Brocks Co-Drivers

[Kingair]

One of those dumb questions that needs to be asked, how or who made the decision on Brock's co drivers for Bathurst and Sandown? Was it Brock himself, or Harry Firth?

Brock drove with Jim Richards for three Bathursts or so, then Larry filled the slot for a while.

Did Larry get the gig for his engineering knowledge?

In later years was it a case of drivers buying a seat to drive with Brock?

[Nicholosophy]

I think Larry was in the car because Perkins Engineering was the engineering team running HDT at the time and he was the team's other driver.

I assume the later (non-)attempts were probably just who could bring money or the like.

[DAVID PATERSON]

1969 - 1974 Brock was merely an employee, H ran the team and called the shots. 1975 - 1977 Brock would have been making the choices.
1978 - 1980 John Sheppard was team manager, but I'm sure Brock would have had a say.
1981 - 1990 Brock owned the team and would have made the decision.

[Umai Naa]

Bare in mind on several occasions, Brock would've been a hired gun, so again, co driver choices may not have been his to make.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by NickoGP

I think Larry was in the car because Perkins Engineering was the engineering team running HDT at the time and he was the team's other driver.

I assume the later (non-)attempts were probably just who could bring money or the like.

Perkins Engineering didn't come into being until 1986.

Perkins was hired by Brock originally as just a co-driver for Bathurst, Perkins said he didn't want to just drive Brock therefore employed Perkins (and not a company) to run the race team.

HDT only started taking pay drivers for a few races at the end of 1987 (and Mr McLeod brought an engine, not money)

[Notso Swift]

Yeah, like Wingnut came with money bags

[Holden308]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

1969 - 1974 Brock was merely an employee, H ran the team and called the shots.
1975 - 1977 Brock would have been making the choices.
1978 - 1980 John Sheppard was team manager, but I'm sure Brock would have had a say.
1981 - 1990 Brock owned the team and would have made the decision.

Almost correct.

1969-74 - Agreed. Harry made the rules, chose the drivers etc. It was his way or the highway, which is what made Brock leave the team at the end of 1974, he felt too hemmed in by Firth.
1975-77 - Agreed again.
1978-79 - Sheppo was manager only for two years, but Brock definitely had a say in the choice of Jim Richards. It all stemmed from a trip back to Melbourne from Wanneroo in a Ford panel van in mid-1978. Brocky and Jim shared the drive. They were really only acquaintances back then and didn't talk much on the trip, but Brock went away and recommended him to Sheppo and he got the best co-driving job in the land. It launched Jim's career really.
1980-93 - Brock took over the HDT in 1980. Pretty much until the team, under whichever name, wound up at the end of 1993, Brock chose his own co-drivers. Even after he didn't own the team (from mid-1987?), because he was Brocky he was allowed to choose his own co-driver.

[anthony81901]

Neville Crichton (Spa 24 hour 1987) was the only driver I believe who bought an enduro drive with HDT/Advantage. Originally Neil Crompton was scheduled to race at Bathurst (and did so in the other enduros), but as he didn't have the required number of starts (or some other technicality) to obtain a FIA licence, he had to vacate the seat with McLeod bringing an engine which was used by #10 in practice.

Tony Noske was paying the bills when he raced a 3rd Sierra in 1990, but of all of the other co-drivers post 1986: Crompton, Crooke, Parsons, Richards, Larkham, Rouse, Jones, Radisich, Miedecke, O'Brien, Perkins, Mezera, Reuter, Cleland, Dunstan and Harrington, doubt many if any were paying for the ride.

[GTRMagic]

You might have thought that the 2nd HDT VK that ran in the 1986 Spa 24hr, the Kiwi crewed car, for Mr Baigent & Mr Bowkett, and HDT boss Mr Lowe, may have contributed to HDT's budget, especially with those big Sleepyhead logos that appeared on that car , but not on the Brock/Moffat/Harvey #5 from that same event...

[Kingair]

Lets see, ace Holden pin up driver has to scrounge a lift home from Wanneroo, with a Kiwi driving a Ford panel van.

One wonders what they talked about, I bet young Jim let him win I Spy every time they played it!

