Larry Perkins

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Larry Perkins bigraphy, stories - Former racing driver

Larry Perkins : biography

18 March 1950 –

Lawrence ‘Larry’ Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950 in Cowangie, Victoria) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.

Career

The son of racing driver Eddie Perkins (winner of the 1955 RedeX Round Australia Trial), Larry developed a love for cars from a young age. After winning the Australian Formula 2 Championship in 1972, Perkins travelled to Europe where he won the 1975 European Formula Three Championship. He also raced in Formula One during the 1974, 1976 and 1977 seasons. After failing to secure a permanent drive in Formula One he returned to Australia, winning the Rothmans International Series in 1979 in an Elfin MR8 and the 1979 Australian Rallycross Championship in a Volkswagen Beetle.John Lemm, Perkins is Australian Champ!, Racing Car News, August 1979, page 68. During 1982 and 1983 he worked with brother Garry on the construction of The Quiet Achiever solar car. He was one of the drivers of the car during the transcontinental solar crossing of Australia, the car using only a photovoltaic solar cell source. During these years he met with success in Australian Touring Cars and in 1988 he returned to Europe to race at the Le Mans 24 Hour with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, finishing 4th.

Perkins has won the Bathurst 1000 six times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1993, 1995, 1997), with co-drivers Peter Brock (1982–84), John Harvey (1983), Gregg Hansford (1993) and in his last two wins in 1995 and 1997 with Russell Ingall, winning each time in an Australian developed Holden Commodore V8. Arguably his most memorable win was in the 1995 Tooheys 1000 in which he dropped to last place after a pit stop at the end of the first lap to replace a flat tyre, and subsequently gained the lead with less than 10 laps remaining after the Ford Falcon of Glenn Seton retired having dropped a valve in the engine. Perkins and co-driver Russell Ingall thus became only the second driving combination in the history of the race to recover from last place to win the event. Perkins has however, never won an Australian Touring Car Championship, his best championship results being three fourth places.

Perkins retired from driving in 2003, aged 53 and was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame in 2008. In addition to his racing credentials as a driver he is an accomplished automotive engineer and engine-builder having built many race cars for both his own team and for other racing teams. He is well known for his outgoing and humorous personality. His nickname is "LP", but he is often referred to as "Larrikin Larry". Larry is the father of V8 Supercar driver Jack Perkins.

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Position Car Team
1970 Australian Formula Ford Series 5th Elfin 600 Ford
1971 TAA Formula Ford "Driver To Europe" Series 1st Elfin 600 Ford Stillwell Ford
1972 Australian Drivers’ Championship 11th Elfin 600B Ford Provincial Motors
1972 Australian Formula 2 Championship 1st Elfin 600B Ford Provincial Motors
1975 European Formula Three Championship 1st Ralt RT1 Ford Team Cowangie
1975 British Formula Three Championship 5th Ralt RT1 Ford Team Cowangie
1978 Peter Stuyvesant International Formula Pacific Series Retrieved from www.driverdb.com on 30 January 2011 2nd Ralt RT1 Ford Scuderia Veloce
1978/79 Formula Pacific New Zealand International Series Retrieved from www.driverdb.com on 30 January 2011 3rd March 78B Ford Retrieved from motorsportsresults.com on 30 January 2011 Colin Giltrap Racing
1979 Rothmans International Series 1st Elfin MR8 Chevrolet Ansett Team Elfin
1979 Australian Rallycross Championship 1st Volkswagen Kruger Motors
1981 Australian Touring Car Championship 26th Holden VC Commodore Peter Janson
1982 Better Brakes AMSCAR Series 10th Holden VH Commodore Marlboro Holden Dealer Team
1982 Australian Endurance Championship 14th Holden VH Commodore Marlboro Holden Dealer Team
1983 Australian Endurance Championship 8th Holden VH Commodore Marlboro Holden Dealer Team
1984 Australian Endurance Championship 5th Holden VK Commodore Marlboro Holden Dealer Team
1985 Australian Touring Car Championship 25th Holden VK Commodore Mobil Holden Dealer Team
1986 Australian Endurance Championship 24th Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Enzed Team Perkins
1987 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Enzed Team Perkins
1988 Australian Touring Car Championship 7th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A Holden Special Vehicles
1989 Australian Touring Car Championship 17th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Perkins Engineering
1990 Australian Touring Car Championship 11th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Perkins Engineering
1990 Australian Endurance Championship 2nd Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Perkins Motorsport
1991 Australian Touring Car Championship 11th Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV Advantage Racing
1992 Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV Perkins Engineering
1993 Australian Touring Car Championship 12th Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SVHolden VP Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1994 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Holden VP Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1995 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Holden VR Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1996 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Holden VR Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1997 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Holden VS Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1998 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Holden VR Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
1999 Shell Championship Series 9th Holden VT Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
2000 Shell Championship Series 13th Holden VT Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
2001 Shell Championship Series 14th Holden VX Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series 18th Holden VX Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing
2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series 36th Holden VY Commodore Castrol Perkins Racing