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8.9.2006. 19:27:16
Peter Brock, the Australian motor racing legend, has been killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree, while he was competing in a rally in Western Australia.
His co-driver in the Targa West competition, understood to be Mick Hone, has been taken to hospital with stomach injuries and is in a stable condition.
There were no other vehicles involved in the tragic accident, which witnesses say occurred when Peter Brock lost control of his car on a tight hairpin bend, slamming into a tree.
Identified only as Jock, one witness told Macquarie Radio that he was standing just metres from the site of the incident.
"The back end just slid out and that was it, it was all over… The car didn't roll, the back end just slid out from behind him and slammed straight into a tree and it got him right in the driver's door," he said.
Choking back tears, Jock said that he believed Peter Brock would have died within "maybe two minutes of impact" and that "not a thing" could have been done to save him.
Write off
"The car is a complete write-off," he said.
The witness said it had rained earlier in the morning but that the road through the “treacherous bend" was drying out.
He said Brock "lost it" a little on the first part of the bend before straightening up.
"The back end, just seemed to hit a bit of ... gravel on the road that the other cars had thrown up and he just lost it, straight into a tree."
When he realised who the driver was Jock said he was “heart-broken."
Another witness, Tony Varass, said he believed motorbike riders also had been killed near the same hairpin bend where the crash occurred.
"The owner of this property that I'm at, Bob Watson, has been trying to get something done about the corner for a long time," he told Sky News.
"The car went around the corner, he was going no faster than anybody else, and in control and it just slipped off the road and straight into the tree... It was just one of those things, motor racing," he said.
Asked if he thought Brock had died instantly, Mr Varass replied, "No. I was there within a minute and I really didn't give him any hope at all."
The accident occurred near the small community of Gidgegannup, about 40 kilometres east of Perth.
Peter Brock, 61, is survived by his three children, James, Robert and Alexandra. He separated from his wife, Beverly, last year after nearly 30 years together. His family has been offered a state funeral by the Victorian government.
Passion
Born in Hurstbridge, in country Victoria in 1945, Brock grew up in a family passionate about cars.
His father owned and ran a local garage, and the duo combined to launch Peter's racing career with an Austin A30 - built in an old henhouse and using a Holden engine - in 1967.
Brock's racing potential was first noticed by the manager of the fledgling Holden Dealer Team Harry Firth, who offered the 24-year-old a drive in a Monaro at Bathurst in 1969.
Three years later, Brock had won the first of his nine Bathursts in a Torana XU-1.
Known as “Peter Perfect” and the “King of the Moutain” Peter Brock was a dominant figure in Australian motor sport, winning the Bathurst 1000, one of Australia’s most prominent motor sport events, a total of nine times.
Six of those wins were won in seven years, including his famous victory in 1979 which saw him win by a record six laps.
His on-track battles with Ford stars Allan Moffat and later Dick Johnson were the stuff of legend and also cemented one of Australia's greatest and most enduring sporting rivalries - Holden versus Ford.
Poster boy
Peter Brock, with his boyish good looks and fan-friendly charm, was Holden's poster boy. He remained synonymous with the marque right up until his death.
He retired from full time driving in 1997 but returned to top level touring car racing as a team owner of “Team Brock” in 2002 in the V8 Supercar category. A year later he sold his share in the team to Kees Weel.
“The King of the Mountain returned to Bathurst in 2003, winning the 24 hour race there.
He also occasionally competed in various motor sport events such as the Targa Tasmania and Targa West which takes place over three days and is divided into two categories, competition and challenge.
Peter Brock also won three Australian touring car championships and secured more pole positions than any other driver in the sport's history.
Outside of the sport he loved, Peter Brock’s interests included being an athlete liaison officer for the Australian team at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, as well as being a board member of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation since 1998 and a former director of AFL club Collingwood.
He was also instrumental in spreading the road safety message and winning an Order of Australia Medal in 1980 for his services to the cause.
The Peter Brock Foundation, a project which he set up with his former wife, supports underprivileged youth.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) has expressed its sympathy to the Brock family, its President Colin Osborne telling reporters in Adelaide, "Peter was an iconic figure not just in motor sport in Australia."
"There are a lot of people in Australia, whether they were involved in motor sport or not, who feel as though they have a real connection with Peter Brock."
Mr Osborne said Brock knew the risks of motor sport. "Peter was not a person who was cavalier about safety, quite the contrary."
"Peter's loss for motor sport is enormous but his loss to the entire community is even bigger than that," Mr Osborne said.