Always interesting what comes out on these forums when questions are asked.

[Holden308]

Actually, from what I have read it was a hire car and someone thought it was cheaper than flying.....they allegedly did the Perth-Melbourne trip in a tad over 24 hours (took me and 3 friends, 2 who like me also drove, just over 2 days to drive from Adelaide to Perth in 2002 in an EA Falcon. But then none of us could hold a candle to messers Brock and Richards and we rarely broke the speed limit).

I think Brock went away realising that there was a guy who could not only drive fast but didn't break the car or crash the damn thing. Also helped that Jim was the quiet type who wouldn't go headline grabbing.

Amazingly from that point in 1978 until the GT-R's were banned at the end of 1992, Jim Richards never drove for a non-works supported touring car team, though he kept on racing his Falcon sports sedan until the end of (I think) 1981:

HDT - 1978-81
JPS Team BMW (BMW Aust. supported) - 1982-87
Mobil 1 Racing (BMW Aust. supported) - 1988
Gibson Motor Sport (Nissan) - 1989-92.

[Henry]

Actually, in 1974, Brock was sacked, and spent the next three Christmases making submissions to get back into the works team…

In 1982, Perkins was chosen as a co-driver, doubtless on his Bathurst record, although he, like Brock, had been a Firth protege in the early 70's. When Bruce Nowacki fell ill in late 1982, Perkins took on the team manager's role, which he maintained until Brock sacked him in 1985.

how did David Oxton get chosen? Surely Moffat would've been a better choice...

[anthony81901]

Originally Posted by Henry

Perkins took on the team manager's role, which he maintained until Brock sacked him in 1985.

Perkins resigned midway through 1985 after clashing with Brock over the Energy Polariser that would ultimately see many others leave the team.

[db120176]

Originally Posted by anthony81901

Perkins resigned midway through 1985 after clashing with Brock over the Energy Polariser that would ultimately see many others leave the team.

Amazing Perkins couldn't get behind the science being an engineer and all.....

[Henry]

Originally Posted by anthony81901

Perkins resigned midway through 1985 after clashing with Brock over the Energy Polariser that would ultimately see many others leave the team.

He was sacked.

In the midst of a meeting where LP was making his antipathy to the Polarizer known in no uncertain terms, Brock interrupted him and told him he was surplus to requirements.

[Just Do It!]

With all due respect to Peter, Larry would go on become to know as a used car salesman when it came to many things - car values, REC values when he tried to sell them (one of the funniest conversations ever had with one of the biggest sook-bags ever to walk the Earth, but the first to over-inflate the value of something), and many other things.

This is the lizard who bagged buggery out of Tony Noske and then tried to bank top dollar for something that he paid SFA for.

Captain Two-Face Perkins. Lizard, wizard, and.......censored

[Holden308]

According to Larry on Legends of Motorsport it was an amicable split with the HDT in 1985 (and 1991). Perkins' contract as HDT team manager allegedly said that he had final say on what components went on the race cars. Brock started fitting the "Energy Polariser" to the cars and LP objected. He left the team soon after, or was sacked, whichever story you believe. From what I know this happened soon after the Lakeside round of the ATCC in which LP actually drove. Apparently Larry wasn't overly pleased after the race to find that box with crystals and magnets under the bonnet of his Commodore.

Interesting to read in the AMC special issue "Holden and I" which is pretty much Harry Firth's notes during his time as HDT boss, that Holden wanted to pay Brock around $42,000 to be the HDT's lead driver in 1976/77. Harry apparently vetoed it because, in his words, that was twice what he was being paid and he wouldn't cop that, among other reasons he didn't name. Interestingly, once Firth retired at the end of 1977, Brocky was straight back into the HDT fold. Kinda makes me wonder if Harry really did retire or if he was subtly pushed? Sheppo coming in as his replacement would have given Holden greater say in how things ran. Harry was rather autocratic in his ways and didn't like to be told how he should do things. For a few years Holden had been increasingly reluctant to give him the fixes he wanted...the V8 in the SL/R 5000, the eventual A9X which fixed a lot of the problems the L34 had.....

But knowing what Harry Firth was like, if he was pushed he wouldn't have been quiet about it.