Mark Porter (racing driver) facts for kids

Mark Robert "Didley" Porter (born 2 October 1974 – died 8 October 2006) was a race car driver from New Zealand. He was known for competing in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series in Australia.

Mark started his V8 Supercar career in 2002. His first race was in a Ford Falcon at Wakefield Park. In the same year, he also raced in the famous Bathurst 1000 race for the first time.

A Tragic Race Accident

In 2006, Mark Porter was having a great season. He was driving a Holden VZ Commodore for the M-Sport team. He was in third place in the championship points. The next races were at the challenging Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales.

During a race on October 6, 2006, Mark's car hit a wall. This made him lose control. His car spun and stopped sideways on the track. Other cars managed to avoid him. However, two cars, driven by Chris Alajajian and David Clark, crashed into Mark's car.

Both Mark and David were seriously hurt. Safety workers quickly arrived to help them. The race was stopped right away. All other racing events were paused for two hours.

After the Crash

Mark was taken to Bathurst Base Hospital. Later that day, he was flown to a bigger hospital in Sydney. He had very serious head and chest injuries. Sadly, Mark Porter passed away on October 8, 2006. He was 32 years old. He left behind his wife, Adrienne, and their two-year-old son, Flynn.

Remembering Mark Porter

Mark Porter was a respected driver. Many people in the racing world wanted to honor his memory.

Team Tributes

Mark was supposed to race in the 2006 Bathurst 1000 with Brad Jones Racing. After his death, the team still put his name on their car. They also added his special racing number, #111, next to his name. This showed they were thinking of him.

His good friend, Paul Cruikshank, owned a racing team. Paul used Mark's #111 on his team's car. This was a way to remember Mark until the team stopped racing in 2009.

Special Awards and Teams

A special award, called the Mark Porter trophy, was created. It was given to the winners of the Hamilton 400 street race in New Zealand. This award was given out until the race ended in 2012.

Mark's brother, Andrew, also raced. He used the #111 on his car in the 2007/08 NZV8 series. This was another way to honor Mark.

In 2014, a new New Zealand team joined the Supercars Championship. They were called Super Black Racing. They chose to use the number #111 on their car. This was a special tribute to Mark Porter from his home country.

Bathurst 1000 Race Results

Here are Mark Porter's results from the famous Bathurst 1000 race:

Year	Team	Car	Co-driver	Position	Laps
2002	Paul Weel Racing	Ford Falcon AU	Geoff Full	DNF	93
2003	Team Kiwi Racing	Holden Commodore VX	Craig Baird	17th	149
2004	Team Kiwi Racing	Holden Commodore VY	Craig Baird	DNF	129
2005	Team Dynamik	Holden Commodore VZ	Kayne Scott	11th	158
2006	Brad Jones Racing	Ford Falcon BA	Dale Brede Michael Caruso‡	DNF	59

‡ Mark Porter passed away before this race. Michael Caruso took his place.