131-568: Perkins Engineering was a team contesting the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series , operating as an active racing team between 1986 and 2008. From 2009 onwards, the involvement of Perkins Engineering in the championship was wound back into a supply relationship with the newly formed Kelly Racing . At the end of 1988, Perkins and Hulme went on to stage a one-two victory in the Group A support race at
262-479: A Mediterranean climate . The south-east ranges from oceanic (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to humid subtropical (upper half of New South Wales), with the highlands featuring alpine and subpolar oceanic climates . The interior is arid to semi-arid . Driven by climate change , average temperatures have risen more than 1°C since 1960 . Associated changes in rainfall patterns and climate extremes exacerbate existing issues such as drought and bushfires . 2019
393-525: A belt of Brigalow grasslands lie between the coast and the mountains, while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland and shrubland. These include the western plains of New South Wales, and the Mitchell Grass Downs and Mulga Lands of inland Queensland. The northernmost point of the mainland is the tropical Cape York Peninsula . The landscapes of the Top End and
524-824: A large wave of immigration from across Europe , with such immigrants referred to as " New Australians ". This required a relaxation of the white Australia policy , which was justified to Australians using the slogan "populate or perish". A member of the Western Bloc during the Cold War , Australia participated in the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency during the 1950s and the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1972. During this time, tensions over communist influence in society led to unsuccessful attempts by
655-581: A controversial finish to the Queensland 500. Adam Macrow and Luke Youlden drove the No. 8 car in the endurance events. There were signs at this stage that Larry Perkins was thinking about life outside of the drivers seat, with rumour's at season end that Steven Richards would be moving from Ford Tickford Racing to Perkins Engineering, to replace Larry in the driving seat of the No. 11 car. While this rumour proved to be true, nobody expected that in doing so,
786-461: A date which later became Australia's national day . Most early settlers were convicts , transported for petty crimes and assigned as labourers or servants to "free settlers" (willing immigrants). Once emancipated , convicts tended to integrate into colonial society. Convict rebellions and uprisings were suppressed under martial law, which lasted for two years following the 1808 Rum Rebellion , Australia's only successful coup d'état . During
917-419: A franchise sale and purchase between seasons left Perkins Engineering with a franchise that did not qualify the No. 24 car for the offshore events. Neither Castrol car finished at Bathurst , the first time since 1988 at least one Perkins car had failed to finish. Dumbrell had hit the wall just after he had taken over the car from Richards who started the race, when apparent suspension damage caused him to strike
1048-520: A moment in time to build the Castrol racing team and the Castrol Cougars for women racers was a head of its time. In 1997 John made a pact with Larry Perkins. Perkins role was to beat Brock in his retirement year. Larry and Russell did it. With increased money from Castrol and John Clarke who encouraged associated sponsors to get on board, Perkins Engineering finally expanded to two cars. Peter
1179-489: A pair of Holden VZ Commodores for 2006, again for Richards (now in #7) and Dumbrell (#11). Richards and Dumbrell again teamed up for Bathurst, finishing fifth in the No. 7 Jack Daniel's Commodore, while Jack Perkins and Shane Price shared the No. 11 car into a DNF, after Perkins, who had started the race, heavily shunted a disabled Mark Skaife over the crest of the hill in Mountain Straight. Even though it
1310-581: A settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania ), and in 1813, Gregory Blaxland , William Lawson and William Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, opening the interior to European settlement. The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (modern-day Albany ). The Swan River Colony (present-day Perth )
1441-562: A short distance off the north-east coast and extends for more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi). Mount Augustus , claimed to be the world's largest monolith, is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 m (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak , at 2,745 m (9,006 ft), on the remote Australian external territory of Heard Island , and, in
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#17327875450741572-462: A sweep by Davies occurred a round later at Hidden Valley Raceway . The season ended early after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled many of the final rounds. Morris and Davies were mathematically tied for the points lead with 93 points apiece, and the former held the tiebreaker as he had four wins to Davies' two. Morris is nicknamed "The Dude". He received the moniker when he returned from a trip to
1703-411: A wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east, and desert in the centre. The desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land. Australia is the driest inhabited continent; its annual rainfall averaged over continental area is less than 500 mm. The population density
