Sandown and great rival pay homage to Brock

"All of you knew him affectionately as Brocky," Moffat said tearfully yesterday. "To me, he was a great friend who I called Peter."

Racing duels between the pair ignited the great Holden-Ford rivalry of the 1970s and 1980s. "We were Victorians first and Aussies second," Moffat said.

About 10,000 motor racing fans united to pay homage to Brock and celebrate his racing achievements a fortnight after his fatal crash in the Targa West rally in Western Australia. The tribute at the raceway, where he won nine Sandown 500 titles, followed his state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday.

Fans spilled on to the raceway to watch Brock's son, Jamie, drive a replica of his father's first racing car, the Austin A30, for a lap of honour, followed by 200 Brock Commodores. Brock's daughter, Alexandra, waved the chequered flag as a final salute.

Confederation of Australian Motor Sport president Colin Osborne said the loss of the man known as King of the Mountain was of the enormity of Princess Diana's death.

Holden driver Mark Skaife said his childhood inspiration was "the icon of our industry".

"He wanted to explore the boundaries, bordering on the weird sometimes," he said.

Long-time teammate John Harvey broke down after recounting Brock's successful campaign to get Holden to retain the V8.

Brock's brother, Phil, read a message to the crowd from Brock's long-time partner, Bev Brock, thanking fans.

After the tribute, many of Brock's Commodore-driving fans waved Holden flags as they left Sandown.

Greg Fisher, of Beaconsfield, was one of many Holden-clad fans who brought his children to pay their respects.

"He has been my favourite driver since I was a kid," he said. "He always had time to talk to the kids and never cut you short."