Mark Skaife
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| Mark Skaife | |
|---|---|
 Skaife after winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2005 |
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| V8 Supercar Record | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Car # | 2 |
| Current team | Holden Racing Team |
| Series Championships | 5 |
| Wins | 39 |
| Podium finishes | 77 |
| Pole positions | 41 |
| 2007 Championship position | 8th (379 pts) |
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM (born 3 April 1967 in Gosford, New South Wales) is an Australian race-car driver and five times winner of the V8 Supercars/Australian Touring Car Championship. In 2007 he achieved a record 38 round wins in the championship, surpassing the late Peter Brock.[1] He set a Guinness World Record with the fastest speed of 277.16 km/h for a production ute (pick-up truck), driving an HSV Maloo at the Woomera Prohibited Area in 2006.[2]
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[edit] Biography
Skaife was born in Gosford, New South Wales, the son of a racer.
In 2004, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, for service to motor racing and charity.[3]
Skaife is married with three children.
[edit] Racing career
With a record-equalling five Australian Touring Car Championships, five Bathurst 1000 victories 38 rounds victories, and numerous other non championship touring car wins to his credit, Skaife is understandably ranked as one of the most successful touring car drivers in Australian motor racing history.
Having begun his racing career in Karts, Skaife experienced immediate success when he moved to cars in 1984 By driving in the much unloved Ford Laser Series. By 1987 though his career kicked off with the association of Fred Gibson Motorsport. As a Mechanic for the team he learnt his way through all aspects of motorsport while also winning the one and only Australian 2 Litre Championship with Gibson Motorsport prepared Nissan Gazelle (S12 Silvia).
1988 was the year that Skaife joined the team part time driving the new Nissan Group A GTS-R. Touted as a Sierra beater in the ATCC Skaife along with Glenn Seton and George Fury, then Full time drove the car in 1989 with Jim Richards, amassed podium finishes in the touring car championship and a 3rd Bathurst the same year.
1990 and Godzilla arrived the R32 Skyline GT-R which Skaife personally tested and went through all the car data and tech that went into the car for it to appear half-way through the title chase of that year. The car so dominant in Skaife's hands as well as Jim Richards.
And later showed his versatility by winning three consecutive Australian Drivers’ Championships in Formula Brabham open-wheelers from 1991 to 1993.
As a works Nissan driver in 1992 he clinched the Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Drivers’ Championship and Bathurst 1000 in the same season before his team Gibson Motor Sport moved to Holden with at the beginning of the V8 Supercar era.
Skaife’s decision to move to the Holden Racing Team in 1997 upon the retirement of Peter Brock proved beneficial as Skaife and the HRT went on a rampage, winning the championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to success at Bathurst in both 2001 and 2002 and a Queensland 500 win in 2000 with Craig Lowndes.
2005 saw a return to form as Skaife mounted a championship challenge which was alive until the final round of the championship, along the way partnering Todd Kelly for his fifth Bathurst 1000 victory.
In 2006 Skaife equalled touring car legend Peter Brock's record for most round victories in the Australian Touring Car Championship on April 23, 2006. Brock and Skaife are tied for 37 wins. Skaife's 37th round victory came after winning the third round of the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway, New Zealand.
Skaife beat Peter Brock's Record of 37 Touring Car Round wins after winning round 5 of the 2007 series at Eastern Creek Raceway over his Holden Racing Team team-mate Todd Kelly and Kelly's brother Rick from the HSV Dealer Team on June 11, 2007.
At the 2007 finale, Skaife racked up his 200th round start - an amazing feat becoming one of the rare drivers to achieve this. Skaife celebrated this milestone by starting from the front row of the grid and was consistent throughout the weekend.
[edit] 2000
In securing victory in 2000, Skaife recorded four pole positions, four round wins, three seconds and a third in the thirteen round Championship. Perhaps his most memorable drive was at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide where after mechanical dramas in Saturday's first 250k leg, Skaife started Sunday's heat from the rear of the grid and overcame first heat then a thunderstorm to secure possibly the best win of his career. Skaife won the championship, followed by Garry Rogers Motorsport driver Garth Tander.
