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Jack Back For Bathurst Attack |
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Tuesday, 25 September 2007 |
Enduro racing has not been kind to V8 rookie Jack Perkins. Failing to get a run in the Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 Commodore at Sandown this month was bad enough, but memories of a first lap demise at Bathurst last year is the stuff of nightmares.
Perkins was heading up Mountain Straight in about 26th position when he was blindsided by the Toll/HSV Holden of Anthony Tratt and powered straight into the rear of pole sitter Mark Skaife, then struggling up the hill at 120km/h with a burnt out clutch.
“I hit him at about 240km/h and thought I’d collected the second HRT car of Jim Richards. It wasn’t until I’d limped back to the pits with broken steering that I’d found out I’d collected the pole man,” said Perkins.
“I immediately apologised to Mark and he was really good about it all, realising I couldn’t see him coming over the crest of the hill."
“The whole thing was unbelievable."
“I had never put a scratch on the car driving in the Fujitsu development series that year and I kept saying to myself pre-race not to get involved in a first lap crash. Then look what happened – Welcome to the big time, Jack Perkins!"
“Anyhow, LP says that when you fall of a horse you get straight back on, so that’s what I’ll be doing at Bathurst this year – qualifying and lining up on the starting grid – preferably nowhere near the #2 Commodore of M. Skaife/T. Kelly!”
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