The year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 features a special tribute to nine-time race winner Peter Brock, including a range of cars from his incredible career set to be on-hand at the track in ‘Peter’s Pitlane’ for fans to enjoy.
Set to be part of the display of significant cars from his career is the 2004 Holden Racing Team VY Commodore he drove in his final Great Race at Mount Panorama alongside British Touring Car Championship legend Jason Plato.
Brock had made an appearance in a Team Brock Commodore at Bathurst in 2002, though the 2004 program provided an opportunity for the Holden legend to make his final Bathurst 1000 in a factory-backed car 35 years after his debut in a HDT Monaro in 1969.
Ultimately the '04 Bathurst assault ended without Brock stepping into the car in the race, finally bringing down the curtain on his Great Race career.
The road to 2004
The car that Brock and Plato ran in 2004 at both Sandown and Bathurst was chassis HRT 048; it was built new by the HRT in mid-2003 and debuted by Todd Kelly at Queensland Raceway.
It became the first HRT Commodore powered by the then-new ‘Holden Motorsport’ engine and was largely driven by Kelly through the rest of that season, his first as a HRT full-time pilot.
Kelly and Mark Skaife had raced the car at Bathurst in 2003; it was running second in the latter stages when the latter was black-flagged to the pits due to a loose door and finished an eventual eighth.
It became Kelly’s #22 HRT car during 2004 and won a race and the overall round at Hidden Valley in Darwin.
A final V8 Supercar farewell
Kelly’s regular Commodore was re-stickered as #05 for Brock and Plato to drive and the duo – who had raced against one another at Bathurst in 1997’s Super Touring race – finished 14th in the Sandown 500 in September 2004.
Bathurst though, put simply, was a disaster.
Starting back in the pack, the Englishman took the wheel for the first stint but miscued at Murray’s Corner and bounced off the guardrail. The contact forced the front guard to rub onto the tyre and Plato slowly crept his way back to the pits for a replacement.
He had almost made it all the way back to pit lane on the exit of Caltex Chase when two-time BTCC champion John Cleland was unsighted by another car and ploughed into the back of the slow-moving #05 Commodore.
The Scot’s OzEmail Falcon launched onto its roof with both cars sustaining major damage.
And, just like that, Peter Brock’s Bathurst career was over without him even getting to turn a lap in the race.
His Bathurst 1000 career tally ended with 32 starts, nine wins (a record), six pole positions (a record) and 12 podium finishes.
Philosophical feels
“Bathurst serves up something spectacular,” said Brock in the aftermath of the 2004 race.
“Every year it holds something in store for every team and this year was our turn. It was such a tough day for Jason and I really believe he couldn’t have done anything else in the situation.
“Today’s result has provided a great opportunity to present a message to the general public, that there is always adversity in life. I have really enjoyed being back on the Mountain with the Holden Racing Team. It has been a special weekend.”
The 2004 Brock/Plato Bathurst Commodore was repaired and returned to action in the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series for Rick Kelly to drive for the HSV Dealer Team.
It made an appearance in that year’s Bathurst 1000 in Mark Noske and Tim Leahey’s hands before becoming Tony D’Alberto’s 2006 Fujitsu Series (Super2) chassis.
D’Alberto’s team initially restored it to its HRT 2004 Bathurst livery and it’s since been through the hands of a small number of race car collectors; it’s now owned by American-based, multiple Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul.
The Repco Bathurst 1000 will be held at Mount Panorama on October 8-11. Tickets are on sale now.
In collaboration with V8 Sleuth, Supercars.com is highlighting Peter Brock, who will be honoured at the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000. The nine-time Bathurst winner will be celebrated via a series of tributes, with several of his famous cars on display at the Mountain. The Peter's Pitlane exhibition is outside the National Motor Racing Museum between Thursday October 8 and Sunday October 11.