[edit] 2001
Skaife didn't have the best of luck this year. The reasons for this are as follows, he was taken out in Race One at the Adelaide 500, and almost the same in Race Two and he said "The only thing that didn't hit me in Adelaide was the Safety Car". He was given a Stop/Go penalty in Race One at Hidden Valley Raceway for apparently jumping the start. He was then involved in a mid-field incident in the reverse-grid Race Two at the GMC 400, causing him a lengthy pit stop to repair damage to the front of the car. Then he was given another Stop/Go penalty in Race One at Calder Park Raceway for a first-corner incident. And finally, damage to his car denied him a finish in the final race of the season. This year he got four poles, eight race wins, six seconds, five thirds and three round wins. Despite all this, however, he still won the 2001 Championship. He finished ahead of the Castrol Perkins Racing car of Russell Ingall.
[edit] 2002
The 2002 Championship began in Adelaide at the Adelaide 500, and concluded at Sandown Raceway at the V8 Ultimate. With different race formats from Season 2001, consisting of more compulsory pit stops, a twilight race, and new teams joining the series, the 2002 Season was going to be a thriller, Skaife had a fantastic season, starting off by winning both races at the Adelaide 500, winning the round at Phillip Island, taking a clean-sweep at Eastern Creek Raceway, winning the round at Hidden Valley Raceway and the GMC 400 in Canberra, therefore setting a new record for winning the first five rounds of a Championship. Skaife also won the round at Oran Park Raceway, and took a clean-sweep of the Bathurst 1000 driving with Jim Richards. Skaife secured Pole position in the Top 15 Shootout and despite plastic bags being stuck in his air intake, which could well have taken them out the race, they went on to win the race, marking the 10 year anniversary of Skaife and Jim Richards' controversial Bathurst win in 1992. Skaife wrapped up the 2002 Championship in winning the Bathurst 1000. Mechanical failures marred the rest of his season, with the only good result coming from Pole and a Race one win at Pukekohe Park Raceway. It is believed that the string of mechanical failures and therefore DNF's were due to HRT testing new parts during the later races of the Championship. All in all, it was a fantastic year for Skaife, giving him five Australian Touring Car Championships. He finished ahead of K-mart driver Greg Murphy.
[edit] 2003
The 2003 Championship was not the best year for Skaife, Todd Kelly or the Holden Racing Team. With penalties, mechanical failures, driver errors and just plain old bad luck, it was a year to forget. Kelly, who had some great results toward the end of the year finished in a solid 9th ahead of Shell driver Paul Radisich and behind his brother Rick Kelly. All that said however, Skaife finished a solid 3rd in the Championship behind Kmart driver Greg Murphy and in front of PWR driver Jason Bright who used to drive for the Holden Racing Team in 2001 and 2002. Marcos Ambrose ended up winning the championship, the first time for Ford in a while. At the 2003 Bathurst 1000, during the closing stages of the race, Skaife was in second in good position just behind greg murphy, however he was black flagged and had to pit to fix a rear door that had had its latch broken in an incident with the john bowe driven ozemail falcon, causing the door to be opening and shutting by itself. After pitting, Skaife lost track position and his chance to win the Bathurst 1000.
[edit] 2004
In 2004 the year was started off as usual with the big Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. Skaife only qualified 13th to miss the top 10 shootout, a poor start to the season. This type of bad luck and mistakes went on until Rd 5 in Barbagallo when Skaife got a front row start and got the win in race one, but then the bad luck continued and he got a 15th and a ninth. Queensland and Winton were a complete failure, but Oran Park was a turn around, getting 1st in the shootout, first in race one and second in race two, but only got second for the round. The two endurance races, Sandown and Bathurst, were two huge disappointments finishing 23rd and 14th. The last three rounds were once again lost. At Symmons Plains Skaife tried the new Holden Chassis, but got two DNF's and a 3rd. Ford's Marcos Ambrose won the championship with his partner Russell Ingall coming second. Todd Kelly had an impressive 7th and Skaife had one of his career lows finishing 12th.
[edit] 2005
The 2005 season was a "Never Say Die" year for the Holden Racing Team, as the last season was a shocker for Skaife. "This year HRT are hungry for some wins" says Skaife in a press conference. In Adelaide Skaife had a car malfunction in race 1, but in race two he flew from the back of the grid to get third place. At Pukekohe he had a very consistent round, same with Rd 3 Barbagallo. At Eastern Creek he had two seventh placings in both races putting himself in a good spot for the championship fight. Shanghai in China he had a pole and got a 1st place and a 3rd place, but in race three he got a drive-through, but Todd Kelly took out the international round to make history for HRT. At Hidden Valley he had two second placings and a 26th, but still in the fight for his sixth championship. Queensland Raceway and Oran Park Raceway were two rounds to forget for Skaife as he was out of the top ten for both. Sandown and Bathurst were two great rounds for Skaife and Kelly as they got second at Sandown behind Craig Lowndes and at Bathurst the HRT car 2 got a win. The last three rounds were consistent for Skaife but could only get 6th in the championship behind his partner Kelly.
