Leading Australian Artist to Create Pirtek Enduro Cup

Leading Australian artist James Corbett has been commissioned to create “an iconic trophy” for the inaugural PIRTEK Enduro Cup which will be a part of the V8 Supercar Championship Series for the first time this year.

Awarded to the team with the best accumulative points total from the Sandown 500 in September and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Armor All Gold Coast 600 in October, the trophy will be created from original PIRTEK fittings and other raw materials.

The challenge of creating the trophy became evident during a media conference in Sydney today, when PIRTEK CEO Stephen Dutton and V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton unveiled a pile of “raw” materials from which Corbett has to create his “work of art”.

Corbett, from Ningi, Queensland, has been sculpting his incredibly life-like pieces from old car parts since early 1999. During that time his unique works have found homes in all capital cities in Australia as well as England, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

“The majority of my pieces are made from old car parts and some of those have been up to 80 years old,” said Corbett.

“When PIRTEK approached me about this project I thought it would be a terrific challenge and something different I could really enjoy.

“PIRTEK have given me a pile of their fittings to work with and it is my job to create an iconic Australian sporting trophy, which will also be appreciated as a piece of art – it certainly won’t be something you can buy off the shelf.”

PIRTEK has had a long association with Australian sport and V8 Supercar racing in particular. It was the naming rights sponsors of Marcos Ambrose’s famous Championship wins in 2003 and 2004, the PIRTEK Legends Series on the streets of the Gold Coast, had a relationship with TOLL Holden Racing Team, currently sponsor former MotoGP champion Casey Stoner in the Dunlop Development Series and former Bathurst winner Nick Percat in the Porsche Carrera Cup.

PIRTEK CEO Stephen Dutton said the PIRTEK Enduro Cup was a natural extension of his company’s long-time involvement with the sport and the trophy itself would be a terrific legacy.

“James (Corbett) has a fantastic reputation in Australia and internationally and we thought having him involved in this project would be unique and really add something to the value of the PIRTEK Enduro Cup,” said Dutton.

“We have presented him with a decent challenge and we cannot wait to see the end result. The brief is for the trophy to represent the qualities of endurance, reliability, precision and teamwork – ideals PIRTEK and everyone in V8 Supercars strive for.”

Warburton said that the PIRTEK Enduro Cup would offer another terrific challenge for all V8 Supercar teams and become a real focus of the season.

“We have the rich history of the Sandown 500 trophy, the emotion of the Peter Brock Trophy at Bathurst and the famous surfboard trophies of the Gold Coast 600, which have become a ‘must have’ for every V8 Supercar driver,” said Wartburton.

“The PIRTEK Enduro Cup will become the pinnacle of those with all three rolled into one and we cannot wait to see what James creates.”

A solid media and social media program is being created which will allow fans and the teams that will be fighting for the trophy to watch its build process.

There will be a main perpetual trophy and then an original “likeness” which will be presented to the team for it to keep.

Corbett’s works are on permanent display around the world, including galleries in Sydney, London and Palm Desert in the US.

Ironically, Corbett discovered his talent for creating his amazing pieces of art whilst running an auto recycling business in Brisbane. His first piece was an off road race buggy, inspired by a sport Corbett had participated in for some 10 years.

He has completed commissions for many private collectors and major corporations, including a shark which was presented to Greg Norman from Toyota Australia.

Several of Corbett's Aussie animal pieces were used in a series of advertisements for Toyota Parts and Service, featuring the famous 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin.

“I have a strong vision in my head of what I want to achieve. I try to imagine the mood or purpose of the subject. My goal is to create the illusion of life and movement from inanimate cast-offs,” said Corbett.  

“I like the challenge of making something work. I have always needed to be creative. Those instincts have led me to where I am now.

“You should be confident in your ability but also your own strongest critic. If there’s something about a finished piece that you are not 100 percent confident with then your sculpture isn’t truly finished. You must be brave enough to accept the challenge of making it 100 percent.”

It is envisaged the trophy will be completed in time for an official unveiling in the lead-up to the Supercheap Bathurst 1000 in early October.

The PIRTEK Enduro Cup Pass is available now through Ticketek.