The image of two brothers sharing a Holden Torana at the finish of the Sandown 400 — beating Allan Moffat’s Ford Falcon by two laps — is one of the enduring scenes tied to phil brock. That race, and long stretches behind the wheel and behind the scenes, now form the ledger of a life in Australian motorsport that has come to a close.
Who was Phil Brock?
Phil Brock, known widely by the nickname ‘Split Pin’ for his lanky stature, was the youngest of four Brock brothers and an active competitor in touring cars across the 1970s and early 1980s. He made multiple Bathurst 1000 starts and shared drives with his older brother Peter, recording a third-place finish in 1976 and a fourth-place finish in 1977. He also shared the Sandown 400 victory in 1976 in a Holden Torana, crossing the line two laps ahead of Allan Moffat’s Ford Falcon.
How did phil brock’s racing career unfold and what were the pivotal moments?
Brock’s Bathurst record included five starts between 1973 and 1981, and his career threaded through touring cars, production car racing and later returns to categories such as AUSCAR, NASCAR on the Calder Park Thunderdome, Commodore Cup and historic competition. His last Bathurst start came in a HDT Special Vehicles-backed Gemini alongside Gary Scott in 1981. He also partnered with Peter Janson in a Torana after a significant practice accident at the top of the Mountain, and joined his brother Peter in shared drives across circuits that defined an era.
One of the most talked-about episodes in his career came in 1983 when the leading #05 Holden Commodore driven by Peter Brock and Larry Perkins suffered an engine failure just eight laps into the Bathurst 1000. Peter Brock and Larry Perkins then moved into the sister #25 car of John Harvey and Phil Brock, leaving Phil sidelined for the remainder of the race. Peter Brock, John Harvey and Larry Perkins went on to win, marking the race as a controversial turning point in Phil’s Bathurst story: he did not take a track stint in that winning effort.
Beyond circuit work, Brock contributed as a stunt driver on major film productions, serving as one of the main stunt drivers on the Mad Max movies during the 1970s and 1980s. His career bridged high-level competition and behind-the-scenes technical skill in vehicle work for television and film.
What does his passing leave behind?
Accounts of his age at death vary in public records, with one listing him at 75 and another noting him as 74 with a 1951 birth in Melbourne. He spent much of his adult life living in Darwin and returned to racing in later years, racing in various production and historic categories and appearing with his brothers at events such as the Ken Leigh HQ Holden 4 Hour at Winton in 2005. His family includes a son, Sandy, whose athletic path led to Australian rules football and who joined the Gold Coast Suns in 2021 before making an AFL appearance for the West Coast Eagles in 2025.
His life intersected with institutions and figures central to Australian touring car history: the Brock family name, the Holden Torana and Commodore campaigns, colleagues such as John Harvey, Larry Perkins, Allan Moffat and Peter Janson, and teams that raced through the golden era of touring cars. A restored car connected to the 1983 winning effort has been returned to an earlier winning specification, underscoring the continuing interest in the machinery and moments that framed his career.
Sympathies have been expressed to his family and friends, and his passing has prompted reflection on a career that combined competition, craft and a quieter persistence beside a far more famous sibling.
Returning to that picture of the Torana across Sandown, the brothers’ shared moment endures as a simple, stubborn proof of a career lived on track and on film. For phil brock, known as ‘Split Pin’, the races, the near-misses and the work behind the camera will remain as the record of a life spent close to speed.
