As Australia takes centre stage in world rallying with the new Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour it is revealed that a Dakar Rally entry was being prepared for Peter Brock at the time of his death five years ago
Brock's death ended secret Dakar dream
Rallying is – or at least ought to be – front and centre on the Australian motorsport landscape this week with the new Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour starting tomorrow (Thursday). That coincides with the fifth anniversary of the death of touring car games legend Peter Brock, and there's a rallying connection in that too.
Although he was known as King of the Mountain for his record at Bathurst, Brock always reckoned that the "greatest thing I ever did in a car" was win the 1979 Round-Australia Trial. He had a special fondness for the gravel, and this week's Auto Action magazine reveals that – at the time of his death in Targa West on September 8, 2006 – an entry was being prepared for him to drive in the Dakar Rally, the world's most arduous motorsport event.
Gold Coast engineer Robert D'Ercole, who was building up a Holden Adventra for Brock, told AA: "He always looked at the Dakar as being the last big race that he really wanted to do." The magazine has pictures of the Adventra which, while it looks finished, has no engine, no brakes and no mechanicals. Brock's son James was to have been his co-driver for the 2007 Dakar, but the project was cancelled after the death of Peter Perfect.
The Brock anniversary is likely to capture national attention over the next couple of days, although in NSW's Coffs Coast region the new Rally Australia has generated a lot of excitement – without the opposition it encountered when last held further north two years ago. It is round 10 of the World Rally Championship, with 29 cars in the WRC and Production WRC fields – and drivers and co-drivers representing 22 countries from Russia to Brazil. Another 70 cars are entered in the Australian Rally Championship round and classic rally being run in conjunction with the world event.
It all starts Thursday evening with the first two runs for all competitors over the Coffs Harbour jetty stage, which will be repeated the next two nights. Friday, Saturday and Sunday there are about 350km of gravel stages to the west, south and north of the seaside resort, leading into the final 4.58km Power Stage.
Citroen is the most successful manufacturer in WRC history, having won 78 rallies – most recently on tarmac in Germany three weeks ago. Its two French factory drivers, seven-time world champion Sebastien Loeb and 27-year-old Sebastien Ogier, each have four times this season. However, there are huge tensions between the pair, more so since rising superstar Ogier ignored team orders to let Loeb regain the lead in Germany.
Citroen's DS3 cars have won the past eight of this year's nine rounds after Ford's Mikko Hirvonen won the season opener in Sweden in his Fiesta RS. Hirvonen won the last Rally Australia two years ago after Loeb was penalised post-event, but that was the Finn's last gravel victory. While Ogier trails Loeb by 25 points in the championship, Hirvonen is only another 11 points further behind but needs a victory to keep his title hopes alive.
Hirvonen also won WA's last Rally Australia in 2006 and completing a hat-trick this weekend would bring the Blue Oval back level with Citroen as the sport's most successful make. On the other hand a Citroen one-two finish at Coffs Harbour would secure it a seventh manufacturers' title.
Hirvonen's countryman and Ford factory teammate Jari-Matti Latvala is winless this season, but starting fourth he will have Loeb, Ogier and Hirvonen sweeping the roads "clean" for him.
Popular Norwegian Petter Solberg, the 2003 world champion, hasn't competed in Australia since 2006 and is a Citroen privateer these days but is the main danger to the four factory drivers. There also will be keen interest in the performance of American YouTube sensation Ken Block in his Fiesta.
Without the new factory MINIs, which are running only an abbreviated WRC debut season, the sole MINI entry is Brazilian Daniel Oliveira.
Australia's hopes in the PWRC category ride on 23-year-old Brendan Reeves in a Subaru Impreza, while New Zealander Hayden Patton is on course for the PWRC title – which would make him the first rallying world champion from the Antipodes.
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