Occasional biffo: the top five touring car rivalries in Oz

In the motorsport world, personalities clash and it can lead to some fiery conflicts.

The Australian Touring Car Championship and Supercars series have seen some get rivalries over the years which sometimes result in certain drivers grabbing each other’s throats.

In no particular order here are our top five rivalries seen in Australian touring cars.

Allan Moffat vs Peter Brock

When you think of Ford vs Holden during the ‘70s two names jump to mind, Allan Moffat and Peter Brock. Both were the best racers in Australia and wanted to be better than the other.

However, in 1986 their rivalry was placed aside when the two joined forces to race in Australia and overseas, but this was short lived as Moffat eventually returned to the Blue Oval.

At the end of their careers, Moffat's record stood at four championships ('73, '76, '77 and '83) and four Bathurst wins ('70, '71, '73 and '77) while Brock scored three championships ('74, '78, '80) and nine Bathurst wins ('72, '75, '78, '79, '80, '82, '83, '84 and '87).

Dick Johnson vs Peter Brock

In 1980 Ford had a new hero emerge, Queenslander Dick Johnson who naturally became the main rival of Holden man, Peter Brock.

Despite this, the two respected each other and were good mates, and that was highlighted in the '83 Bathurst 1000 top ten shoot-out after Johnson crashed his Falcon at Forest Elbow and Brock gave him a lift back to the pits.

The two fought for glory all throughout the ‘80s and raced against each other right until their retirement in the late ‘90s

Mark Winterbottom vs Jamie Whincup

The rivalry between Mark 'Frosty' Winterbottom and Jamie Whincup goes back to their karting days before they graduated into Formula Ford, then V8 Supercars.

From 2011-2015 when Winterbottom was the lead driver for Ford and Whincup the lead Holden driver, their feud was at boiling point, exchanging race wins and rubbing panels, the two were pushing each other to the limit. 

It can almost be called a modern-day Moffat vs Brock.

Marcos Ambrose vs Greg Murphy

When the names Marcos Ambrose and Greg Murphy are mentioned in the same sentence most people immediately think of the 2005 Bathurst 1000.

The standout was the two getting up close and personal at The Cutting after an accident, but this wasn't the first time they went off at one another.

The year before at a press conference, they exchanged words, Murphy claimed Ambrose brake checked Rick Kelly on the main straight of the Surfers Paradise street circuit but Marcos refuted this.

Russell Ingall vs Mark Skaife 

Another fiery encounter but this time between SBR driver, Russell Ingall and HRT's Mark Skaife.

After being spun into a concrete wall at Eastern Creek, Skiafe waited trackside for Ingall to come around again and what happened next is well remembered by motorsport fans.

These two wouldn't speak to one another for a decade, but both were forced to bury the hatchet when Ingall became a commentator on the Fox Supercar series alongside Skaife. 

Honourable mention: Tony Longhurst vs Paul Morris

It’s never pretty when two teammates collide but this was downright ugly.

In the final laps of the ’94 Super Tourer’s Winton race, Tony Longhurst was challenging Paul Morris for the lead until both drivers came together and crashed into the wall.

Fuming, Longhurst jumped out of his wrecked BMW and started throwing fists at his teammate, one of the standout moments from the Super Tourers era.

What's your favorite rivalry from Australian touring cars? Let us know in the comments.