Mark Skaife facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Skaife
Skaife at the Australian GP in 2006
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1967-04-03) 3 April 1967 (age 58) Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Supercars record
Series championships	5 (1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002)
Races	479
Race wins	90
Podium finishes	203
Pole positions	41

Mark Stephen Skaife (born on April 3, 1967) is a famous Australian racing driver. He is known for winning the V8 Supercar Championship Series five times. Mark also won the exciting Bathurst 1000 race six times.

After racing full-time, Mark became a TV commentator. He shares his knowledge of racing with fans on the Seven Network and Fox Sports Australia. He also helps design race tracks.

About Mark Skaife

Mark Skaife was born in Gosford, New South Wales, Australia. His dad, Russell Skaife, was also a touring car racer. Mark is married to Toni and has three children: Mitch, Mia, and Tilly. He went to Wyong High School. Mark is a big fan of the National Rugby League team, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

In 2004, Mark received the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award recognized his great contributions to motor racing and his charity work. In 2006, he set a Guinness World Record. He drove a HSV Maloo ute at 277.16 km/h (172.21 mph). This was the fastest speed ever for a production ute. In 2024, Mark was honored by being added to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Mark's Racing Journey

Starting in Karts

Mark Skaife started his racing career in the 1980s. He raced karts in New South Wales. Later, he moved to Melbourne to learn more about cars from Fred Gibson. His first car race was in 1984 at Amaroo Park. He drove a Holden Torana XU-1 sports sedan. His dad, Russell, helped build part of this car.

In 1985, Mark joined the NSW Ford Laser Series and finished second. He was runner-up again in the 1986 NSW Laser Series. But he won the Victorian Series that same year. Mark was supposed to race at Bathurst in 1986. However, his co-driver, Peter Williamson, crashed their Toyota Celica Supra during practice. The team had to pull out of the race.

Early Touring Car Races

In 1987, Mark won the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship. He drove a Nissan Gazelle for Gibson Motorsport. He finished 19th in his first Bathurst 1000 race with the same car. In 1988, Mark raced in a few touring car events. He drove a Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R for the Nissan team. He had some bad luck and didn't finish the Sandown 500 or Bathurst 1000 races.

In 1989, Mark raced in four ATCC events. He teamed up with Jim Richards for longer races. They won the Sandown 500. They also got their first podium finish at the Bathurst 1000, coming in third. Between 1991 and 1993, Mark won three Australian Drivers Championships in a row.

Australian Touring Car Championship (1990–2001)

Mark Skaife at the 1992 Oran Park ATCC round

In 1990, Mark became a full-time driver for the Nissan team. He finished 14th in the ATCC. In 1991, he won three ATCC rounds, including his first victory at Wanneroo. Mark scored the most points that season. However, he lost the title to Jim Richards because of a rule about dropping the worst race result. He and Richards then had a huge win at the Bathurst 1000. They drove the Nissan GT-R R32, which was the first Japanese car to win Bathurst.

In 1992, Mark won four ATCC rounds and became the champion. He also won his second Bathurst 1000 with the GT-R R32. The race was stopped early because of heavy rain. In 1993, his team switched from Nissan to Holden Commodore cars. He finished sixth in the ATCC. He came second at Bathurst with Jim Richards after a close race.

Mark won his second ATCC title in 1994. He won four rounds, including the first three in a row. In 1995, he missed the first ATCC round after a big crash during testing. He still finished sixth in points with one win. In 1996, his team had only one car for the ATCC. He finished ninth in points.

In 1997, Mark raced in only five ATCC rounds due to money problems for his team. He finished 13th overall. He also made his first appearance with the Mobil Holden Racing Team (HRT). He teamed up with Peter Brock for the Sandown 500. In 1998, Mark joined HRT full-time. He finished third in the ATCC. He teamed with Craig Lowndes at Sandown and finished second.

In 1999, Mark won six rounds of the Shell Championship Series. This was more than any other driver. But he still finished third in points. In 2000, Mark won four rounds, including the Clipsal 500 and Queensland 500. He won the Shell Championship Series title that year. In 2001, he won four more rounds, including the Bathurst 1000 with Tony Longhurst. He secured his championship at a race in New Zealand.

V8 Supercars Championship Series (2002–2008)

Mark Skaife at the 2008 Ipswich 400

In 2002, Mark had a fantastic year. He won the V8 Supercars Championship Series. He won seven of the 13 rounds, including the first five in a row. He also won his fourth Bathurst 1000 with Jim Richards. In 2003, he won the Clipsal 500 and Sandown 500. He finished third in the championship. Mark also became the new owner of the Holden Racing Team that year.

In 2004, Mark didn't win any championship rounds for the first time in six years. He finished 12th in points. In 2005, he won his fifth Bathurst 1000 title with Todd Kelly. He finished fifth in the V8 Supercars Championship Series. In 2006, he finished 16th in the series despite winning seven races. He crashed out of the Bathurst 1000 on the first lap.

In 2007, Mark finished eighth in the V8 Supercars Championship Series. He won one round. He missed the Sandown 500 because of surgery. He crashed out of the Bathurst 1000 near the end of the race. In 2008, Mark teamed up with Garth Tander at HRT. They won the L&H 500 at Phillip Island. Mark announced that 2008 would be his last year as a full-time driver. He also sold the rest of HRT to Tom Walkinshaw.

Endurance Races (2009–2011)

After retiring from full-time racing, Mark decided to keep racing in V8 Supercars endurance events. He did this in 2009, 2010, and 2011. This was a very successful choice for him. He won at Phillip Island in 2010 and 2011. He also got his final Bathurst victory in 2010.

In 2009, Mark teamed with Greg Murphy for endurance races. They finished 11th in the Phillip Island 500 and fourth in the Bathurst 1000. In 2010, Mark joined TeamVodafone. He won the Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000 with Craig Lowndes. In 2011, Mark continued as an endurance-only driver. He and Lowndes won their second Phillip Island 500 in a row. They then finished second in the Bathurst 1000. Mark announced his retirement from endurance racing on October 17, 2011. He took on a new role as chairman of the V8 Supercars Commission.

Mark Skaife ended his driving career with amazing stats. He had 482 race starts, 90 race wins, and 42 event wins. He also achieved 41 pole positions and won 5 drivers' championships.

Media Career

Mark Skaife at the launch of the Sydney 500 in 2009

After retiring from full-time racing, Mark Skaife joined the Seven Network. He became a co-commentator for the V8 Supercars series. He worked alongside Neil Crompton and Matthew White. He continued in this role until 2014. In 2015, the broadcast rights moved to Fox Sports and Network Ten. Mark joined Fox Sports as a presenter. He also co-hosted their TV show Inside Supercars. Since 2016, Mark has returned to commentating. He still keeps his presenting roles at Fox Sports.

Mark Skaife has also published four books:

• Diary of a Champion (2002) by Mark Skaife
• The Racing Years (2009) by Andrew Clarke
• Life In The Fastlane (2010) by Mark Skaife & Andrew Clarke
• Mark Skaife: The Complete Illustrated Autobiography (2020) by Mark Skaife & Andrew Clarke

Career Results

Mark Skaife competed in many different racing series throughout his career. Here are some of his top results:

See also

In Spanish: Mark Skaife para niños