PONTIAC, Mich., February 1, 2022 — M1 Concourse officials today announced Peter Brock as the 2022 Master of Motorsports for the American Speed Festival taking place September 29- October 2, 2022.
The 2022 American Speed Festival will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Shelby American’s impact on sports cars. Brock was the first employee hired by Carroll Shelby, running Carroll’s race driving school before Shelby American existed. His presence paid immediate dividends when the burgeoning Shelby American car company was founded. Brock took the Shelby Cobra roadster in 1963 and turned it into the slippery Cobra Daytona Coupe – the first American car to beat out the European regulars and grab the FIA’s GT World Championship in 1965, motorsports’ ultimate prize. He also created the Shelby “brand,” designing logos, creating ads and even race car graphics.
“As soon as we selected Shelby American as our featured vehicle class for this year, I immediately thought of Peter Brock,” says M1 CEO Tim McGrane. “In addition to being Carroll Shelby’s only designer, Peter made great impressions in racing with other organizations as a racer, designer and storyteller. Peter is one of a handful of special people who have a mastery of all angles of the motorsports industry. We are thrilled to be recognizing his great achievements this fall.”
Before his work with Shelby American, Brock made himself known as the 20-year-old GM designer who sketched what became the ’59 Stingray Racer and would later become the ‘63 Corvette Sting Ray.
“With all the roles I’ve had in the industry, I’m first and foremost a designer,” says Peter Brock. “I can’t look at a design and not evaluate its racing capabilities and esthetics. It doesn’t matter what type of racing is involved because I’ve found that all racers are driven by the same desire to do something better than the next guy.”
In the 1960‘s Brock founded Brock Racing Enterprise’s and BRE’s Datsun 240Zs won National Championships their first two years of competition and the BRE 510 coupes decimated the Alfas and Porsches of the Trans-Am 2.5 series.
In Japan, his Hino Samurai prototype – a wildly showy mid-engine GT for the prestigious Japan GP series – made Brock a cult hero.
In 2013 Brock, with his wife photographer Gayle, wrote the award winning and historically significant book: Corvette Sting Ray: Genesis of an American Icon. The book received the highest honor possible from the Motor Press Guild, the Dean Batchelor and Best Book awards. In 2018 the Brocks followed with another award-winning book: The Road to Modena: Origins and History of the Shelby-DeTomaso P70 Can-Am Racer, which shares the stories of the car’s Brock designed while at Shelby American.
Brock also founded Ultralight Products (UP) and built-up the largest hang-gliding company in the world, designing the best and safest hang gliders. Still designing, Brock and Gayle launched Aerovault- a line of aerodynamically efficient, quality built, lightweight and fuel-efficient custom car haulers.
Brock will be honored with the Master of Motor Sports Award at the Checkered Flag Ball on Saturday, October 1 at M1’s Event Center.
The 2022 American Speed Festival will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Shelby American’s impact on sports cars. A multitude of other cars representing super cars, endurance cars, stock cars, Indy cars and more will also join the Cobras and Shelbys. Live music, premium food and beverages, plus interactive displays from sponsors and auto vendors also add to the festive, family-friendly experience.
Tickets will go on sale for the American Speed Festival and the Checkered Flag Ball in early March. More information is at www.m1concourse.com
Photo credit @evankleinfilms
