Larry Perkins

Larry Perkins
Nationality	Australian
Born	18 March 1950 (1950-03-18)
Retired	2003
Related to	Jack Perkins (son)
ATCC / V8 Supercar
Years active	1981, 1985-2003
Teams	Holden Dealer Team Perkins Engineering
Starts	160
Wins	4
Best finish	4th in 1994, 1995 & 1998 Australian Touring Car Championship

Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1974, 1976 - 1977
Teams	Amon, Boro, Brabham, BRM, Surtees
Races	15 (11 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1974 German Grand Prix (DNQ) / 1976 Spanish Grand Prix (13th)
Last race	1977 Belgian Grand Prix (12th) / 1977 French Grand Prix (DNQ)

Sign proclaiming Cowangie to be the "Hometown of Larry Perkins"

The 1984 Bathurst 1000 winning Holden Commodore

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 a Elfin MR8 and the 1979 Australian Rallycross Championship in a Volkswagen Beetle. 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 such as Peter Brock, Gregg Hansford and in his last two wins, 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 and subsequently gained the lead with less than 10 laps remaining. 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	2nd	Ralt RT1 Ford	Scuderia Veloce
1978/79	Formula Pacific New Zealand International Series	3rd	March 78B Ford	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 SV Holden 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

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(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	Amon AF101	Cosworth V8	ARG	BRA	RSA	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	NED	FRA	GBR	GER DNQ	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA			NC	0
1976	HB Bewaking Alarm Systems	Boro Ensign N175	Cosworth V8	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP 13	BEL 8	MON DNQ	SWE Ret	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED Ret	ITA Ret					NC	0
	Martini Racing	Brabham BT45	Alfa Romeo Flat 12														CAN 17	USA Ret	JPN Ret
1977	Rotary Watches Stanley BRM	BRM P207	BRM V12	ARG	BRA Ret																NC	0
		BRM P201B/204				RSA 15
	Team Surtees	Surtees TS19	Cosworth V8				USW	ESP	MON	BEL 12	SWE DNQ	FRA DNQ	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	USA	CAN	JPN

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Tyre	Laps
						Engine
1984	35 DNF	C1	34	Team Australia John Fitzpatrick Racing	Peter Brock	Porsche 956	D	145
						Porsche Type-935 2.6 L Turbo Flat-6
1988	4	C1	22	Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing	Derek Daly Kevin Cogan	Jaguar XJR-9LM	D	383
						Jaguar 7.0L V12

External links

• Larry Perkins Comprehensive Biography and Race Record
• Perkins Motorsport Official Team Site

Sporting positions
Preceded by None	European Formula Three Champion 1975	Succeeded by Riccardo Patrese
Preceded by Dick Johnson John French	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1982, 1983, 1984 (with Peter Brock and John Harvey (1983))	Succeeded by John Goss Armin Hahne
Preceded by Jim Richards Mark Skaife	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1993 (with Gregg Hansford)	Succeeded by Dick Johnson John Bowe
Preceded by Dick Johnson John Bowe	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1995 (with Russell Ingall)	Succeeded by Craig Lowndes Greg Murphy
Preceded by Craig Lowndes Greg Murphy	Winner of the Bathurst Classic 1997 (with Russell Ingall)	Succeeded by Jason Bright Steven Richards