. Articulate and highly intelligent, blessed with movie-star good looks and charisma by the bucketload, Brock is an absolute household name who literally had it all. And especially throughout the 1970s & '80s it is no exagguration to say that he was the total envy of a great percentage of males (let alone car enthusiasts) in this country, including me - and the secret desire of most women. And all of this achieved from humble beginnings when he first stepped behind the wheel of his beloved Holdens

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Brock's champion driver status, skill and sheer versatility extended over his very long and successful career - reflected in outright victories at hillclimbs, rallycross and national rallys (including car busting ultra-marathons, where his mechanical sympathy shone through) plus open-wheelers, international endurance events such as Le Mans, Spa 24 Hour, Targa events .. and of course as a touring car racer par excellence

Endurance events were his particular forte, where time & again he employed the famous 'Brock Crush' to destroy the hopes of any opposition

Among his many achievements Brock was, in the early eighties, also Australia's 6th largest manufacturer of road cars via those famous high-performance Brock Specials

Why not take a moment to scroll through the highlights of his absolutely stellar racing career?

http://www.brock05.com/brockstat.php

Podium Finish Ratio

Brocky has scored over 100 podium finishes in ATCC [Australian Touring Car Championship] events. This gives him a staggering record of one podium finish for every two race starts over 25 years. His podium finish rate is also an ATCC record."

The 'Peter Brock Section' of his extensive website contains good reading
http://www.brock05.com

Eg: click on the 'Brockaholics' link from here http://www.brock05.com/pitstop.php (eg DERMABROCKTOSIS!)

(As an aside, the first time I saw Brocky was in 1968 during a telecast of a rear-of-grid start at the old Hume Weir circuit in his first racing car (the bizzare Holden-engined Austin A30) where I can still distinctly remember the unlikely sight of him catching then overtaking Alan Hamilton (racing expert & AU's - and btw world's 1st - Porsche concessionaire) in the new factory-supplied 911 .. and on to 1st Outright!)

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The cover of every newspaper I saw yesterday was filled with the one message .. the King of the Mountain is dead! .. followed by literally page after page of headline coverage. The TV is full of it - tributes, tears, anecdotes, affection. Not wishing to belittle Steve Irwin but Australia as a whole is shedding more than just crocodile tears over the premature passing of our unique Mr Peter Geoffrey Brock


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I thought Chic Henry (organiser of Summernats our national Street Machine festival) summed up well the sentiments of enthusiasts, in this front-page story of saturday's Canberra Times newspaper ..

.. the true meaure of Brock was that despite his stature, he was always approachable. "He was larger-than-life." My Henry said. "To a lot of people he's a god, and, with all due respect to Steve Irwin - who deserved the profile he got - to car fanatics he was a god.

"The fantastic thing about Brockie was that he was a people person. He was just so easy to get along with. He had so much time for his fans."

Mr Henry said genuine motorsport fans would feel like a piece of their heart had disappeared with Brock's death.

"You want to talk about the Dalai Lama or the Pope? Well, put Peter Brock at the same level. Absolutely the same level. If you know people who are that bloody fanatical, you'd know how damn true that is. If you write that, people are going to say 'bullshit', but they'd only say that because they don't know anybody that fanatical."

The Canberra Times reported on one of Brock's visits to Summernats in January 2003.

As a long line of autograph hunters waited patiently, The Canberra Times reporter asked what was the weirdest thing he had signed.

Brock said he had once signed the back of a man's glass eye at Eastern Creek raceway. He recalled bumping into the same man six weeks later. "He took the eye out of its socket, polished it on his shirt ... You could still see my signature on it."

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[fpv_gtho]

Just watched the tribute show on Ch7. I didnt think i'd get all that emotional seeing it really, but then they had Lowndes' interview and i was probably in the same boat as everyone else...

[Daz27]

Especially when Craig said he doesnt think he wants to get back in a race car. I think Pete would have shed a tear too if he saw that.

[SlickHolden]

Just watched the tribute show on Ch7. I didnt think i'd get all that emotional seeing it really, but then they had Lowndes' interview and i was probably in the same boat as everyone else...

