As the lion-and-stone badge braves the Great Race for the last time, we look at the king of the mountain’s legacy.
This weekend’s Bathurst 1000 has significant events revving up on and off the track, with celebrations of the much-loved Holden’s lion taking centre stage.
“It’s one of the most iconic races in the world and we want to appropriately recognise this historic end of an era for Holden in racing,” said Chris Payne, general manager of Chevrolet Racing.
Sunday, October 9, 2022, will be emotional for many fans, including former employees, race-team members and dealership staff, because it will be the final time a Holden races in a Supercars event at Bathurst.
“It would be an outstanding way to farewell Holden from the mountain if one of the Commodore drivers can add to the brand’s 35 race wins at the circuit,” adds Payne.
There will also be special moments focusing on the 50th anniversary of Peter Brock’s first Great Race victory in 1972 over the weekend and when you think of Bathurst, it’s difficult not to think of him as king of the mountain. He is pictured racing his Torana A9X, above, there in 1978.
Payne says: “He was an incredible driver who achieved an unrivalled nine wins here for Holden, an achievement I don’t ever think will be bettered. Peter’s first win here for Holden was in 1972, so 50 years on it’s just a wonderful tribute to him that Supercars have created a Peter Brock tribute display at Bathurst.
“It means the fans can come into the Harris Park precinct and enjoy seeing some of his cars again, and just remember the great moments and memories he gave to us all.”
In conjunction with Australia Post and the Brock family, the Gaming Machine Association of Australia has showcased a limited stamp release dubbed “Peter Brock – King of the Mountain”. The stamps, pictured below, feature five of his famous Bathurst victories.
One of Holden’s other famous sons will also have special reason to celebrate this weekend as he takes to the track for his 300th combined Touring Car/Supercars round starts – a record unmatched in the sport’s history of the sport.
Craig Lowndes, a seven times Bathurst winner, says: “I’ve enjoyed an incredibly memorable career and I’m humbled to be here for my 300th round start.
“I have a strong affinity with the mountain and would like nothing more than to add to wins I have savoured here. It’s a long race, one in which anything can happen – and it usually does – but to be in the running come Sunday would be hugely satisfying.”
King of the mountain
In a 15-year period from 1972-87, Peter Brock made the daunting Mount Panorama circuit his own, winning the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times – and always in a Holden. No other driver has matched his achievements.
He fell under the circuit’s spell as a spectator at the Hardie-Ferodo 500 in 1966 and, just three years later, was contesting the famed race in a factory-backed vehicle. Brock finished an incredible third outright on his Great Race debut driving a Monaro GTS 350 alongside veteran Des West. This cemented his future with the Holden Dealer Team (HDT).
Three years later in 1972, Brock took his first Bathurst win driving solo in the iconic HDT-prepared LJ Torana XU-1.
Having established himself as one of Australia’s best young drivers and with a growing fan base, his breakthrough victory on the mountain came on a wet and greasy track that claimed experienced competitors, such as HDT team-mate Colin Bond and Ford rival Allan Moffat.
Brock went on to leave the Bathurst record book in tatters by winning again in 1975, 1978-80 and 1982-84 inclusive, and in 1987.
The media-driven Supercar Scare of 1972 curtailed plans to fit the LJ Torana XU-1 with a V8 engine. Thankfully, it rained at Bathurst that October and Brock made the most of his Torana’s lithe handling and braking to overcome the more powerful V8-powered Ford Falcon GT-HOs.
Holden slipped a V8 under the bonnet of the slightly larger LH generation Torana. The L34 race-homologation model provided a second Bathurst win for Brock, racing as a privateer under the banner of Melbourne engine-builder Gown-Hindhaugh.
The L34 model came with a rear spoiler and bolt-on wheel-arch extensions to cover wide racing wheels and tyres. More importantly the package included a strengthened block, race-spec crankshaft, upgraded rods and pistons, special camshaft, roller rockers, bigger valves, twin-coil ignition and a Holley 780 carburettor.
After three years as a thorn in the side of the factory team, Brock returned to HDT in 1978 after Holden appointed John Sheppard to replace founder Harry Firth. The combination of Brock’s driving skill, Sheppard’s car preparation and the more refined Torana A9X proved an irresistible force leading to two more Bathurst victories – the second in 1979 by a record six laps.
The A9X “option package” addressed the L34’s shortcomings. It introduced rear disc brakes, improved front and rear-suspension geometries, a heavy-duty gearbox and tough rear axle from the Holden one-tonne ute with a tall diff ratio that just happened to be perfect for Bathurst.
It also had a rear-facing bonnet scoop that allowed the engine to breathe better. With the introduction of a more aerodynamic two-door hatchback body style, the A9X became the ultimate Torana racer.
Brock turned HDT into a genuine dealer-backed team in return for providing special road cars that served as the basis of the new Commodore. He was rewarded with not only immediate on-track success, but also a new road-car business – HDT Special Vehicles. For seven years, it was the biggest little carmaker in Australia.
At Bathurst, Brock made it a hat-trick of victories in a VC Commodore. Although he was forced to concede to Dick Johnson and his Ford Falcon XD in 1981, the Holden star switched to the latest VH Commodore SS model, and again reigned supreme in 1982 and 1983 – the latter after switching to the team’s second vehicle.
Brock made it six Bathurst wins in seven years in 1984 driving the ultimate Group C Touring Car. It was the “last of the big bangers”, a VK Commodore with an eye-catching dayglo orange paint scheme. HDT celebrated a famous one-two with a formation finish that pointedly mirrored a devastating display seven years earlier by great rival Allan Moffat’s team.
The introduction of international Group A regulations from 1985 disadvantaged the small local carmakers. Brock and Holden persevered and managed to produce a competitive Commodore V8 that surprised the world in 1987 when the first World Touring Car Championship took place.
Against the might of increasingly dominant turbocharged cars from Ford and Nissan at Bathurst – and despite having broken his Holden ties – Brock again stepped into his back-up Commodore after his own failed.
He drove with energy and bravery on a wet track.
He was welcomed to the podium as the local hero after finishing third behind two international Sierras, but months later he was declared the winner when the German-built Fords were excluded for technical infractions.
Brock was now a nine-time Bathurst winner and an even greater hero to the legion of Holden fans in Australia and New Zealand.
Keyword: Holden going out with roar