Mark Skaife

Mark Skaife
Born	(1967-04-03) April 3, 1967 Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, motorsport director, commentator
Years active	1984–2008 (racing)
Known for	Five-time V8 Supercar Championship Series champion; six Bathurst 1000 wins

Mark Stephen Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian racing driver renowned for securing five titles in the V8 Supercar Championship Series and its forerunner, the Australian Touring Car Championship. He boasts six victories in the prestigious Bathurst 1000. Skaife concluded his full-time touring car career on 29 October 2008. Following his retirement, he transitioned into broadcasting, providing commentary and hosting duties for the series on both the Seven Network and Fox Sports Australia.

In addition to his media roles, Skaife holds the position of motorsport director at design and engineering consultancy IEDM, the firm responsible for overseeing the redesign of the Albert Park Circuit. He has maintained involvement with IEDM since stepping away from competitive racing.

Biography

Originating from Gosford, New South Wales, Skaife is the son of former touring car competitor Russell Skaife. He is married to his second spouse, Toni, and is a father to three children: Mitch (from his first marriage to Belinda), Mia, and Tilly. His education was completed at Wyong High School, and he is an avid supporter of the National Rugby League team, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

In recognition of his contributions to motor racing and charitable causes, Skaife was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004. Two years later, in 2006, he set a Guinness World Record for achieving the highest speed by a production utility vehicle—277.16 km/h—behind the wheel of an HSV Maloo in Western Victoria. His career achievements were further honored with induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2024.

Early years

Skaife’s motorsport journey began with karting in New South Wales during the 1980s before relocating to Melbourne to apprentice under Fred Gibson. His debut in car racing occurred at Amaroo Park in 1984, piloting a Holden Torana XU-1 partially constructed by his father Russell. In both 1985 and 1986, he secured second place in the NSW Ford Laser Series and claimed victory in the Victorian Series in 1986. Although slated to make his Bathurst debut in 1986, this was canceled after co-driver Peter Williamson crashed their Toyota Celica Supra during practice sessions, resulting in Williamson’s injury and significant damage to the vehicle.

The following year, Skaife captured the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship while driving a Nissan Gazelle for Gibson Motorsport. He also made his first appearance at the Bathurst 1000 alongside co-driver Grant Jarret, finishing nineteenth. Controversy arose during Bathurst qualifying when allegations surfaced that Skaife impersonated Jarret to comply with FIA World Touring Car Championship qualifying regulations; this was later confirmed by team manager Fred Gibson. Remarkably, Jarret’s fastest lap during the race exceeded the qualifying time set by Skaife while posing as him.

In 1988, Skaife participated selectively in touring car events with Gibson’s Nissan factory squad, driving a Group A Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R. Unfortunately, mechanical issues led to retirements at both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 that year.

By 1989, Skaife had entered four rounds of the ATCC as a third driver for Gibson Nissan, demonstrating impressive form including a fifth-place finish at Winton under wet conditions. Partnering with Jim Richards for endurance competitions, he triumphed at the Sandown 500 and achieved his inaugural Bathurst podium by finishing third in the Group A Skyline HR31.

Between 1991 and 1993, Skaife secured three consecutive Australian Drivers Championships (ADC), earning three CAMS Gold Stars during this period. He competed in the Spa 003 chassis throughout 1991 and 1992 before transitioning to the Lola T91/50 model in 1993; all campaigns were managed by Gibson Motorsport.

Australian Touring Car Championship ATCC (1990–2001)

1990 – Steps up to a full-time driving role with Nissan following Fury's retirement. Completes the ATCC season in 14th place, transitioning midyear from the HR31 to the R32 GT-R Skyline. Finishes 18th at Bathurst alongside Richards due to mechanical setbacks. Experiences a back injury after rolling the GT-R during the Australian Grand Prix support event.

1991 – Secures three victories in ATCC rounds, including his first win at Wanneroo. Despite accumulating the highest points total, he loses the championship to Jim Richards because of the drop-worst-round scoring system. Achieves a commanding Bathurst 1000 triumph with Richards in the Nissan GT-R R32, marking the first time a Japanese vehicle wins at Bathurst. Also records a DNF at Bathurst while driving the team's second car under cross-entering regulations.

1992 – Captures four round wins throughout the ATCC season, culminating in a championship title. Earns a second Bathurst 1000 victory in a rain-shortened race piloting the GT-R R32.