1834-436: Is 3.4 inhabitants per square kilometre, although the large majority of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The population density exceeds 19,500 inhabitants per square kilometre in central Melbourne. In 2021 Australia had 10% of the global permanent meadows and pastureland. Forest cover is around 17% of Australia's total land area. The Great Barrier Reef , the world's largest coral reef, lies
1965-413: Is a constitutional monarchy , a parliamentary democracy and a federation . The country has maintained its mostly unchanged constitution alongside a stable liberal democratic political system since Federation in 1901. It is one of the world's oldest federations, in which power is divided between the federal and state governments. The Australian system of government combines elements derived from
2096-474: Is governed by convention and their precise scope is unclear. The most notable exercise of these powers was the dismissal of the Whitlam government in the constitutional crisis of 1975 . Paul Morris (racing driver) Paul "The Dude" Morris (born 22 December 1967) is an Australian motor racing driver and team owner. The owner of Paul Morris Motorsport , he competes in Queensland sprint car racing and
2227-586: Is now Southeast Asia. It is uncertain how many waves of immigration may have contributed to these ancestors of modern Aboriginal Australians. The Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land is possibly the oldest site showing the presence of humans in Australia. The oldest human remains found are the Lake Mungo remains , which have been dated to around 41,000 years ago. Aboriginal Australian culture
2358-629: Is one of only two pristine Archaean 3.6–2.7 Ga (billion years ago) crusts identified on the Earth. Having been part of all major supercontinents , the Australian continent began to form after the breakup of Gondwana in the Permian , with the separation of the continental landmass from the African continent and Indian subcontinent. It separated from Antarctica over a prolonged period beginning in
2489-466: Is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. At the time of first European contact, Aboriginal Australians belonged to wide range of societies, with diverse economies spread across at least 250 different language groups . Estimates of the Aboriginal population before British settlement range from 300,000 to 3 million. Aboriginal Australians cultures were (and remain) deeply connected with
2620-411: Is unique. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds , and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic . Australia has at least 755 species of reptile, more than any other country in the world. Besides Antarctica, Australia is the only continent that developed without feline species. Feral cats may have been introduced in the 17th century by Dutch shipwrecks, and later in
2751-558: The 1988 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in November. After the leading Dick Johnson Racing Sierras of Johnson and John Bowe suffered fuel pick-up problems, Perkins and Hulme had a fairly comfortable second half of the race. The Moffat/ANZ rumors did not come to fruition, and the team built a new plain white VL Commodore SS Group A SV for the 1990 season . Aside from some minor sponsorship from longtime supporters such as Castrol ,
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#17327875450742882-434: The 1994 Tooheys 1000 where the pair finished 3rd, had driven the 1994 car in the season-opening Winfield Triple Challenge , and Greg Crick drove the car at Sandown, with a view to purchasing the car, but this was all the team was prepared to do at that stage. A few weeks later, Hansford was killed in a Super Touring race at Phillip Island and the team was left without its preferred endurance race co-driver. Perkins himself
3013-754: The Bathurst 1000 with German driver Altfrid Heger in a BMW, having written off his Holden in testing prior to the race. In 1998, Morris drove for PacWest Racing in the PPG Dayton Indy Lights Championship in the United States. His best result was sixth in the opening round at Homestead. Morris co-drove with the Holden Racing Team in the 1999 endurance events. He finished third with Mark Skaife at Bathurst in that year. From 2000, Morris again competed in
3144-768: The Colonial Office that it be formally adopted. In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially by that name. The first official published use of the new name came with the publication in 1830 of The Australia Directory by the Hydrographic Office . Colloquial names for Australia include " Oz ", " Straya " and " Down Under ". Other epithets include "the Great Southern Land", "the Lucky Country" (from
3275-535: The Commonwealth of Australia , is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands . Australia has a total area of 7,688,287 km (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest country by area in Oceania . It is the world's oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with some of
3406-595: The Gulf Country —with their tropical climate—include forest, woodland, wetland, grassland, rainforest and desert. At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley , and below that the Pilbara . The Victoria Plains tropical savanna lies south of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land savannas, forming a transition between the coastal savannas and the interior deserts. At
3537-551: The Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation , which is correlated with periodic drought , and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall ( monsoon ). The south-west corner of the country has
