Another great Australian icon gone...
 

Another sad death of an Aussie icon, and not one week after the sad and tragic death of Steve Irwine. Australia's greatest car racer, Peter Brock has tragically died while racing in the "Targa" event yesterday. Brock has more than 30 years of professional driving under his belt and retired in 1997 only to make a come-back several years later. He was 61 years old when he passed. luckily his racing passenger remains stable in hospital but this news has shocked our nation even more. It's not yet known what caused his car to run off the road. :bawling:

Australia will always remember "The King Of The Mountain". A sad day for many many people.

I was not familiar with the gent, but my condolences to our Aussie Cellarites. The loss of a great native son/daughter is always a time to remember and salute with fondness and respect.

In Oz, you're either a "Ford Man" or a "Holden Man" Come Bathurst* time your blood boils blue or red respectively. Brocky was a Holden Man, and, even though I was born a Ford Man, I too am are sad at his passing. We lost too many legends last week.

At least he went out doing what he loved.




Now, having said that, and as a motorsport fan, I think the Targa events need are going to need far tighter restrictions to survive. Sure it's a great event to watch, and any changes are going to make it less accessable and exciting, but driving basically standard cars quickly on windy, regular streets is always gonna have disaster written all over it - and thet's part of the attraction.

I know that the idea is that it's an accessable speed event, where the "weekend warrior" with a fast car can get in and compete, heck I dream of competing in one, one-day, myself.

Organised circuit racing (touring cars and the like) is probably the safest form or motorsport there is, so I think Targa needs to start borrowing similar safety restrictions before folks start to call for the event to be banned altogether. I'd personally love to see it stay as it is and let people assume their own risks but the Nanny State is never gonna let that happen.






*Bathurst - town in New South Wales near the finest racing circuit in the world (Ok, second finest, next to the Nurburgring, I suppose), Mt Panorama, where the Australian motor racing community comes together once-a-year for the finest (bar none), most excellent motor race in the world. That's all.

Brockie was a gorgeous, gorgeous guy.

I had a little to do with him in my promo bimbo days and when I was working with the V8 Supercars.

Yet again, it only takes a couple of days for the *nasties* to come out and start slandering the newly departed.