Larry Perkins Trophy unveiled

15 Mar 2018

Trophy revealed ahead of Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400

1 mins by James Pavey

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A new perpetual trophy for the highest Supercars points scorer at Albert Park has been unveiled ahead of the Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400 on March 22-25.

The Larry Perkins Trophy has been created to coincide with the first Supercars appearance at Albert Park to count for championship points.

A Supercars Hall of Famer, Perkins competed in 11 Formula 1 grands prix in the 1970s before returning to Australia and turning his attention to touring cars.

The trophy was created by RMIT Engineering student Adrien Fasel-Murphy together with senior lecturer Scott Mayson, using technologies such as 3D printing and virtual reality.

Former F1 and Supercars driver Larry Perkins with the trophy

“It’s truly an honour to have the perpetual Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400 trophy with my name on it, and it is made even greater now upon having seen the trophy itself – a remarkable creation,” Perkins said.

Perkins, Fasel-Murphy and Mayson attended today’s trophy unveiling alongside current Supercars ace Rick Kelly and Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott.

Out at the @ausgrandprix with LP and @rickkelly. #Nissan #NISMO #VASC pic.twitter.com/uWkDgGbsSQ
— Nissan Motorsport (@Nissan_MSport) March 15, 2018

Perkins joins the late Peter Brock and Jason Richards in having a Supercars trophy named after him, with Brock and Richards honoured at Bathurst and Pukekohe respectively.

As well as championship points, this year’s Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400 includes a return to pitstop races at Albert Park.

Twilight races of 25 laps each featuring a single stop will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings, with 13-lap sprints on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

The grids will be set by four 10-minute qualifying sessions, two on Thursday – preceded by two 30-minute qualifying sessions – and two on Friday.