POPULAR veteran Jack Perkins has shot down critics of the laps which Shane van Gisbergen’s last Supercar turned at New Zealand’s Historic GP at Taupō last weekend.
Now privately owned by Tony Quinn, 888A-063 – the car that powered van Gisbergen to a third Bathurst 1000 crown – featured at the event.
Triple Eight co-owner Quinn and wildcard driver Craig Lowndes were among those to hop in the car, in an outing that sparked some queries given the Repco Supercars Championship will race at Taupō for the first time this April.
But Perkins, who is now a co-driver with the Ford-aligned Blanchard Racing Team, declared via social media that any such theories were wide of the mark.
“If anyone thinks Triple 8/Red Bull were gaining any advantage from running this car in Taupo they are absolutely kidding themselves,” wrote the 37-year-old.
“No one from the team was even there, except for Craig Lowndes. I helped Greg Murphy put the Pirelli Tyres on the car and there wasn’t a laptop in sight nor was there any form of data collection.
“If Broc Feeney or Will Brown were driving and the car was current technical spec and they had engineers and mechanics running it properly then it’s a different story – but it wasn’t the case believe me because our two cars were pitted next to it and we all helped each other out for the benefit of NZ motorsport fans!!”
Among Perkins’ points, Supercars uses Dunlop tyres not Pirelli, and there have been several aero changes from the 2023-spec Camaro to what will roll out in 2024.
GALLERY: The best of the Historic GP at Taupō
