Larry Clifton PerkinsAM(born 18 March 1950)[1]is a formerracing driverandV8 Supercarteam owner from Australia.
| Larry Perkins AM | |
|---|---|
 Perkins' 1995 Bathurst-winning Commodore | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | Larry Clifton Perkins 18 March 1950 Murrayville,Victoria,Australia |
| Retired | 2003 |
| Related to | Eddie Perkins(father) George Reynolds(uncle) Jack Perkins(son) |
| ATCC/V8 Supercar | |
| Years active | 1981, 1985–2003 |
| Teams | Holden Dealer Team Perkins Engineering |
| Starts | 320 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Podiums | 38 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Best finish | 4th in1994,1995&1998 Australian Touring Car Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 1975 1979 1979 | European Formula Three Championship Australian Formula 5000 Championship Australian Rallycross Championship |
| Formula OneWorld Championship career | |
| Active years | 1974,1976–1977 |
| Teams | Amon,Boro,Brabham,BRM,Surtees |
| Entries | 15 (11 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 German Grand Prix(DNQ) /1976 Spanish Grand Prix(13th) |
| Last entry | 1977 Belgian Grand Prix(12th) /1977 French Grand Prix(DNQ) |
Biography
editEarly years
editGrowing up on a farm inCowangiein theMalleeregion of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Eddie Perkins who had won the 1956 RedeXRound Australia Trialand maternal nephew ofBathurst 500-winnerGeorge Reynolds,developed a love for cars from a young age and loved tinkering with the farm machinery. In 1970 he was recruited as a mechanic/driver forHarry Firth'sHolden Dealer Team,and although he didn't do much road racing for the team, he did race inRallycrossalongside team driverPeter Brock,and was also involved with the development of the stillbornHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-1V8project which was canned in mid-1972 by the "Supercar scare".
Racing career
editAfter winning theTAA Formula Ford "Driver To Europe" Seriesin 1971 and theAustralian Formula 2 Championshipin 1972 (both times in anElfin 600), Perkins travelled to Europe where he won the 1975European Formula Three Championship.He also raced inFormula Oneduring the 1974, 1976 and 1977 seasons. After failing to secure a permanent drive in Formula One he returned to Australia, winning theRothmans International Seriesin 1979 in anElfin MR8for theAnsett Team Elfinfactory team run byElfin Sports CarsfounderGarrie Cooper,and the1979 Australian Rallycross Championshipin aVolkswagen Beetle.[2]During 1982 and 1983 he worked with brother Garry on the construction ofThe Quiet Achieversolar 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.[3]During these years he met with success in AustralianTouring Carsand in 1988 he returned toEuropeto race at theLe Mans 24 HourwithTom Walkinshaw Racing,finishing 4th.
After returning home from Europe, Perkins made hisBathurst 1000debut in 1977 in aHolden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchbackwhere he finished third withPeter Janson.He went on to win the race six times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1993, 1995, 1997), with co-drivers Peter Brock (1982–84),John Harvey(1983) (all for the Holden Dealer Team which by then was owned by Brock with Perkins in charge of race car building and preparation),Gregg Hansford(1993) and in his last two wins in 1995 and 1997 withRussell Ingall,winning each time in an Australian developedHolden Commodore.
Arguably his most memorable win was in the1995 Tooheys 1000in 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 theFord FalconofGlenn Setonretired having dropped a valve in theengine.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 anAustralian Touring Car Championship,his best championship results being three fourth places.
Formula One
editPerkins made his first appearance in Formula One at the1974 German Grand PrixforChris Amon Racing.With regular driver and team ownerChris Amonsidelined with sinusitis after just one practice lap, Perkins took over in the AF101, failing to qualify after crashing on the second day of practice.
In 1976 he signed a deal with the worksBoroteam, for the team's first season. He made his first Formula One start at theSpanish Grand Prix,finishing 13th before achieving a seasons best result of 8th at the following race inBelgium.He failed to qualify atMonacoand retired from theSwedish Grand Prixafter blowing an engine. With the team's money drying up, Perkins only made two further appearances in a Boro, retiring from theDutchandItalianGrands Prix, and after Boro's withdrawal, was left without a drive. He replacedCarlos ReutemannatBrabhamfor the final three races of the year, finishing in 17th position inCanadaand retiring from the remaining two races.
For the beginning of 1977, the Australian secured a drive for Stanley BRM, the remnants of the once greatBRMteam. After his car failed to be delivered on time for the opening Grand Prix, he made his first appearance at theBrazilian Grand Prix,albeit 12.1 seconds off the pace and retiring after one lap. Lapped five times before finishing 15th inSouth Africa,Perkins lost his seat toConny Anderssonat the beginning of the European season. He had a brief stint atSurtees,finishing 12th inBelgiumand failing to qualify inSweden.At theFrench Grand Prix,he drove in Friday practice, but was replaced byPatrick Tambaythe next day. This marked the end of Perkins' brief and unsuccessful Formula One career.
