Brock, Plato combine with HRT

By David McCowen

Nine-time Bathurst winner Peter Brock and former BTCC champion Jason Plato will race together at this year's Bob Jane T-Marts event for one of the V8 field's top outfits, the Holden Racing Team.

Plato, a slightly lesser known name in Australia, but a man known throughout Europe for his touring car success is joining Brock to forge a combination that will be strong in the premier Australian endurance event.

Brock, after retiring from the V8 championship in 1997, made a popular return to the Bathurst 1000, where, in 2002 he combined with Craig Baird, racing for his own 'Team Brock'. Brock sold more merchandise than any other team at the event, and crowd figures reached record highs as fans flocked to see the 'king of the mountain' in his last V8 foray.

He has since been driving in the GT-based 'Nations Cup' category, the Targa Tasmania road rally and the 2003 Bathurst 24hr, an event that he and other Holden men won.

The popular combination of Brock and HRT ought to see many fans make the journey to Mount Panorama to see him race at the circuit which immortalised his name, many hoping that he will score an unprecedented tenth win at the mountain.