Destiny’s child

In winning his fifth Bathurst classic, Peter Brock broke the record for most victories in the race’s history. Brock and Jim Richards won their third consecutive 1000, topping an incredibly successful 24 months or so for ‘Peter Perfect, undoubtedly at the peak of his powers. In addition to claiming those Hardie-Ferodo 1000s, his run included a trio of Hang-Ten 400s at Sandown, the ’79 Repco Round Australia Trial and the ’78 and ’80 Australian Touring Car Championships, among other lesser races.

Brock was truly living the dream. And, dare we say it, he was living a charmed life, too, at times. That was certainly the case on October 5, 1980.

For all his considerable skill and experience, not to mention the Holden Dealer Team’s expertise, even one-eyed fans would admit Brocky was bloody lucky to win that instalment of the Mountain classic.