THERE’S even more history to Jack Perkins’ Super2 tilt this weekend than meets the eye.
Not only is the 37-year-old paying homage to his father’s first Bathurst 1000 win as a driver-owner by way of a tribute livery, they are sharing the same number one mechanic 30 years apart.
Erebus Motorsport’s Dean Orr is the lead mechanic on Jack Perkins’ #70 ZB Commodore, just as he was for Larry Perkins and Gregg Hansford’s Castrol VP Commodore back in 1993.
“It was a childhood dream of mine to work on and prepare a car that would win Bathurst,” Orr said.
“1993 was Perkins Engineering’s first Bathurst win, as well as mine, so it was a big deal to me and it’s a big deal to the Holden fans looking back as it was the last Holden Commodore to win with a Holden V8 engine.
“We didn’t know that was going to be the case at the time but now looking back 30 years, that car really has an important place in Supercars history and it’s cool to have been part of it.”
Orr only returned to Supercars this year after more than a decade away.
“I was at Perkins Engineering for six or seven years. We had a couple of Bathurst wins in those years, they really were great times and are my fondest memories of the sport,” he said.
“It is fantastic to be back in the sport alongside Erebus and returning to doing something I love 30 years up the road.
“I was 24 when we won Bathurst in ‘93 and Jack was up to my waist, running around in his Castrol jacket 100 times too big for him so to be working with him now, it’s pretty cool the way everything has turned out.”
Of the reimagined livery, he added: “I think this livery has brought a new energy and a bit of excitement and I think it looks fantastic.
“I might be a bit one-eyed considering my history but a lot of people are saying the same thing so it will be interesting to see what kind of reception we get from the general public at Sandown.
“What’s great is that Jack has a lot of respect for the history of the Perkins Engineering cars and he puts a lot of time and effort into keeping the Perkins Engineering legacy alive so huge credit goes to him.
“I’m really looking forward to Sandown and Bathurst and if we could win a race at either event with this livery, that would be really cool and it’s certainly what Jack and I are aiming for.”
Brown is also racing in the Sandown 500 main event, partnering Erebus’ Will Brown in the #9 Coca-Cola Camaro.
V8 Sleuth’s ongoing coverage of the Dunlop Series for Super2 and Super3 is proudly presented by Biante – Fuel your passion with winning model cars. Visit Biante here to check out their range of model cars in a range of scales from 1:64 to 1:10.