1993 – Continues with the Gibson team amid their switch from Nissan GT-R R32s to Holden Commodore VP models in compliance with Group 3A regulations. Concludes the ATCC season sixth overall without any round victories. Finishes runner-up at Bathurst alongside Richards after a tight contest with Perkins and Hansford. Participates in the FIA Touring Car World Cup at Monza, finishing 35th.

1994 – Claims four round wins, including an opening streak of three consecutive victories, securing his second ATCC championship. Teams up with Richards for Sandown 500’s return after five years, finishing second. Experiences an early crash at Bathurst under wet conditions.

1995 – Misses the ATCC season opener due to a significant pre-season testing crash before the Winfield Triple Challenge at Eastern Creek. Ends the season sixth overall with one round win driving a Holden Commodore VR. Leads at Bathurst 1000 before retiring midway through because of mechanical failure.

1996 – The Gibson team scales down to a single-car entry for ATCC following tobacco advertising restrictions. Finishes ninth in the championship standings, achieving a best round result of third place. Places 13th in Sandown 500 (partnered with Waldon and Noske) and seventh at Bathurst (with John Cleland).

1997 – Competes in half of the ten ATCC rounds amid financial challenges for Gibson Racing, finishing 13th overall with a top finish of third place. Drives a Lister Storm at Le Mans 24 Hours alongside Bailey and Erdos; retires due to mechanical issues. Makes debut for Mobil Holden Racing Team with Peter Brock at Sandown 500, earning pole position and finishing 12th. Secures pole again at Bathurst but retires while leading.

1998 – Completes his first full season with HRT, taking over from Peter Brock; finishes third in ATCC without winning any rounds. Partners with Craig Lowndes in VT Commodore for Sandown, finishing second. Shows strong pace at Bathurst but ends sixth due to tyre complications.

1999 – Achieves six round wins—the highest among all drivers—in the Shell Championship Series but finishes third overall driving a Holden Commodore VT. Teams with Paul Morris for endurance events, placing 22nd at Queensland 500 after accident-related delays and third at Bathurst.

2000 – Wins four rounds including Clipsal 500 Adelaide and Queensland 500 en route to securing the Shell Championship Series title. Clinches the championship by finishing sixth alongside Lowndes at Bathurst’s final race.

2001 – Records four round victories including winning the Bathurst 1000 with Tony Longhurst to claim the Shell Championship Series crown. Secures the championship at the penultimate round held in Pukekohe—the series’ first overseas event—driving a Holden Commodore VX.

V8 Supercars Championship Series (2002–2008)

In 2002, Skaife dominated the V8 Supercars Championship piloting the Holden Commodore VX, capturing victories in seven out of thirteen rounds, including an impressive streak of five consecutive wins at the start of the season. Key achievements that year included securing his fourth Bathurst 1000 title alongside Jim Richards and claiming his second triumph at the Clipsal 500.

The following year, 2003, saw him take wins at both the Clipsal 500 and Sandown 500 (partnering with Todd Kelly), ultimately finishing third in the championship behind the wheel of a Holden Commodore VY. Midway through the season, he acquired ownership of the Holden Racing Team after Tom Walkinshaw Racing ceased operations. Despite mechanical setbacks causing an eighth-place finish at Bathurst and a collision with Russell Ingall that led to penalties and point deductions, he ended the season ranked sixth overall.

In 2004, Skaife experienced a dip in form, failing to secure a championship round win for the first time in six years and concluding the season in 12th place. His best performance was a second-place finish at Oran Park. Mechanical issues forced an early retirement from Bathurst while teamed with Todd Kelly.

The year 2005 marked his fifth Bathurst 1000 victory driving the Holden Commodore VZ alongside Todd Kelly, complemented by a fifth-place finish in the overall championship standings.

Despite recording seven race victories in 2006, Skaife slipped to 16th in the championship rankings. His Bathurst campaign was cut short by a crash on the opening lap after starting from pole position with co-driver Garth Tander due to mechanical failure.

In 2007, he secured eighth place in the championship with one round win behind the wheel of a Holden Commodore VE but finished behind teammate Todd Kelly for the fourth consecutive year. He missed competing at the Sandown 500 owing to appendix surgery and crashed late during Bathurst. That year also saw him transfer partial ownership of HRT back to Tom Walkinshaw and reach a milestone of 200 championship round starts.

Partnering with reigning champion Garth Tander at HRT in 2008, Skaife won the L&H 500 at Phillip Island. However, a mid-race crash limited their Bathurst result to 12th place. After announcing his retirement from full-time driving following the Gold Coast event, he ended the season ranked 14th overall and sold his remaining shares in HRT back to Walkinshaw.

