Motivator Brock revving-up Olympic hopefuls
6/9/2000 23:20 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - He’s never been an Olympian, but Australian Olympic officials believe Motorsport immortal Peter Brock has the credentials needed to motivate our team as they go for gold in Sydney next week.
Peter Brock is one of a select few that have been hand-picked by the Australian Olympic Committee to act as official motivators for the Australian Olympic team.
The King of the Mountain will be stationed in the athletes’ village throughout the Olympics to provide motivation, counselling, or “just a chat from an experienced head.”
“Focus was important to me in motor car racing because I had to shut everything else out of my mind once I got in that car and the consequences were pretty high,” Brock told Brisbane’s The Courier Mail.
“The same principal will need to apply when athletes start their event,” he said.
55-year-old Brock, together with yachting icon John Bertrand, have been assigned athletes from the sports of basketball, baseball, athletics, diving, handball and gymnastics.
“They (the athletes) know that I have only one standard in life and that is achieving the highest I possibly can in whatever I do,” Brock, nine-times Bathurst champion, said.
“During competition I can help them understand the pressure and focus and mindset that is needed,” he said.
Other V8 Supercar stars have also played their part in the Games, including flame bearers Mark Skaife, Jason Bargwanna, Larry Perkins, Dick Johnson, Garth Tander and Russell Ingall.
Craig Lowndes got his taste of the Olympic sprint last weekend when he took the Olympic flame for a hot-lap around Bathurst in his Factory Commodore.
While V8 Supercar success is certainly something to treasure, Brock was quick to put it in perspective. “I’ve driven in a lot of places but this event is the greatest thing of all times.”
The Games of the XXVII Olympiad will officially be opened at Stadium Australia on Friday week.
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