Jack Perkins marks 20 years since Supercars debut
Perkins also received life changing diabetes diagnosis in 2006
Perkins will race with rookie Jackson Walls at The Bend, Bathurst
The 2026 Ryco Enduro Cup will be a seminal one for Jack Perkins, in more ways than one.
The second-generation racer will partner rookie Jackson Walls in the Triple Eight-prepared Objective Racing Ford for the year’s longest races at Tailem Bend and Mount Panorama.
For all the history and anniversaries in the sport, Perkins will mark two of his own — in 2006, he not only made his Supercars debut, he received a diagnosis that changed his life.
Perkins, son of six-time Bathurst winner Larry, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes midway through his rookie Super2 campaign. Then aged 20, Perkins, kept his diagnosis private until he withdrew from the final rounds of the 2007 main game season.
The condition failed to slow Perkins down, however. Across the last 20 years, he has strictly managed his health and fitness, and in 2026, lines up for his 21st consecutive involvement in a Supercars season.
“It's a tough one. I mean, I got to celebrate my 40th birthday last month, so that's a bit of a weird one,” Perkins laughed to Supercars.com.
“Peter Brock’s anniversary is one thing, and my first Bathurst is another, but it's also 20 years since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I was told I'd never race a car again. That's probably something that I'm most proud of, is the ability to just get on with it, front up and get on the grid against adversity.
"I'm quite proud of what I've been able to achieve since that time. Nothing comes easy. You've got to be very disciplined in your approach and do a lot of work behind the scenes. No one sees when you're at the gym, five in the morning on a weekday, and you've still got go to work.
“They're the things that hopefully keep me in the position that I'm in to keep fronting up at Bathurst every year. It's happened quite quickly, and I'm really proud that I've been able to continue every year since 2006.”
It was in 2006 that the Mountain stopped to remember Brock, who was killed just weeks before the Great Race. Brock won the race three times consecutively with Jack’s father Larry.
It’s only fitting, then, that 'Aussie Jack' will contest this year’s enduros with the #11 he father raced to three Bathurst victories, while the 2026 enduros commence at a Tailem Bend circuit awash with Australian flag-painted kerbs.
“It is a cool thing, and I guess it's funny because my birth date number is 22, and I won on the Gold Coast and ran with James Courtney with the 22, which is double of 11," Perkins said.
“Both 11 and 22 have kind of been synonymous with me through my whole life. To be back at Bathurst with the 11, obviously Dad won three Bathursts with the 11, it's a really neat fit.
“I’m pretty sure Dad's coming to Bathurst this year as well, so it'd be cool to have him there, and hopefully we can get some results. That's what it's all about. Car number or no car number, the mission stays the same."
Clearly, life has changed dramatically for Perkins in the last 20 years. Racing a Supercar at Mount Panorama has been one constant, but for a time, it looked like it wouldn’t go into the 2020s.
After weathering illness to claim a maiden Bathurst podium with Courtney in 2019, Perkins joined Tickford satellite team 23Red Racing alongside Will Davison. Davison started 2020 strongly, and Perkins was pumped.
Then, COVID happened. 23Red shut up shop, and Perkins’ Bathurst career was all but over. He secured a late minute drive alongside Jack Smith in the Brad Jones Racing-run SCT entry, and the story continued.
Perkins, though, had almost made his peace.
“Since COVID, when I nearly missed out with the Phil Munday team falling over, I've treated every year like it could be my last,” Perkins said.
"2020 was looking like being a great year. I was like, 'This is gonna be pretty good’. But to be the only team that fell over during the pandemic, and me be directly affected and potentially not have a spot on the grid, was pretty tricky.
“Come August, I didn’t have a drive, so my Bathurst career could've easily been over and done with back then.”
A Mustang Cup drive has kept Perkins sharp amid a busy year in his workshop. Perkins would rather be racing more often, but like his health, he has fought to keep himself match fit to extend a career that could so easily have been put on hold.
“We all want to be racing. I'm not sitting at home watching on TV because it's by choice, you know? You always want to be racing something,” Perkins said.
“This year, been fortunate enough to race the Shaw & Partners Financial Services Ford Mustang, which has been a bit challenging at times. But it's cool to be racing and keeping myself 'match fit’.
“The test day at QR was good preparation for this weekend and indeed Bathurst. But it's not new for me now. I think I'm coming up on year 11 or year 12 as a part-time co-driver. It doesn't get any easier, but your expectations are still the same — just do your job.
“That's probably why I've been fortunate enough to keep coming back for so many years. I feel as though that's kind of why I've been able to have a bit of longevity, just by doing my job.”
Once a rookie in 2006, Perkins is now mentor to rookie Walls 20 years later. While he claimed his best results with fellow veteran Courtney, Perkins also partnered the likes of Scott McLaughlin and Will Brown in their early years.
For Perkins, the goal is the same as it ever was, but he is now able to “enjoy it a little bit more.”
"I remember when I was in Jackson's position back in 2006 in my first Bathurst,” Perkins said.
“A lot's changed in the category since then, but your role and your job description doesn't change. You've just got to do the best you can, and hand the car back in one piece.
“As I've got older, I've probably learned to just try and enjoy it a little bit more. But it's still a professional situation, and at the end of the day, it's a job, so you've got to treat it with the respect and discipline that it deserves.
"I don't need to try and beat Jackson, or try and get into a full-time drive next year. I'm not auditioning for anything. I’ve been in this role a couple times now with rookie drivers. It's similar to when I drove with Scott McLaughlin and Will Brown.
"You've got a rookie driver that's certainly fast, so I need to contribute to extracting speed and getting some results. He's got plenty of people telling him how to do it and what to do, so I don't want to cloud his judgment."