On 11 October 2005, Skaife and Kelly took a well-deserved victory at the 2005 Supercheap Auto 1000. They managed to stay clear of the carnage and controversy, in what was a thrilling race around the world-famous Mount Panorama Circuit. Skaife started the race, after qualifying 4th in the Shootout. He also set a new lap record in the later stages of the race. Kelly drove fast and sensibly, and handed the car back to Skaife for the last stint, ready to challenge for the lead. Skaife took the lead after passing Jason Richards in the Chase, and led to the end. The win was Skaife's first round win since 2003, and Kelly's third for the year. It was Skaife's fifth Bathurst win, and Kelly's first, made even more special for him, because it was won on his 26th birthday.
[edit] 2007
On Monday, 11th June 2007, Skaife won the Eastern Creek round of the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship to claim the record for the most wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship. His 38th win surpassed the late Peter Brock's record of 37 round wins. Skaife had been equal on 37 round wins since April 2006, when he won the Pukekohe round in New Zealand.
[edit] Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | New South Wales Laser Series | 2nd | Ford Laser | Tyretown Racing |
| 1986 | New South Wales Laser Series | 2nd | Ford Laser | Tyretown Racing |
| 1986 | Victorian Laser Series | 1st | Ford Laser | Tyretown Racing |
| 1987 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 17th | Nissan Gazelle | Nissan Motorsport Australia |
| 1987 | Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship | 1st | Nissan Gazelle | Nissan Motorsport Australia |
| 1989 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 9th | Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R | Nissan Motorsport Australia |
| 1990 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 14th | Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R |
Nissan Motorsport Australia |
| 1990 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 3rd | Spa FB001 Holden | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1991 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R | Nissan Motorsport Australia |
| 1991 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 1st | Spa FB003 Holden | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1992 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1992 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 1st | Spa FB003 Holden | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1993 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Holden Commodore VP | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1993 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 1st | Lola T91/50 Holden | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1994 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 1st | Holden Commodore VP | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1995 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Holden Commodore VR | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1995 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 7th | Lola T93/50 Holden | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1996 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 9th | Holden Commodore VR | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1997 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 13th | Holden Commodore VS | Gibson Motor Sport |
| 1998 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Holden Commodore VS | Holden Racing Team |
| 1999 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Holden Commodore VT | Holden Racing Team |
| 2000 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 1st | Holden Commodore VT | Holden Racing Team |
| 2001 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 1st | Holden Commodore VX | Holden Racing Team |
| 2002 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 1st | Holden Commodore VX | Holden Racing Team |
| 2003 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Holden Commodore VY | Holden Racing Team |
| 2004 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 12th | Holden Commodore VY | Holden Racing Team |
| 2005 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 5th | Holden Commodore VZ | Holden Racing Team |
| 2006 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 16th | Holden Commodore VZ | Holden Racing Team |
| 2007 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 8th | Holden Commodore VE | Holden Racing Team |
| 2008 | V8Supercar Championship Series | Holden Commodore VE | Holden Racing Team |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Simon Kane |
Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship 1991, 1992 and 1993 |
Succeeded by Paul Stokell |
| Preceded by Win Percy Allan Grice |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1991 and 1992 (with Jim Richards) |
Succeeded by Larry Perkins Gregg Hansford |
| Preceded by Jim Richards |
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1992 |
Succeeded by Glenn Seton |
| Preceded by Glenn Seton |
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1994 |
Succeeded by John Bowe |
| Preceded by Craig Lowndes |
Winner of the V8Supercar Championship Series 2000, 2001 and 2002 |
Succeeded by Marcos Ambrose |
| Preceded by Garth Tander Jason Bargwanna |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2001 and 2002 (with Tony Longhurst and Jim Richards) |
Succeeded by Greg Murphy Rick Kelly |
| Preceded by Greg Murphy Rick Kelly |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2005 (with Todd Kelly) |
Succeeded by Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup |
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