Kieren Perkins To Debut New mini Cooper in Grand Prix Rally

[RaceTime]

SUPERFISH PERKINS TO RALLY MINI


Australia's "Superfish", Kieren Perkins, will make his rally driving debut in the Trading Post Grand Prix Rally through central, eastern and southern Victoria from February 23-27.


Perkins, winner of two Olympic 1500-metre swimming gold medals and a silver in Sydney, will drive a brand new and as-yet unreleased MINI Cooper throughout the full five days and 1,200km of this year's Rally.


The event will take more than 150 competitors in Classic and Modern sporting cars via Victoria's Alpine Country and Gippsland to the Foster's Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park.


Perkins' navigator in the Rally will be Guido Schenken, the son of Tim Schenken - an Australian Formula One driver of the early 1970s and now CAMS Director, Race Operations.


Perkins won't be the only Rally novice. It will also be the new MINI Cooper's competition debut - nine days before it officially goes on sale and six days before 28 specially-modified MINI Cooper models take to the Albert Park circuit for this year's MINI Celebrity Challenge preceding the Grand Prix on Sunday, March 3.


Perkins, who is chairman of the Australian Swimmers Commission and is about to expand his budding TV career as a sports broadcaster, is no stranger to speed and motorsport.


He has been a passenger in the Formula One McLaren two-seater, flown in an F18 jet fighter and joined almost 1,000 two-wheel enthusiasts riding from Wollongong to the Qantas Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island last October astride his BMW R 1100S bike.


He's also no stranger to BMW cars. At home in his Sydney garage are a BMW 330Ci coupe for himself and a BMW X5 3.0I for his wife Samantha and their two young children.


The man who has been described as "the face of Australia", is certain to be a big hit with communities along the Rally route, particularly the nine regional centres in which street events will be staged.

[Buckshot]

This makes me sick.

It really ticks me off when motor sport is demeaned and patronised like a child by people from other sports - especially Olympians.

Hope he DNFs day one.

Stick to the pool fishboy - or is your swimming career over already ?

[RaceTime]

So you would rather have someone like Russell Ingall - who is probably recognised by the general public more for punting other cars off the track - than someone who a great many more than motor racing fans would recognise?

What is demeaning about this?

Or would you say the same to Grant Kenny?

[Buckshot]

Well it's just like he's lowering himself to compete in motorsport. I hate the Olympics and Olympians in general. The governement goes and builds this huge moneypit at Homebush which is only required for 2 weeks last year and now they want to hold a motor race around it they can't because some rare frog fortunately not disturbed by the building of a stadium and surrounding bits will be disturbed by one weekend a year of race cars.

Grant Kenny has stuck with motorsport and made a decent go of it. It's these other little once off blow ins that tweak my melons.

Did I mention I hate the Olympics ?

[RaceTime]

Yes you did mention you hate something which is obviously clouding your judgement.

BTW - do you recall how Grant Kenny got involved in motor racing???? Might pay to go and find out.

[Buckshot]

Not clouding my judgement, that's just my opinion, 1,000 apologies if it differs from yours.

[racer69]

I think it is good that someone well known outside motorsport is having a go. It could lead to new sponsers wanting to get involved and people who don't usually follow motorsport may get interested because they know Kieren Perkins name.

[RaceTime]

Buckshot - no need to apologise.

However, to lump anyone into a particular category simply they come from a sport you don't like is tantamount to being racist.

The same could have been said about Glen Ridge also running the GP Rally - I haven't heard too many people complain about him running and saying things like "Hope he DNFs day one".

Anyway - what makes you think he will be different from Grant Kenny? I asked the question before, and ask it again - how did he get involved in racing in the first place?

(I also know a few people who hate rock'n'roll bands - but INXS made a very successful go of running a car in Group E racing some years ag. As did a certain South African cricketer named Tony Greg - he made a go of it and brought the sport and, in particular, the category, some very welcome publicity...)

[Crash Test]

I remember seeing Kieren sitting strapped into the McLaren in the pits, but unable to enter the track after Paul Weel broke the fence in the V8 Support race. I also remember him being carted off to hospital after trashing a motorcycle at Eastern Creek Raceway one day....

Of course I'd like to see someone like Wakefield given a break, but this rally doesn't really mean much in the greater scheme of things. Sure there are some serious competitors in the race, but there would be a great deal many more that just go along to enjoy the scenery and be a part of it all. Isn't Kathy Watt competing too?

[RaceTime]

Kathy may be - not sure yet as I haven't seen the full entry list and probably won't until about 7 days before the start (scheduled to start 23rd Feb).

BTW - if you haven't already seen it - I posted the AGP V8 SoupCar entry list on RaceNews today.

[DAVID PATERSON]

I was actually a competitor in Grant Kenny's first race, he outqualified me by half a second. It was an Improved Production/Club Car race at Lakeside. I was in a Datsun 1600 and he was driving a KE55 Corolla with a late model twincam motor. He was trying his hardest to be just another clubbie and avoid any attention or publicity.

[Ray Bell]

Kieran Perkins running a Mini in a minor event like this is great, in my opinion. He will bring some public attention to motor sport in a positive way!

It's not as if he's taken a drive off anyone else, is it? And IIRC he showed up well in a celebrity race at Albert Park, too. Maybe he could find his way into racing (with his own previously non-racing sponsors...) at some time, creating further interest.

All the better if it gives some media space to a lesser category.