Club Arnage

Yet another great Australian has been killed in a tragic accident. Peter Brock was a nine times winner of the Bathurst 1000, which is probably the nearest thing to Le Mans in the southern hemisphere. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/5326238.stm

This is terrible news to fans of the Bathurst and tin-top racing fans worldwide. Anyone who had the pleasure of watching the Bathurst on TV in the 80's will remember his stirring and sucessful drives in the Holdens.  After he'd finished racing full time he became a TV pundit and once memorably said "Anyone who's good enough doesn't need to cheat", a jab at another so-called champion who'd blotted his copybook.

"Brocky" was at Goodwood at the weekend and I had the pleasure of meeting him six short days ago just before he went out on track. He spent his last weekend driving a 50's Holden and a Chevvy Stingray.

I've a pal who runs the collecting paddock at Goodwood and he allowed us the priviedge of going in there when the St Mary's Trophy cars were forming up. The Aussie girl I was with was keen to meet him and get a photo with him to send back to her dad who's a huge fan. Brocky seemed so vibrant and full of life last week, ebullient almost, a big smile playing across his face as he got in his car to go out and do what he loved best. I just can't believe he's dead and gone.

He was awarded the Spirit of Goodwood trophy on sunday, a justly fitting epithaph to a truly great man.

Have to agree with you Andy,a great driver indeed and an Aussie icon

PM

Sad News indead.  :'(

Have to agree with SE's comment on the link. :'(  Perhaps it will turn out to be a Denny Hulme type accident?

must be weird if you've only just seen him a week before...

This is worth five minutes of anyone's time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKvIKVvP1Y

Great stuff Andy, and very telling, what? :)

The Sydney Morning Herald has some comprehensive "Perfect Peter's" life and untimely demise on their website. 

http://www.smh.com.au/

and the Kiwis had some nice stuff to say about him too.

http://subs.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=66&objectid=10400422

Very sad, saw him enjoy racing at Goodwood.

Tragic news indeed.

I am shocked and sadened by the news. I now count myself very fortunate to get the opportunity to meet the Legend at last years Festival Of Speed, where he was the "perfect" gentleman.

Rest In Peace Peter.

Very sad news. Having seen him race at Goodwood was looking forward to see him race next year.
Expect he is racing Denny Hulme in the Bathurst in the sky.

Sad news, Gerry Marshall last year and now this.

They shared a car at the Spa 24hrs in 1977. 2nd overall in a Vauxhall Magnum, one of GM's best international results.  I made the trip to the Donnington 500  to see him in the Holden Commodore.

Scroll down to car 05 [what else] and then scroll down to car 105 - if proof were needed that these two were in it to race and entertain us.

http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc/Donington-1986-04-06-photo.html

This is an account of where those two larger than life characters were in the world of tin top racing

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Motorsport/Brock-named-alltime-second-best/2005/02/11/1108061860061.html


R.I.P Peter 

05 forever.

Just out of curiosity, I had a look on ebay to see what was listed for Peter Brock. Nearly 500 items. There is a poster of the car he had the accident in, signed at the start line this morning by both Peter and his co driver.

Peter signed it "Live Your Dreams, Peter Brock"

Very sad - what a lovely, friendly fella - and a great driver.
As an aside, can you believe the speed differential between the current race car and the one Brock was driving? Scaife passed him on the straight like he was at a standstill.
I have a very longstanding ambition to get to Bathurst one of these days. I remember first seeing it on TV years ago - it was called the James Hardie 1000 back then. It was the first race I saw where they had really good in-car TV and the way the drivers casually "gudday mate-ed" the commentators as they were blasting around Mount Panorama was very impressive.

Yeah, Matt, now that I'm finally going to make Sebring, Bathurst is the final great goal.  Maybe one day we could charter a CA 'plane? US via UK to Oz or vice-versa?

gee... the photos of the accident are not nice

(http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5240156,00.jpg)


(http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5239640,00.jpg)


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20375521-5005401,00.html

The car certainly didn't get in that state from hitting the tree, that must be a shot from after he had been removed.

It was a similar accident to Michael Parks accident on Rally GB , with the drivers door taking the full impact. The car was pretty much whole on the Australian TV news report.

Just got back to a computer terminal after a weekend racing in the forests of South Wales to see this......one of the sport's most genuine, nice guys and a legendary racer, who richly deserved the title of King of the Mountain from his long and successful association with Bathurst.   

MG Mark   

That's very sad news, RIP.

I am one of those who's memories of Peter Brock are based almost entirely on the Bathhurst images from the '80s you speak of.  Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to see him race in the flesh.

What remains fresh in my mind from those TV pictures are the in-car shots of PB in action.  Some of the cockpit camera angles were superbly set up to show his smoothness behind the wheel - it all looked so easy until the view switched to the exterior picture and finally you could see his out and out pace.

Fantastic pictures, fantastic memories.

RIP

I too saw him at Goodwood only a week or so ago and now this.  I'm not shocked, that's motor racing although once is still too often, but I am truly saddened by this.