V8 Supercars Championship Series – Endurance Races (2009–2011)

Transitioning from full-time competition, Skaife continued competing solely in endurance events from 2009 through 2011, achieving notable successes including victories at Phillip Island in both 2010 and 2011 as well as his final Bathurst win in 2010.

• In 2009, he teamed up with Greg Murphy at Tasman Motorsport, finishing eleventh at Phillip Island 500 and fourth at Bathurst 1000.
• The following year, driving for TeamVodafone alongside Craig Lowndes, he captured wins at both Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000.
• In 2011, maintaining his endurance-only role with Lowndes, Skaife secured a consecutive Phillip Island victory and finished second at Bathurst before announcing his retirement from endurance racing on 17 October to assume chairmanship of the newly established V8 Supercars Commission.

Concluding his competitive driving career, Skaife amassed a total of 482 race starts, earning 90 race wins, 42 event victories, securing pole position on 41 occasions and claiming five drivers’ championships.

Media career

Following retirement from racing, Skaife joined the Seven Network as a V8 Supercars co-commentator alongside Neil Crompton and Matthew White, continuing until Seven lost broadcast rights after the 2014 season. With coverage transitioning to Fox Sports and Network Ten in 2015, he moved to Fox Sports where he took on presenting duties and co-hosted ‘’Inside Supercars’’. From 2016 onward, Skaife resumed commentary responsibilities while retaining his role as presenter.

By 2020, Skaife had authored four books:

• Diary of a Champion (2002)
• 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 achievements

Season	Competition	Final Standing	Vehicle	Racing Team
1985	New South Wales Laser Series	Runner-up	Ford Laser	Tyretown Racing
1986	New South Wales Laser Series	Runner-up	Ford Laser	Tyretown Racing
	Victorian Laser Series	Champion
1987	Australian Touring Car Championship	17th place	Nissan Gazelle	Peter Jackson Nissan Racing
	Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship	Winner
1989	Australian Touring Car Championship	9th place	Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R	Nissan Motorsport Australia
1990	Australian Touring Car Championship	14th place	Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R	Nissan Motorsport Australia
	Australian Drivers' Championship	3rd place	Spa FB001 Holden	Skaife Racing P/L
1991	Australian Touring Car Championship	Runner-up	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R	Nissan Motorsport Australia
	Australian Drivers' Championship	Champion	Spa FB003 Holden	Gibson Motorsport
1992	Australian Touring Car Championship	Champion	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R	Winfield Team Nissan
	Australian Drivers' Championship	Champion	Spa FB003 Holden	Winfield Racing
	FIA Formula 3000 International Championship	29th position	Reynard 92D Mugen Honda	3001 International

Season	Competition	Final Standing	Vehicle	Racing Team

1993	1993 Australian Touring Car Championship	6th place	Holden VP Commodore	Gibson Motorsport
	AMSCAR	Champion
	1993 Australian Drivers' Championship	Champion	Lola Cars Lola T91/50 Buick V6 engine#LN3 Naturally Aspirated#LN3 Naturally Aspirated Holden
	1993 FIA Touring Car World Cup	35th place	Nissan Primera eGT	Nissan Castrol Racing

Australian Touring Car Championship	Champion	Holden VP Commodore	Gibson Motorsport
Australian Touring Car Championship	6th place	Holden VR Commodore	Gibson Motorsport
7th place	Lola T93/50 Holden	Gibson Motorsport
Australian Touring Car Championship	9th place	Holden VR Commodore	Gibson Motorsport
Australian Touring Car Championship	13th place	Holden VS Commodore	Gibson Motorsport

Australian Touring Car Championship	Third place	Holden VS Commodore	Holden Racing Team
Shell Championship Series	Third place	Holden VT Commodore	Holden Racing Team
Shell Championship Series	Champion	Holden VT Commodore	Holden Racing Team
Champion	Holden VX Commodore	Holden Racing Team
Champion	Holden VX Commodore	Holden Racing Team

V8 Supercar Championship Series	Third place	Holden VY Commodore	Holden Racing Team
V8 Supercar Championship Series	12th position	Holden VY Commodore	Holden Racing Team
V8 Supercar Championship Series	5th position	Holden VZ Commodore	Holden Racing Team
V8 Supercar Championship Series	16th position	Holden VZ Commodore	Holden Racing Team

