The revered Brock name, arguably the most famous in Australian motorsport, will return to competitive racing in the Ken Leigh HQ Holden 4 Hour endurance race at Winton Motor Raceway next weekend, 5-6 December.
Phil Brock, the brother of the late, great nine-time Bathurst winner Peter Brock, will compete in the event, 10 years after the two Brock brothers teamed up in the 2005 incarnation of the endurance race for one of the iconic vehicles of Australian motoring history, the HQ Holden.
The 65-year-old will partner former Victorian HQ Champion Glen McDonald in one of two cars sponsored by Guardline Security Services; the car will run Brock’s traditional race number #25.
The other car will be driven by Shepparton racer Stephen Whyte, who orchestrated the deal for Brock’s comeback; Whyte will be joined by his brother Richard.
An experienced racer in his own right, Brock’s past achievements include a podium finish alongside Peter in the 1976 Bathurst 1000, when they teamed up in a Holden Torana under the “Team Brock” banner.
In more recent times, Phil has competed in other racing categories such as Group N historics, along with the Commodore Cup national series from 2007 to 2009, and he is looking forward to returning to the driver’s seat this weekend.
“When Stephen spoke to me about competing in the event, I jumped at the opportunity,” Brock said.
“I have always loved the HQ 4 Hour, it’s a fantastic event and Winton is a track Peter and I have always enjoyed.”
Brock says the venerable HQ Holden makes a great race car for both beginners and older drivers.
“They might not be the fastest race cars, but they’re a lot of fun to drive and because they’re so evenly matched, they’re great for younger drivers to learn race-craft,” Brock said.
“Then you have older drivers like me, whose reflexes aren’t as sharp as they used to be, but as long as you’re smooth and precise, you’ll still be competitive.”
The HQ 4 Hour features a unique format in which the cars race for two hours on Saturday, and the race effectively “freezes” overnight with everyone restarting in the same positions on Sunday.
“HQ Holdens are great endurance cars because you can keep doing the same lap times all day, and work your way into a good result,” Brock said.
“It’s all about getting through Saturday in a decent position so you can charge to the finish on Sunday.
“When Peter and I raced together in 2005, we qualified down the order but we kept pushing hard all race and ended up finishing in the top 10.
“That year, there were a lot of drivers who kept bumping into Peter and some of those people will be racing this year, so it will be my opportunity for some payback!”
Whyte, who has raced HQ Holdens successfully for many years, is thrilled to have Brock as a team mate.
“It’s a real privilege to have the Brock name associated with our team, and great for the event,” Whyte said.
“There are a lot of very enthusiastic people behind the scenes including Mark McDonald, who prepares the cars, and Dave and Jan from Guardline Security Services, who are very passionate motorsport fans and jumped at the opportunity to be involved as soon as they heard the news about Phil.
“It’s going to be a very competitive event – there are at least 10 cars that could take outright victory – but it’s always one of the most enjoyable weekends of the year.”
The 2015 HQ 4 Hour will be supported by the Doug Byrne Memorial Trophy Mini races and Super TT. Spectator admission for the weekend is FREE on both Saturday and Sunday.
