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PETER Brock died in a car originally built by his US "doppelganger'' American,Pete Brock, a good friend of the Australian, and himself a great racing driver in the US in the 1960s. The Aussie Brock was one of the most popular drivers from Down Under and while he had always been a Holden (GM) driver, he died in an original Daytona cobra coupe (Ford) that the American Brock made for a friend in 1963 and a replica of the car had recently been built in Australia for a wealthy car racing enthusiast.
"Peter Brock and his co-driver Mick Hone had driven the thing last year in Targa Tas (Tasmania) and Peter Brock just couldn't wait to get back in the car again because it was exactly the sort of car that he Brock loved,'' said motor racing expert and commentator John Smailes.
"It was high horse-powered rear-wheel-drive car that he could control not with muscle, but with the finesse that he brought to his driving.
"I've never seen a man tame such a wild beast of a motor car with such finesse as Peter.
"He would have been putting out probably 500 - 600 horsepower.
"He pitched it into a corner in the wet - realise that this man is absolutely the master of wet weather control - left the track momentarily and he hit a tree.
"There goes the icon of Australian motor sport.''
Mr Smailes said the death was as tragic as it gets, in terms of motor sport ``and I think ... for sport in general in Australia''.
"If anyone was immortal, it was Peter Brock,'' he said.
"Peter Brock and his co-driver Mick Hone had driven the thing last year in Targa Tas (Tasmania) and Peter Brock just couldn't wait to get back in the car again because it was exactly the sort of car that he Brock loved,'' said motor racing expert and commentator John Smailes.
"It was high horse-powered rear-wheel-drive car that he could control not with muscle, but with the finesse that he brought to his driving.
"I've never seen a man tame such a wild beast of a motor car with such finesse as Peter.
"He would have been putting out probably 500 - 600 horsepower.
"He pitched it into a corner in the wet - realise that this man is absolutely the master of wet weather control - left the track momentarily and he hit a tree.
"There goes the icon of Australian motor sport.''
Mr Smailes said the death was as tragic as it gets, in terms of motor sport ``and I think ... for sport in general in Australia''.
"If anyone was immortal, it was Peter Brock,'' he said.