It’s not often Mark Skaife would miss a call from Sport Australia Hall of Fame chairman John Bertrand.
Perhaps even less often would be miss a call from his wife Toni.
But as he sat in a meeting, the phone was buzzing.
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Bertrand had tried Skaife, then he called his wife, who tried her husband.
Skaife walked out of the meeting with about five missed calls.
“As soon as I got out I called her because I thought it was something urgent,” he told Wide World of Sports.
The information was then relayed to the motorsport legend: he was about to be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Skaife’s latest honour comes 20 years after he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to motor racing and charity.
When told of his upcoming induction, Skaife’s first act was to head online and look through the cast of people he’s joining.
“It’s just incredible, it’s basically the who’s who of Australian sport,” he said.
Among the motorsport legends in the Hall of Fame are Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Mark Webber, Alan Jones and Jack Brabham.
“When you put those names in context, they’re the superstars of our sport over a long time and for different reasons obviously,” he continued.
“Jack Brabham was just an incredible story, to basically build your own team, design and drive your own car to win the championship is something that will never be achieved again.
“To be honoured in the same group with Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Mark Webber and Alan Jones, those guys are incredible athletes and unbelievable competitors and for me to be held in the regard is a real honour.”
Skaife’s career is one of legendary status.
He’s a five-time V8 Supercars champion, six-time Bathurst 1000 winner and won the Australian Touring Car Championship and Australian Drivers Championship in 1992.
Asked for a career highlight, Skaife ponders.
Becoming the youngest ever Touring Car winner was a “massive moment”. Winning Bathurst with Jim Richards is up there too. So too winning Bathurst and the championship in the same year.
But in the context of a single race, you have to go back to 2000.
On Sunday at the Adelaide 500, Skaife started at 38th on the grind. It was wet and wild that day.
During that race he received a drive through penalty to make matters more challenging.
But by the end of the day, he was in the middle of the podium, raising both fists and the trophy.
It was the biggest come-from-behind victory in the ATCC/Supercars Championship history and Skaife admits “it was probably my best drive throughout that time”.
To sum up the feeling in the hours post that result, Skaife remembers a beer, fatigue and relief.
“It’s complete elation. We all recognise Bathurst as the biggest and best prize but that Adelaide event is probably second in line to Bathurst, so to come from last and to win on that day in pretty trying conditions was an unbelievable result,” he said.
“You have a beer that night, you’re so fatigued after it, it probably doesn’t really sink in until the next morning, you read the paper, you have a shave and you consider what had gone on and it was a fantastic result.”
Post-retirement, Skaife has stayed busy.
He holds roles in the media, stays involved with track designs and is on the Supercars Commission.
But while he’s stayed part of the sport, Skaife has an admission. The competitive edge still burns within.
“To be brutal, I miss the competition and racing every day,” he said.
“I dream about it most nights, it’s one of those things that’s in your blood and the level of competition is something you can’t replace.
“I was so fortunate to have joined Touring Car Racing as it was then off the back of Brock, Moffatt, Bond, (Larry) Perkins, Richards and (Dick) Johnson.
“I raced against John Bowe, Glenn Seton and Paul Radisich, then a younger group of stars like Craig Lowndes and Marcus Ambrose came through. I got to race against my heroes and then raced against younger drivers and when I think about the competition, that’s what kept me motivated.
“For the length of time that I was involved, I was so lucky and privileged to have raced against some of the best racing drivers Australia has ever seen and those rivalries and those battles, like Ford vs Holden, were the absolute pinnacle of this sport … there’s nothing that replicates the week in, week out, battle with those sorts of people.”