SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian motor racing great Peter Brock died in an accident during a rally in Western Australia, motor sport officials has said.
Brock, 61, was killed while he was taking part in the Targa West rally, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) said in a statement.
CAMS said the accident occurred at about 1:50 pm (0450 GMT) and that it will conduct a full investigation into the incident.
Television vision showed Brock's car at the foot of a large tree off the road during a stage of the rally. Media reports said no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
The accident occurred near the small community of Gidgegannup, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Perth.
Brock, known as 'Peter Perfect', gained national acclaim when he won the Bathurst 1000, Australia's top domestic motorsport event, a total of nine times during the 1970 and 80s as the lead driver of the Holden Dealer Team.
Brock's co-driver in the Targa West rally, believed to be Mick Hone, was taken to hospital in a stable condition, CAMS said.
Brock won three Australian Touring Car championships, a Round Australia Rally, and was popular with the Australian motorsport fans.
"On behalf of the motor sport community, CAMS offers its sincere sympathy to Peter's family and many friends," the statement said.
Brock retired from full-time driving in 1997, but he made two return visits to Bathurst in 2002 and 2004 and returned to top-level touring car racing as a team owner of "Team Brock" in 2002 in the V8 Supercar category.
In recent years, Brock occasionally competed in various motorsport events.
Brock also was heavily involved in other sports and was an athlete liaison officer with the Australian Olympic team at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics.
John Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee, said Brock provided support and motivation for competitors, and mentored young athletes who were participating in their first Olympics.
"Peter pitched in and helped out wherever he could and was extremely popular with the athletes," Coates said.