8.9.2006. 19:27:16
Peter Brock, the Australian motor racing legend, has been killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree, while he was competing in a rally in Western Australia.
His co-driver in the Targa West competition, understood to be Mick Hone, has been taken to hospital with stomach injuries and is in a stable condition.
There were no other vehicles involved in the tragic accident, which witnesses say occurred when Peter Brock lost control of his car on a tight hairpin bend, slamming into a tree.
Identified only as Jock, one witness told Macquarie Radio that he was standing just metres from the site of the incident.
"The back end just slid out and that was it, it was all over… The car didn't roll, the back end just slid out from behind him and slammed straight into a tree and it got him right in the driver's door," he said.
Choking back tears, Jock said that he believed Peter Brock would have died within "maybe two minutes of impact" and that "not a thing" could have been done to save him.
Write off
"The car is a complete write-off," he said.
The witness said it had rained earlier in the morning but that the road through the “treacherous bend" was drying out.
He said Brock "lost it" a little on the first part of the bend before straightening up.
"The back end, just seemed to hit a bit of ... gravel on the road that the other cars had thrown up and he just lost it, straight into a tree."
When he realised who the driver was Jock said he was “heart-broken."
Another witness, Tony Varass, said he believed motorbike riders also had been killed near the same hairpin bend where the crash occurred.
"The owner of this property that I'm at, Bob Watson, has been trying to get something done about the corner for a long time," he told Sky News.
"The car went around the corner, he was going no faster than anybody else, and in control and it just slipped off the road and straight into the tree... It was just one of those things, motor racing," he said.
Asked if he thought Brock had died instantly, Mr Varass replied, "No. I was there within a minute and I really didn't give him any hope at all."
The accident occurred near the small community of Gidgegannup, about 40 kilometres east of Perth.
Peter Brock, 61, is survived by his three children, James, Robert and Alexandra. He separated from his wife, Beverly, last year after nearly 30 years together. His family has been offered a state funeral by the Victorian government.
Passion
Born in Hurstbridge, in country Victoria in 1945, Brock grew up in a family passionate about cars.
His father owned and ran a local garage, and the duo combined to launch Peter's racing career with an Austin A30 - built in an old henhouse and using a Holden engine - in 1967.
Brock's racing potential was first noticed by the manager of the fledgling Holden Dealer Team Harry Firth, who offered the 24-year-old a drive in a Monaro at Bathurst in 1969.
Three years later, Brock had won the first of his nine Bathursts in a Torana XU-1.
Known as “Peter Perfect” and the “King of the Moutain” Peter Brock was a dominant figure in Australian motor sport, winning the Bathurst 1000, one of Australia’s most prominent motor sport events, a total of nine times.
Six of those wins were won in seven years, including his famous victory in 1979 which saw him win by a record six laps.
His on-track battles with Ford stars Allan Moffat and later Dick Johnson were the stuff of legend and also cemented one of Australia's greatest and most enduring sporting rivalries - Holden versus Ford.
Poster boy
Peter Brock, with his boyish good looks and fan-friendly charm, was Holden's poster boy. He remained synonymous with the marque right up until his death.
He retired from full time driving in 1997 but returned to top level touring car racing as a team owner of “Team Brock” in 2002 in the V8 Supercar category. A year later he sold his share in the team to Kees Weel.
“The King of the Mountain returned to Bathurst in 2003, winning the 24 hour race there.
He also occasionally competed in various motor sport events such as the Targa Tasmania and Targa West which takes place over three days and is divided into two categories, competition and challenge.
Peter Brock also won three Australian touring car championships and secured more pole positions than any other driver in the sport's history.
Outside of the sport he loved, Peter Brock’s interests included being an athlete liaison officer for the Australian team at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, as well as being a board member of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation since 1998 and a former director of AFL club Collingwood.
He was also instrumental in spreading the road safety message and winning an Order of Australia Medal in 1980 for his services to the cause.
The Peter Brock Foundation, a project which he set up with his former wife, supports underprivileged youth.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) has expressed its sympathy to the Brock family, its President Colin Osborne telling reporters in Adelaide, "Peter was an iconic figure not just in motor sport in Australia."
"There are a lot of people in Australia, whether they were involved in motor sport or not, who feel as though they have a real connection with Peter Brock."
Mr Osborne said Brock knew the risks of motor sport. "Peter was not a person who was cavalier about safety, quite the contrary."
"Peter's loss for motor sport is enormous but his loss to the entire community is even bigger than that," Mr Osborne said.