Jack Perkins ... Sometimes Bourbon and V8 Supercars CAN mix, part two
August 8th 2007 04:20
Growing up with a legendary father like Larry Perkins, his twenty year old son Jack could be forgiven for having motorsport in his blood from a very early age. As a youngster, Jack was heavily involved in motor sport, supporting his famous father around the race circuit and by the time he was 11 the young Perkins protégé was racing karts competitively all over Australia.
In the following years Jack achieved much in karting, moving up through the Australian National Karting ranks. In 1999, Jack finished third in the Victorian State Title, bettering this in the following year to finish as runner-up. In 2000 Jack also won the South Australian State Title, topping off a great year for the talented young driver.
After securing a sponsorship deal in 2001 from General Motors Holden, Jack’s list of karting achievements continued to grow with a first placing in the Victorian State Title in 2002 and third placings in both the Australian Junior Championship and Australian National Titles in 2001, along with securing the runner-up position in the Australasian Kart Titles that same year.
In 2004 Jack took a break from racing to complete his final year at school, achieving very good results but instead of continuing his formal education at university where he had been accepted into a mechanical engineering course, Jack decided to return to his first love … motorsport.
Formula Ford was the next step for Jack where he continued to impress. After only two practice session before his first ever race, Jack qualified 10th, ahead of 25 other cars. Jack’s first five round series saw five top-ten and four top-six qualifying performances, three top four finishes and 8 top six finishes.
In the first two rounds of the three he competed in of the Australian National Championships, Perkins had a top-ten qualifying and two top-ten finishes. His third round was at the Betta Electrical 500 (V8Supercar Support Race) where he qualified sixth and finished third, ahead of many more experienced rivals.
At this time, a European based, Formula BMW team were also interested in signing young Perkins and he was offered a test in England and Bahrain.
2007 has seen another step up for Jack Perkins, being offered a full-time drive with Jack Daniels Racing in the V8 Supercar series, along with Shane Price, another talented young rookie.
From Perkins Motorsport:
Photo by Martin Pot, used with permission
In the following years Jack achieved much in karting, moving up through the Australian National Karting ranks. In 1999, Jack finished third in the Victorian State Title, bettering this in the following year to finish as runner-up. In 2000 Jack also won the South Australian State Title, topping off a great year for the talented young driver.
After securing a sponsorship deal in 2001 from General Motors Holden, Jack’s list of karting achievements continued to grow with a first placing in the Victorian State Title in 2002 and third placings in both the Australian Junior Championship and Australian National Titles in 2001, along with securing the runner-up position in the Australasian Kart Titles that same year.
In 2004 Jack took a break from racing to complete his final year at school, achieving very good results but instead of continuing his formal education at university where he had been accepted into a mechanical engineering course, Jack decided to return to his first love … motorsport.
Formula Ford was the next step for Jack where he continued to impress. After only two practice session before his first ever race, Jack qualified 10th, ahead of 25 other cars. Jack’s first five round series saw five top-ten and four top-six qualifying performances, three top four finishes and 8 top six finishes.
In the first two rounds of the three he competed in of the Australian National Championships, Perkins had a top-ten qualifying and two top-ten finishes. His third round was at the Betta Electrical 500 (V8Supercar Support Race) where he qualified sixth and finished third, ahead of many more experienced rivals.
At this time, a European based, Formula BMW team were also interested in signing young Perkins and he was offered a test in England and Bahrain.
2007 has seen another step up for Jack Perkins, being offered a full-time drive with Jack Daniels Racing in the V8 Supercar series, along with Shane Price, another talented young rookie.
Jack Perkins at Barbagello Raceway 2007
From Perkins Motorsport:
Jack is a very likeable character, and well respected by many of his rivals. He is very confident, well spoken and approachable and relates well with all individuals of any age. He has proven to be a presentable ambassador for sponsors such as Holden, Holden Special Vehicles and Castrol. He has also demonstrated that he can get on well with the public and the media. He has a very professional approach to every task he attempts and thrives at new challenges. Jack’s approach to everyday life and his motor racing and his standard of presentation both physically and verbally make him an exciting prospect for the category and one who will generate a lot of interest in the months and years to come.
Photo by Martin Pot, used with permission
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Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
just curious...and being silly!
It's nice when children follow in their parent's footsteps yet carve their own path....and I suppose he can always do his degree later.
hugs...
Dusk
Comment by Andrea
V8 Supercar Pitstop
From what I've read, Jack has heaps of potential, however he may not discover it all until he changes teams and cuts the apron strings from his dad.
Hugs to you too
Cara.xxxx