Peter Brock
There are few people in the world who touch the hearts and souls of a nation like Peter Brock did. Senna in Brazil was definitely one, Elvis Presley was another, and Martin Luther King was also someone who had the same effect on people when they passed.I am sure there are others...
I knew Peter well. Maybe not as well as others did, but I remember sitting down and watching a race on TV whilst staying with a friend of mine in Melbourne one day about seven years ago, when a voice went off in my head saying 'get in contact with Peter and see him'. It was one of those inner voices that was so clear in my mind that I never questioned it.
I mentioned this to my friend, and he said he had Peter's mobile number because he had been a mechanic for him when he was still driving. I waited until that evening to call, and then I spoke to Peter's wife, Bev, while Peter was driving. I explained what had happened while I was watching him on TV, although I had no real idea what the response would be. As it turned out, I had very little fear around what I was saying. As soon as I explained what had happened and what was happening in my life, they both warmly welcomed my words and invited me to stay at their home outside of Melbourne the following night, which I did.
I grew up with Peter Brock as a kid, watching him on TV win nine Bathurst 1000s and lots of races and championships. To me, he was different to the other drivers, although, being a kid, I never really knew what it was that made him so different. I think there are certain people in the world who are able to draw people to them like a magnet. I raced with Senna in Formula One - I said raced with him, not against him - and you got a sense that he, like Peter, had this magnetism for people.
If you listen to wise old people, they say 'what you give out in life is what you get back'. Life is like a mirror, look at yourself in that mirror and see who you are, notice whether you are happy, sad, giving, not giving, angry and so on. Then take a look at your life and see if it is the same as you look in the mirror.
When you look at someone like Peter, he had a lot of love and compassion directed at him by the people. This would only mean that he gave the same love and compassion to the people that he met. People who didn't meet him, but saw him on TV, would have noticed this in his voice and the words he spoke. I never remember a time when he spoke badly of people. If something went wrong on the track, he would not draw himself to bad feelings and words to his competitors. Instead, he always tried to look at it in a different way, one that was positive and open-hearted.
This sometimes made enemies in the industry, because people found this attitude uncomfortable - it wasn't the way racers reacted. You are supposed to be tough and fight your corner, they said. What these people never knew was the law of life like Peter did. He was known as 'Peter Perfect', and this is because he was always on the hunt for things and ways that made him better. Some of those things were a little 'out there' for some people - crystals and energy and so on - but you have to look at Peter's life and ask the question 'did he know something that others didn't?'. This is why I visited him.
I drove to Peter's house and was welcomed with open arms and an open heart by both Peter and Bev. At the time, I wasn't sure why I was there, but I had lots of questions for them, to find out how they lived their lives. I had dinner that night and struggled a bit because it was all vegetarian and non-alcoholic wine! I like my meat, so Bev cooked up some lamb chops (there must be a stash for the visitors).
The conversations we had that night were very interesting - and life-changing for me - although my mind wasn't absorbing it all because so much was said. At the time, I was in a personal growth period, and still am, as I was searching to improve myself and my driving. I am sure this is why I was in Aussie at that time, hearing that inner voice and then sitting listening to a new way of looking at life. It always amazes me just how life brings these things to you at the right time in your life. Sometimes, it doesn't appear that way at first, because it can be hurtful, but, as time goes on and the emotions fade away, a little secret appears and you can then see the perfection in it.
People were always touched by the first time they met Peter. He would treat everyone the same and make them feel special - and he did this everywhere he went. When he signed an autograph, he would write 'live your dreams'. He had lived his to the full, and he wanted everyone else to live theirs.
Seeya Peter Perfect and thanks for helping me to live my dreams.
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David Brabham, Scott Sharp, Patrón Highcroft, 2009 ALMS Champions
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David Brabham, Scott Sharp, Patrón Highcroft, 2009 ALMS Champions
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