VALE Phil Brock

Phil Brock, younger brother to Peter, passed away unexpectedly on 4 March, aged 75. Despite living in the shadow of his Bathurst-winning brother, the lanky and likeable personality carved out his own career in circuit and rallycross racing. Nicknamed ‘Split Pin,’ Phil also turned his driving talents to stunt work for numerous TV and movie productions.

Youngest of the four Brock siblings, Phil was born in 1950, following Neil, Peter and Lewis. With father Geoffrey running a garage in the small town of Hurstbridge outside Melbourne, an interest in cars seemed natural, but while Peter developed skill in circuit racing, Phil gravitated towards  Rallycross.

Phil’s first recorded race was in an FC Holden at Sandown in 1969. A brief period as a mechanic for Harry Firth’s Holden Dealer Team was followed by more racing, in Rallycross and Sports Sedans, before a Bathurst 1000 debut behind the wheel of a Valiant Charger in 1973.

Phil would return to Bathurst in 1976 and 1977, partnering Peter in a privately-entered Torana, finishing third and fourth in those years. In 1983, Phil was infamously excluded from the cross-entered #25 HDT Commodore that Peter, Larry Perkins and John Harvey drove to victory. 

By this time, Phil had become better known as a stunt driver than as a racer. His precision driving skills were being utilised on a number of local productions, the most noteworthy of which was the original Mad Max from 1979. This was followed by 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, with work as a stunt performer and co-ordinator continuing for the next decade.

Phil continued to race occasionally in various tin top categories, before a more recent move into historic racing. In this realm, he partnered Peter one last time for an HQ Holden 4-Hour Race at Winton in 2005.

Spending much of his adult life in Darwin before becoming back to Victoria, Phil is survived by partner, Christine, and children Makayla, Hayley, Jessie and Sandy. A funeral service was held in Junortoun (Bendigo) on 17 March.  JUST CARS extends its sympathies to the family and friends of Phil ‘Split Pin’ Brock.