Retirement and legacy
editPerkins retired from driving in 2003, aged 53 and was inducted into theV8 Supercars Hall of Famein 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 "LightningLarry "or"LarrikinLarry ". Larry is the father of V8 Supercar race winnerJack Perkins.
On 7 December 2017, the "Larry Perkins Trophy"was named in his honour. It is awarded to the driver who accumulates the most points across the four races at theBeaurepaires Melbourne 400,the Supercars event supporting theAustralian Grand Prix.[4]
In 2018 Perkins and his brother Peter discovered the lost cache of equipment left behind in theSimpson Desertby explorersHenry Vere Barclayand Ronald MacPherson in 1904. The explorers had been forced to abandon the load, which included camel tanks, tools, scientific equipment and personal belongings, in order to cross sandhills to get to a water source. The Perkins' discovery was described as a "highly significant archaeological find".[5]
In the2021 Queen's Birthday HonoursPerkins was appointed aMember of the Order of Australiafor "significant service to motorsport as a touring car driver and team owner".[6]
Racing record
editCareer summary
editComplete Formula One World Championship results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Dalton-Amon International | AmonAF101 | CosworthV8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER DNQ |
AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | NC | 0 | ||
| 1976 | HB Bewaking Alarm Systems | Boro EnsignN175 | CosworthV8 | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP 13 |
BEL 8 |
MON DNQ |
SWE Ret |
FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED Ret |
ITA Ret |
NC | 0 | ||||
| Martini Racing | BrabhamBT45 | Alfa RomeoFlat 12 | CAN 17 |
USA Ret |
JPN Ret |
|||||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Rotary WatchesStanley BRM | BRMP207 | BRMV12 | ARG | BRA Ret |
NC | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| BRMP201B/204 | RSA 15 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Team Surtees | SurteesTS19 | CosworthV8 | USW | ESP | MON | BEL 12 |
SWE DNQ |
FRA DNQ |
GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | USA | CAN | JPN |
Complete World Sportscar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Team Australia John Fitzpatrick Racing
|
Porsche 956B | MNZ | SIL 21 |
LMS Ret |
NUR | BRA | MOS | SPA | IMO | FJI | KYL | SAN | NC | 0 |
| 1988 |  Silk CutJaguarTom Walkinshaw Racing
|
Jaguar XJR-9LM | JRZ | JAR | MON | SIL | LMS 4 |
BRN | BRA | NUR | SPA | FJI | SAN | 29th | 30 |
Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete World Touring Car Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Enzed Team Perkins
|
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A | MNZ | JAR | DIJ | NUR | SPA | BNO | SIL | BAT Ret |
NC | 0 | |||
| Holden VL Commodore SS Group A | CLD ovr:6 cls:3 |
WEL ovr:11 cls:7 |
FJI |
† Not eligible for series points
Complete Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Holden Special Vehicles
|
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | BAT Ret |
WEL 2 |
PUK 3 |
FJI | 6 | 27 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Charles Ivey Racing
|
Gordon SpiceJohn Rulon-Miller
|
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR | IMSA +2.5 | 278 | 14th | 2nd |
| 1984 | Team AustraliaJohn Fitzpatrick Racing
|
Peter Brock
|
Porsche 956B | C | 145 | DNF | DNF |
| 1988 | Silk CutJaguarTom Walkinshaw Racing
|
 Derek DalyKevin Cogan
|
Jaguar XJR-9LM | C1 | 383 | 4th | 4th |
Complete Bathurst 1000 results
edit
References
edit- ^"Drivers:Larry Perkins".grandprix.com.Retrieved28 August2013.
- ^John Lemm, Perkins is Australian Champ!, Racing Car News, August 1979, page 68.
- ^"The Journey".Snooks Motorsport. Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2012.Retrieved7 May2012.
- ^Adam, Mitchell (7 December 2017)."Supercars to race for Larry Perkins Trophy at AGP".Supercars.Retrieved7 December2017.
- ^Moodie, Claire (16 July 2018)."Racing legend Larry Perkins swaps racetrack for outback and returns with buried treasure".Australia: ABC News.Retrieved16 July2018.
- ^"Mr Larry Clifton Perkins".It's An Honour.Retrieved13 June2021.
- ^Peter Stuyvesant International Formula Pacific Series 1978Retrieved fromhttp://www.driverdb.comon 30 January 2011
- ^Formula Pacific New Zealand International Series 1978-79Retrieved fromhttp://www.driverdb.comon 30 January 2011
- ^New Zealand Formula Pacific 1977-1982Archived14 July 2011 at theWayback MachineRetrieved from motorsportsresults.com on 30 January 2011
External links
edit- Larry PerkinsArchived16 July 2012 at theWayback MachineComprehensive Biography and Race Record