Fed: Brock museum founder defends crash car addition

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2007
Fed: Brock museum founder defends crash car addition

By Roberta Mancuso

BRISBANE, Feb 13 AAP - A motoring enthusiast planning to put the car in which Peter
Brock died on show in his museum says the racing legend would have approved of his plan.

Peter Champion, a coal-mining contractor and one-time navigator for Brock, is planning
to rebuild the Daytona coupe and display it in the planned Champion Brock 05 Museum in
Yeppoon, on the central Queensland coast.

Patrons could pay up to $15 to view the car Brock crashed into a tree at a rally in
Perth in September, killing himself and injuring co-driver Mick Hone.

The plan to rebuild the shattered Daytona has provoked mixed reactions from loved ones
and the racing fraternity, with Brock's former partner of 28 years Bev describing the
would-be attraction as "macabre".

But Mr Champion said he had the blessing of the racing legend's close friends.

"Peter would've been wanting it to happen, that's my belief and (that of) close friends
to Peter, because he never believed in destroying anything or getting rid of anything,"

Mr Champion told ABC Radio today.

"Peter had always intended that the little Daytona coupe would end up in the collection
of cars that I have of his.

"I hadn't even thought of rebuilding the car but it was discussed among some of his
closer personal friends and they asked me if I would be interested in displaying that
car in my collection."

Mr Champion already has a large collection of Brock racing memorabilia, including about
30 original and replica cars, trophies, helmets and racing suits.

He said he was "surprised and hurt" at the reaction to his plan.

"People out there will take a view that what I'm doing is probably wrong," he said.

"I agonised over that decision after I was asked.

"I didn't even want the car to start with, and then ... it was put to me that parts
of that car would be sold off all over the country and put in other people's cars.

"The last thing we would've wanted is people turning up and saying 'Well I've got Peter
Brock's engine out of his last car, and I've got the wheels and I've got this and that'."

No pictures of the car in its damaged state would be put on display.

"Because we have a replica of his very first race car, which Peter and his son James
built for me, it would be only fitting to have his last car and it will be displayed as
it started that race in WA that morning," Mr Champion said.

Fellow racing ace Dick Johnson said while he did not see anything wrong with Mr Champion's
plan, he did not think the museum would lure many visitors.

"Quite frankly, where the museum is, it's not going to attract too many people I don't
think, and I don't think anyone's going to make a real special trip to go and have a look,"

Mr Johnson said.

AAP rm/pjo/imc/nf

KEYWORD: BROCK LEAD

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