3668-484: The Iraq War from 2003 to 2009. The nation's trade relations also became increasingly oriented towards East Asia in the 21st century, with China becoming the nation's largest trading partner by a large margin. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , several of Australia's largest cities were locked down for extended periods and free movement across the national and state borders was restricted in an attempt to slow
3799-574: The Melbourne Grand Prix support races and the Phillip Island races with one-two results before once again winning the Bathurst 1000 for Larry's sixth and Ingall's second time. The team also ran a third car as part of the "Castrol Cougars", shared between female drivers Kerryn Brewer and Melinda Price , who is the sister of former racer, Drew Price , and the aunt of future Perkins Engineering driver, Shane Price . 1998 saw
3930-664: The Menzies Government to ban the Communist Party of Australia , and a bitter split in the Labor Party in 1955. As a result of a 1967 referendum , the federal government gained the power to legislate with regard to Indigenous Australians, and Indigenous Australians were fully included in the census . Pre-colonial land interests (referred to as native title in Australia) was recognised in law for
4061-570: The Mobil dollars of 1991. The team were still in the midst of building a new Holden VP Commodore for the season, so the old 1990 car was once again repainted, this time into the corporate colors of Castrol. With the new car making its early debut at the Phillip Island round of the championship, after damaging the VL in a rollover at Symmons Plains Raceway , the team spent most of 1993 developing
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4192-468: The Moorabbin workshop. The racing number 11 has become synonymous with the team, and it has appeared on their racing cars in every season since 1986. It has become as significant in Australian motor sport, as has Peter Brock 's number "05" and Dick Johnson's number "17". Legend has it that Perkins chose the number 11 for his car because "it's really easy to carry spare stickers – I only have to get
4323-675: The Pacific Community ; the Commonwealth of Nations ; and the defence and security organisations ANZUS , AUKUS , and the Five Eyes . It is also a major non-NATO ally of the United States. The name Australia (pronounced / ə ˈ s t r eɪ l i ə / in Australian English ) is derived from the Latin Terra Australis ( ' southern land ' ), a name used for a hypothetical continent in
4454-532: The Permian and continuing through to the Cretaceous . When the last glacial period ended in about 10,000 BC, rising sea levels formed Bass Strait , separating Tasmania from the mainland. Then between about 8,000 and 6,500 BC, the lowlands in the north were flooded by the sea, separating New Guinea, the Aru Islands , and the mainland of Australia. The Australian continent is moving toward Eurasia at
4585-648: The Stadium Super Trucks , the latter of which includes the series' Australian Boost Mobile Super Trucks championship. He won the SST championship in 2017 and the Boost Mobile Super Trucks title in 2021 . Morris is one of two people, alongside Shane Van Gisbergen , to have won all three major car racing events at Mount Panorama ; the Bathurst 1000 , Bathurst 6 Hour and Bathurst 12 Hour . Morris started his motor racing career at
4716-686: The Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1949 and gained independence from Australia in 1975. In 1914, Australia joined the Allies in fighting the First World War, and took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front . Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded. Many Australians regard the defeat of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli in 1915 as
4847-528: The Torres Strait Islands . The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent " New Holland " during the 17th century, and although no attempt at settlement was made, a number of shipwrecks left men either stranded or, as in the case of the Batavia in 1629, marooned for mutiny and murder, thus becoming the first Europeans to permanently inhabit
4978-696: The bombing of Darwin and other Japanese attacks on Australian soil , led to a widespread belief in Australia that a Japanese invasion was imminent , and a shift from the United Kingdom to the United States as Australia's principal ally and security partner. Since 1951, Australia has been allied with the United States under the ANZUS treaty. In the decades following World War II, Australia enjoyed significant increases in living standards, leisure time and suburban development. Governments encouraged
5109-426: The emu and the kookaburra . Australia is home to many dangerous animals including some of the most venomous snakes in the world. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE . Many animal and plant species became extinct soon after first human settlement, including the Australian megafauna ; others have disappeared since European settlement, among them
5240-595: The governor-general at the federal level and by the governors at the state level, who by section 63 of the Constitution and convention act on the advice of their ministers. Thus, in practice the governor-general acts as a legal figurehead for the actions of the prime minister and the Cabinet. The governor-general may in some situations exercise reserve powers : powers exercisable in the absence or contrary to ministerial advice. When these powers may be exercised
