Larry Perkins : biography
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 |