The widow of motor racing legend Peter Brock has not ruled out a driver eclipsing her late husband’s seemingly unbeatable record of nine Bathurst 1000 wins.
However, Bev Brock now considers his nine wins an “empty” number, saying it doesn’t sum up his greatness.
Peter Brock on Wednesday was unveiled as the first inductee into the inaugural Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame.
Organisers said he would be among 30 greats across all motorsport categories honoured at a gala event on March 19 in Melbourne to coincide with the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.
Bev Brock will accept the award for her husband who was killed in 2006 during a rally in Western Australia.
Peter Brock became a household name through touring car and later V8 racing, winning the Bathurst 1000 nine times – still a record.
Bev Brock admitted that might fall along with the rest of his milestones on a much-busier V8 Supercars calendar.
But she believed the Bathurst stat no longer represented what he achieved during his stunning career.
Peter Brock’s former protege Craig Lowndes is the only current driver within sight of nine wins after claiming his sixth King of the Mountain title last year.
Asked if anyone would eclipse nine, Bev Brock told AAP: “Anything is possible.
“But nine is almost an empty figure because he was so much more than that.
“You look at the guys today and they have those wins. Because they have so many more races, they are eclipsing his other records.
“But have they won an around-Australia rally?
“Have they won a Bathurst 24 Hour?
“There was so much more to him.
“Today, it is so specialised, they go down one line and don’t tend to step outside it.
“He had a much broader palette.”
Peter Brock still also holds records for most pole positions in succession (13), most Sandown wins (nine) and most Sandown wins in succession (seven).
Bev Brock said V8 Supercars had advanced the sport in Australia but did not believe it would better her husband’s era.
“I look at it and think the sport is fantastic, but the people behind the wheel still make it what it is,” she said.
“These days, you are hard pressed whether a car is a Holden, Ford, Nissan or Volvo.
“It (V8 racing) is evolutionary and that’s fantastic but I still think we had the best of the era.”
Bev Brock believed the Hall of Fame honour vindicated the sacrifices her husband made in the sport.
“Peter was very much a perfectionist and much of the time at home with the family was spent soul searching and questioning what he could do better,” she said.
“I absolutely think it (Hall of Fame honour) would vindicate for him those many hours that he questioned every minute detail of what he was doing.”
