Courtney helping Perkins enjoy the Bathurst moment
James Courtney, Jack Perkins set for fifth Bathurst together
Courtney/Perkins won 2015 Gold Coast, third at 2019 Bathurst
Both drivers to make 19th Bathurst starts next week
Reuniting with mate James Courtney has son-of-a-gun Jack Perkins quietly confident of springing a Bathurst surprise come race day at Mount Panorama.
Courtney and Perkins will join forces for a fifth Bathurst campaign together, and first since 2019, when they combined to finish third.
That 2019 result remains the only Great Race podium in 18 starts for Perkins — son of six-time Bathurst winner Larry — who debuted back in 2006.
Courtney, who is set to retire after 2025, has already flagged his desperation to win the Great Race, having claimed four podiums without victory.
Few drivers head to Bathurst under more pressure than Perkins, given his father’s legacy at the Mountain. However, sharing the week with long-time friend Courtney takes the pressure off Perkins, who arrives in good form following two benchmark Dunlop Series performances at Townsville and Sandown.
Courtney hasn’t shied away from showing emotion in Perkins’ Super2 successes this year, with the latter making no secret of his efforts to compete and represent his partners.
"It’s not easy, but being able to work with James makes it an enjoyable week as well,” Perkins said at Monday’s Bathurst launch.
“As I’ve got older and done more Bathursts, I need to realise this is actually this is actually a pretty cool thing to be doing, racing at Bathurst, don’t get too caught up in the moment and enjoy ourselves.
“If we can enjoy ourselves, have a good, clean race, I'm sure we can be there at the end, and it would be great to stand on the podium again with James."
It was with Courtney in 2015 when Perkins scored his first Supercars victory, on the streets of the Gold Coast.
Their 2019 Bathurst podium, however, was an against-the-odds fairytale, Perkins staving off the effects of the Influenza B virus and Courtney denying Jamie Whincup in a final-lap shootout, all after starting 18th.
Only two pairings — David Reynolds/Warren Luff and Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso — have more combined starts than Courtney and Perkins’ 36.
“James and I have shared great success together,” Perkins said.
“We were co-drivers for five years at what was the Holden Racing Team, we won on the Gold Coast together, which is where I got my first win.
“The last year of our partnership, we got on the podium at Bathurst in 2019. To get back with James is really cool.
“We just know each other really well, we know how to drive the car in the same way. Now, with that experience, we feel like we know we what we need to do to win a race. That’s keep out of trouble, make no mistakes, and try and be there at the end.”
