It’s been three decades since Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall turned disaster to victory at the Bathurst 1000.
Opening corner contact dropped the Castrol Holden VR Commodore to the back of the field, but an inspired charge and renowned Perkins reliability delivered the ultimate come from behind win.
Starting from third on the grid, contact at Hell Corner between Perkins and pole-sitter Craig Lowndes led to a punctured Dunlop tyre for the Castrol Commodore.
Perkins slowed entering Griffins Bend and was forced to limp around the remainder of the opening lap, with just the ENZED Connectors Commodore to be shared by father-son team Peter and Ryan McLeod behind on the race score after it failed to jump at the start.
Initially believed to be a bent steering arm, it was quickly identified as just a puncture and Perkins was back out without losing a lap to the leaders.
From then on, Perkins and Ingall never let up as the duo drove the Castrol Commodore hard all day to bridge the gap.
This was aided by the customary reliability Perkins had built up since forming his own team nearly a decade earlier, plus the addition of brake pads produced by Japanese brand Endless ensuring the crew never had to complete a change during a pit stop.
Of course, the 1995 edition of The Great Race is remembered for Glenn Seton’s heartbreak late in the event.
It was a big occasion for Seton due to it marking the 30th anniversary since his father’s win, his Peter Jackson Racing Falcon carrying the same number and he was aged 30 at the time.
Just nine laps from the end the valve springs failed in the Ford V8 engine built by his father Barry ‘Bo’ Seton. A visibly emotional Seton rolled his Falcon into a gap in the fence approaching The Cutting and delivered a gut-wrenching interview back to the Network Seven commentary team.
This was the final step for Perkins after passing the lead Coca-Cola Racing Commodore of Wayne Gardner and Seton’s teammate Alan Jones following a late-race safety car.
It was an emotional success for Perkins after losing his regular co-driver and 1993 Bathurst 1000 co-winner Gregg Hansford earlier in the year in a Super Touring crash at Phillip Island.
It proved Ingall’s breakthrough after returning from Europe as a second Castrol Commodore was added for the 1996 touring car season.
Perkins and Ingall repeated the success two years later in 1997.