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After four days, 1400 kilometres and 26 competitive stages, Peter Brock
driving a 330kW Monaro CV8 T3 was the clear winner of the four day, 1400km
Shannons Ford-Holden Challenge, leading his pride of Holden ‘Lions’ to an
emphatic points victory in 26 competitive stages over Ford rival Dick Johnson’s
Blue Oval brigade in the Melbourne-Adelaide rally.
The final Challenge Trophy score in points lost was Holden 2678 to Ford 3651.
Former Australian 2-litre touring car champion Michael Stillwell pushed Brock
hard throughout the rally to finish second in his 2002 Ford Mustang Cobra, while
fellow-Victorian Mark O’Connor finished third in his 2001 Ford Falcon AUIII XR8.
Brock’s long-time touring car rival Dick Johnson in his new DJR High
Performance 320kW Falcon was the third Ford runner home in eighth place
outright, with INXS rock group bass guitarist Garry Beers as his co-driver.
However Ford regained important ground with Stillwell, O’Connor and Johnson
combining in their Fords to win the event’s important Team Award.
Brock dominated the Shannons Challenge from the opening tests at Holden’s
Lang Lang Proving Ground on Sunday and finished the event yesterday with fastest
time on the Collingrove Hillclimb course in the Barossa Valley.
"It was a much tougher event that I was anticipating with some extremely
competent and very tough opposition in the Ford camp," said the 10-time Bathurst
winner, who along with Johnson was mobbed by fans throughout the rally, which
travelled to Adelaide via Shepparton, Mildura and the Barossa Valley.
2004 Shannons Ford-Holden Challenge Outright Results
| 1st |
Car 05 Peter Brock - Nathan Huppatz (2003 Holden Monaro CV8
T3) |
| 2nd |
Car 36 Michael Stillwell - Malcolm Cuthbert (2002 Ford Mustang
Cobra) |
| 3rd |
Car 44 Mark O'Connor - Simon Patterson (2001 Ford Falcon AUII
XR8) |
Challenge Trophy (Ford Vs Holden)
| 1st |
Holden |
2678 |
| 2nd |
Ford |
3651 |
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