Weekend at Brocky's
Touring car driver Phil Brock to host nostalgic touring car event on September 13Former touring car driver and youngest brother of racing legend Peter Brock, Phil, has organised an event to bring together fans of classic Australian motor racing from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Dubbed Weekend at Brocky's, the event takes place on September 13 in the provincial town of Charlton in Victoria's north, about 250km north of Melbourne, and is expected to provide plenty of old-fashioned fun, with tall tales from the era.
Phil Brock raced touring cars in the 1970s and 80s and famously raced with his brother Peter in several endurance races including at Bathurst. Phil and Peter Brock beat Alan Moffat's Falcon in their Torana L34 by a full two laps in the 1976 Sandown 500. In 1977 the brothers scored pole position at Bathurst but ended up fourth at race end.
The youngest Brock brother was also involved in TV and film, most famously as the lead stunt driver in Mad Max and Mad Max 3: Thunderdome.
"Over the years many people have been surprised at the amount of involvement I've had in motor racing, and the film and television areas, particularly in the formative years of the 1970s," said Brock.
Phil Brock, aka 'Split Pin' by virtue of his height, will host the event, and several guest speakers will be in attendance at the special dinner. Brock says some of the "unsung heroes from the period" will be speaking, including touring car mechanics who worked magic with precious little resources.
"I enjoy being a part of informing interested people just how we went about performing in those industries in that era, particularly when the tools available were very limited compared to today," he added.
The event kicks off at the heritage-listed Rex Theatre in Charlton from 2pm on Saturday September 13, which will show a couple of hours of compilation movie/documentaries, some of which have rarely been seen. This will be followed by the dinner.
On Sunday September 14 attendees can show off their vehicles at The Travellers Rest during the morning, and "it doesn't matter what make or model," says Brock, "anything you’re proud of to show". It will run from 9am through to noon.
The event will cost $75 per head, and there will be seating for about 180 paying guests at the dinner. The Rex Theatre holds about 400, and the ticket price can be split $25 for the movies, $50 for the dinner, says Brock.
And how did the Weekend at Brocky's event idea come about?
"The reason for the event is the result of a few different things; I realised the economic problems country towns face, I wanted to find a way for people to spend some money in these lovely old towns, towns that actually have an extremely rich heritage," said Brock.
When motoring.com.au asked if we could see the event become an annual institution, Brocky was humble as ever: "I'm hoping. I'm planning this to be the inaugural Weekend at Brocky’s. There is much to tell, and many interested listeners. Whether this event is annual or more depends on the reaction of the audience.
"The plan is to have one or two guest speakers, and a few VIP guests from the same era. Selected VIPs will be asked at least one question pertaining to their involvement. This will lead to open questions from the audience," he said.
For more details check out Weekend at Brocky’s Facebook page.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
