Motorsport: Larry Perkins, still on track after all these years

By BOB PEARCE

Don't describe it as a farewell tour. Larry Perkins is not into that kind of thing and in any case, he's not saying he'll never race again at Pukekohe.

But at 52, the working-class hero of Australian motorsport is winding down his driving career and he concedes it's 99 per cent certain he won't be racing here again.

He may drive again at Bathurst, where he has won six times, if he thinks he is the right man for the job. Otherwise he will concentrate on running his two-car Holden team.

Pukekohe has a special place in his memories and with good reason. He first arrived in 1978, driving a Ralt RT1 into second place in the New Zealand Grand Prix behind Keke Rosberg. He was second the following year behind Teo Fabi.

He had been racing in Europe, where he won a Formula Three title but earned only uncompetitive Formula One drives.

"There are two reasons for liking tracks," he says.

The first is the reward it gives you by doing a fast lap through concentration and skill.

"Turn one at Pukekohe is a right-hander for which you really need a growth of hormones if you're to take it flat. It's followed by a delicate left-hander and a very tricky complex.

"There are chances for outbraking into the hairpin and the right-hander over the hill is not for the faint-hearted. A fantastic track."

All this detail, without prompting, delivered from his workshop in Melbourne a year since he was last in New Zealand.

And Perkins' second reason?

"It's basically how you're treated there, by the organisers and by the general public. At Pukekohe it's never been less than 100 per cent."

He fondly remembers a Benson and Hedges six-hour drive in a Camira with Nick Begovic. Later he combined with Denny Hulme to win in a Commodore.

The New Zealand connection goes even deeper. When Perkins went racing touring cars on his own in Australia, his first Commodore was owned by Auckland businessman Colin Giltrap, whom he had met in Europe.

"I didn't have the money and he bought it for me. All there was on the car was some lettering one centimetre high reading: "Owner Colin Giltrap".

"I was supposed to pay him for the car over time. But when I checked later on how much I owed him, he said I'd paid for it."

Three of his Bathurst wins came with Peter Brock and the Holden Dealer Team. Perkins ran the HDT workshop, which stood him in good stead when he went out on his own in 1986.

He won three more times at Bathurst, twice with Russel Ingall, who finishes his contract with the team this season.

Perkins says age and the pressures of running a successful team mean he can no longer commit the concentration necessary to drive as well as manage.

Next year there will be two cars for Steven Richards and probably Paul Dumbrell, who drove with the old master at Bathurst last month.

"I have 35 guys working for me. I used to do the welding and the engine assembly myself. Now I employ someone to do it. It will be the same with drivers."

With the driving commitment reduced, Perkins will have more time for his other passion, flying.

His legacy in Australian motorsport is secure. His Bathurst record ensures that.

But just as memorable is his plain-speaking and brilliant repartee. Press conferences will never be the same without his one-liners.

And behind the trademark glasses - "I was born with them on" - he is genuinely touched by the number of people who have thanked him for his contribution to the sport.

No farewell tour, but a fond farewell.