Above: Thousands of motor racing fans migrated to Sandown last Friday for a public memorial honouring motor racing legend Peter Brock.By Shaun Inguanzo
THE motor racing world paid tribute to fallen race driver Peter Brock with a special memorial at Sandown Raceway on Friday.
‘Brockie’ died earlier this month when the car he was racing in the Targa West rally near Perth lost control and slammed into a tree.
Old friends and foes rallied at Sandown to reflect on the 61-year-old’s motor racing career, which included nine titles at the track.
Fellow legend and old rival Fred Gibson said he and Mr Brock met during the late 1960s.
“He was a super-competitive guy,” Gibson said. “He had a lot of time for the fans. And he had the media eating out of his hands.”
Brock’s team-mate during many V8 races, John Harvey, broke into tears as he recalled his fondest memories – including how Mr Brock rescued the V8s from the brink of demise.
“The V8 was going to be abolished by Holden in the 1980s,” he said. “But Brockie geared up the media and somehow the phrase V8 ‘til 98 was coined.
“Chuck Chapman (the then general manager at Holden) backed down to the pressure and retained the V8.”
Mr Harvey said he spoke to Mr Brock a few months ago on the phone.
“He was just as excited about racing events nowadays as he was when he raced Bathurst in 1978,” Mr Harvey said. “He was a good mate, I’ll miss him.”
Mr Brock’s daughter Alexandra and sons Robert and James attended the ceremony. A wave of Brock-inspired motorists who brought their modified Holdens to the track then completed a lap of honour as a final salute to their hero.