! V8 Supercar Championship Series	8th position	! Holden VE Commodore	! Holden Racing Team
! V8 Supercar Championship Series	!14th position	! Holden VE Commodore	! Holden Racing Team
! V8 Supercar Championship Series	!31st position	! Holden VE Commodore	! Tasman Motorsport
! V8 Supercar Championship Series	!33rd position	! Holden VE Commodore	! Triple Eight Race Engineering
! International V8 Supercars Championship	!29th position	! Holden VE Commodore	! Triple Eight Race Engineering

! Australian Carrera Cup Championship	!21st position	! Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	! Porsche Cars Australia

Full World Touring Car Championship Results

(key) (Bolded races denote pole positions) (Italicized races represent fastest laps)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Championship Standing	Points Earned
1987	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Jackson Nissan Racing	Nissan Gazelle	MNZ	JAR	DIJ	NUR	SPA	BNO	SIL	BAT 19	CLD	WEL	FJI	NC	0

Complete International Formula 3000 Results

(key) (Pole positions are indicated in bold; fastest laps are italicized.)

Year	Team/Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
1992	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall 3001 International	SIL	PAU	CAT	PER	HOC	NÜR	SPA	ALB	NOG 16	MAG Ret	NC	0

Supercars Championship Performance

(Bold text highlights pole positions; italics denote fastest laps)

... [results abbreviated for brevity] ... [results abbreviated for brevity] ... [results abbreviated for brevity] ... [results abbreviated for brevity] ... [results abbreviated for brevity] ... [data up to and including] ... ... [2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series] ... ... [2009 through] ... ... [2011 International V8 Supercars Championship] ...

Supercars performance overview
Year	Team Name	Vehicle Model	1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! 31 ! 32 !33 !34 !35 !36 !37 !38 !39	Final Position	Total Points
1987	Peter Jackson Nissan Racing	Nissan Gazelle	CAL R1 ... [results abbreviated for brevity]																															17th	9
1991	Nissan Motorsport Australia	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R ... [results abbreviated for brevity]	2nd	132
1992	Winfield Team Nissan	Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R ... [results abbreviated for brevity]	1st	234
1994	Gibson Motorsport ... [results abbreviated for brevity]
1999 ... [results abbreviated for brevity]

(Note: Given the volume of data, this summary emphasizes principal details such as teams, car models, championship rankings, and points to highlight competitive achievements and industry impact.)

Full Sandown Endurance Race Outcomes

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Vehicle	Category	Completed Laps	Overall Ranking	Category Ranking
1986	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Williamson Toyota	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Williamson	Toyota Celica Supra	B	125	10th	10th
1987	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Jackson Nissan Racing	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Grant Jarrett	Nissan Gazelle	C	121	10th	1st
1988	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Jackson Nissan Racing	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall George Fury	Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R	A	94	DNF	DNF
1989	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nissan Motorsport Australia	Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jim Richards	Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R	A	161	1st	1st
1994	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Winfield Racing	Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jim Richards	Holden VP Commodore	V8	161	2nd	2nd
1995	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Winfield Racing	Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jim Richards	Holden VR Commodore		155	8th	8th
1996	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Gibson Team Sega	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Gary Waldon Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mark Noske	Holden VR Commodore		138	13th	13th
1997	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Brock	Holden VS Commodore		150	12th	12th
1998	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Craig Lowndes	Holden VT Commodore	OC	147	2nd	2nd
2003	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Todd Kelly	Holden VY Commodore		141	1st	1st
2004	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Todd Kelly	Holden VY Commodore		133	23rd	23rd
2005	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Todd Kelly	Holden VZ Commodore		161	2nd	2nd
2006	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Holden Racing Team	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Garth Tander	Holden VZ Commodore		149	26th	26th

Complete Indonesian Grand Prix results

(key) (Races displayed in bold denote pole position; races shown in italics represent fastest lap)

Year	Vehicle	1	2	Final Standing	Points Earned
1993	Lola T91/50 Holden	SEN 7	SEN 3	4th	16

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team Name	Co-Drivers	Automobile	Category	Completed Laps	Overall Result	Class Result
1997	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Newcastle United Lister	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Julian Bailey Template:Country data BRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Thomas Erdos	Lister Storm GTL	GT1	77	DNF	DNF

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car Model	Category	Number of Laps	Overall Finish	Class Finish
2017	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall BMW Team SRM	Timo Glock Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Russell Ingall Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tony Longhurst	BMW M6 GT3	Class A – GT3 Pro	134	DNF	DNF

External links

• Official Mark Skaife Website
• MotorSM.com – Mark Skaife