You know what got me DJ, I looked into his eyes the eyes i have seen so many long nights of sitting up and just balling my eyes out swollen and black, I seen that in his eyes

[motorsportnerd]

I'm in New Zealand at the moment. Was driving to Auckland from my parents place when the news came over the radio. Its not an understatement to say that Brock was as much a household name in New Zealand as in Australia. The TV bulletins led with the news on Friday night. The NZ Herald devoted its front page and a couple of inside pages in its Saturday edition to his passing.
Some Holden fans may have forgotten - but Brock drove a Ford for a couple of years (89-90 in the Sierra RS500). I've been a fan of Brock's for over 20 years since I started following motorsport, despite the fact I'm more a Ford supporter than a Holden supporter. All motor racing fans in this part of the world will miss him.
Since I'm not in Australia at the moment I missed the Channel 7 tribute. I did see brief interviews with Craig Lowndes and Dick Johnson. They both looked really upset. The NZ news sought out the NZ drivers for their reaction. Jim Richards, Paul Radisich and Greg Murphy all had the same shocked reaction.
I hope Lowndes (or any other driver for that matter) doesn't stop racing as a result of this. Whoever wins Bathurst - Holden or Ford drivers, Aussie or NZer - will no doubt dedicate their win to Brock.
A fitting tribute to Brock at Bathurst would be for his son James Brock - a part time racing driver himself - to steer the new VE Commodore Supercar decked out with the number "05" in his honour for its debut parade lap. I understand that there were rumours that Brock was going to drive the VE on its parade lap - lets see his son do it on his behalf.
A sad time for Australian motorsport. Let the forthcoming Bathurst 1000 be a time of both celebration of his career and healing for the sport to move on from this.

[Peter PaP]

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au..._en-au&fg=copy
*open in IE*

Some video of the Funeral.

[SlickHolden]

Was a great funeral if there is such a thing, Great storeys to be herd. But i think when cromly broke down i think there wouldn't have been a dry eye in the country.

[nota]

The race driver Neil Crompton has for a long time doubled as far & away the best of Australian motorsport commentators (worldwide as good as any I've heard btw) and this gift was particularily apparent during his very touching & intimate State Funeral eulogy to his friend, the recently deceased phenomenon of Peter Brock

For those that missed it I really do hope that Crommo's deeply appreciated 15 minute address is downloaded in full onto the web, for others to see and consider ...

[2ndclasscitizen]

The race driver Neil Crompton has for a long time doubled as far & away the best of Australian motorsport commentators (worldwide as good as any I've heard btw) and this gift was particularily apparent during his very touching & intimate State Funeral eulogy to his friend, the recently deceased phenomenon of Peter Brock

He is a good commentator but sometimes he just gets on my nerves by over-explaining stuff, or explaining stuff that didn't need explaining (eg explaining how Ingall was doing a burnout when he won the championship last year)

For those that missed it I really do hope that Crommo's warm & deeply appreciated 15 minute address is downloaded in full onto the web, for others to see and consider ...

I heard some of it on the news, very good.

[Daz27]

Not everyone would have known that the knob that Ingal was fiddling with was the brake bias adjustment, I dont think Ive ever heard anything that Cromly has said that has been out of place or of some value to the commentary. Ya have to remember that not everyone that watches the telecasts knows everything about the sport or the cars, and, he somehow manages to make his comments and insights interesting enough to be of value to the regular viewer and/or competitor, but 'dumbs it down' enough for the average joe to have an idea what he's on about.
Brockies funeral was beautiful, if they can be beautiful, he was remembered as he was, not just as a genius touring car driver, but as the everyday aussie that he was. I would have chose a better song to sing though....

[SlickHolden]

The race driver Neil Crompton has for a long time doubled as far & away the best of Australian motorsport commentators (worldwide as good as any I've heard btw) and this gift was particularily apparent during his very touching & intimate State Funeral eulogy to his friend, the recently deceased phenomenon of Peter Brock

For those that missed it I really do hope that Crommo's deeply appreciated 15 minute address is downloaded in full onto the web, for others to see and consider ...

He showed his emotion with plenty of mistakes, Which is something he rarely does in a year of V8's he did in 15min. I looked at Craig lowndes also he looked very lost sitting there on his own and later he and skaife got together. I even think i seen a tear down the side of kim Beasley face i think?. Just goes to show the emotion in people for this great man.

[Daz27]

They cut the tree down...

[SlickHolden]

Before someone else came along and tried to maybe cut half a dozen down?.