5371-661: The "baptism of fire" that forged the new nation's identity . The beginning of the campaign is commemorated annually on Anzac Day , a date which rivals Australia Day as the nation's most important. From 1939 to 1945, Australia joined the Allies in fighting the Second World War. Australia's armed forces fought in the Pacific , European and Mediterranean and Middle East theatres . The shock of Britain's defeat in Singapore in 1942, followed soon after by
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5502-587: The "island continent" and is sometimes considered the world's largest island . Australia has 34,218 km (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands), and claims an extensive exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory . Mainland Australia lies between latitudes 9° and 44° south , and longitudes 112° and 154° east . Australia's size gives it
5633-428: The 18th century by European settlers. They are now considered a major factor in the decline and extinction of many vulnerable and endangered native species. Seafaring immigrants from Asia are believed to have brought the dingo to Australia sometime after the end of the last ice age—perhaps 4000 years ago—and Aboriginal people helped disperse them across the continent as pets, contributing to the demise of thylacines on
5764-539: The 1964 book of the same name ), "the Sunburnt Country", and "the Wide Brown Land". The latter two both derive from Dorothea Mackellar 's 1908 poem " My Country ". Indigenous Australians comprise two broad groups: Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, with the migration of people by land bridges and short sea crossings from what
5895-543: The 2018 Environmental Performance Index . There are more than 1,800 animals and plants on Australia's threatened species list, including more than 500 animals. Paleontologists discovered a fossil site of a prehistoric rainforest in McGraths Flat , in South Australia, that presents evidence that this now arid desert and dry shrubland / grassland was once home to an abundance of life. Australia
6026-656: The Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies , at 3,492 m (11,457 ft) and 3,355 m (11,007 ft) respectively. Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range , which runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria. The name is not strictly accurate, because parts of the range consist of low hills, and the highlands are typically no more than 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in height. The coastal uplands and
6157-725: The Australian Touring Car Championship for several years. Morris went on to compete in the Australian Super Touring Championship from 1994 to 2000 (excluding 1998), winning four championships. His notable sponsors during this time were Benson & Hedges and Diet Coke . He also competed in the V8 Touring Car Championship full-time in 1994, driving a Holden Commodore sponsored by Diet Coke . That same year, he would claim another class victory at
6288-558: The Australian mainland. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken , captained by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon . He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February 1606 at the Pennefather River near the modern town of Weipa on Cape York. Later that year, Spanish explorer Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through and navigated
6419-462: The Boost Mobile Super Trucks, Morris and Paul Morris Racing Academy development driver Luke van Herwaarde partnered to race under the Team Norwell name. The 2021 Boost Mobile Super Trucks Series began with Morris winning two of three races in the opener at Symmons Plains Raceway before finishing second to Shae Davies in the last. The same pattern of winning the first two but being denied
6550-611: The Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 , and culminating in the Australia Acts of 1986. Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories . Its population of more than 28 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on
6681-778: The HRT Commodore of Allan Grice and Win Percy). The pair picked up a win a few weeks later at the newly opened Eastern Creek Raceway in the 1990 Nissan Sydney 500 . Perkins showed the speed he was getting out of the now two-year-old model Commodore by qualifying the car second behind the Nissan GT-R and in front of the leading Sierras. In 1991 , Perkins entered a deal that saw Peter Brock close his Mobil 1 Racing team and bring sponsorship to Perkins Engineering to race two VN Commodores . Early results were slim, and despite some mechanical issues, Perkins and Brock generally became
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#17327875450746812-627: The KRE Race Engines Track Championship at Brisbane International Speedway (Archerfield Speedway) in January 2011. He has also had heat wins in World Series Sprintcars . Morris suffered a major crash at Archerfield during round 6 of the 2012/13 World Series Sprintcars. After winning his earlier heat race, Morris started from position 5 in the B Main, but lasted less than a ¼ of a lap after clipping
6943-414: The No. 11 Holden VY Commodore at The Cutting during practice on Saturday morning. This caused the car to miss the Top Ten Shootout, for which Richards had qualified. Dumbrell and Mezera finished in 14th. This accident at Bathurst prompted Larry to completely retire from driving, allowing him to now focus on the management and engineering side of the team. For 2004 , Richards and Dumbrell remained with
7074-400: The No. 7 car at the Clipsal 500 on a cool down lap during practice, something Larry described as "dumb" for an experienced driver. Longhurst was demoted to the VX and Dumbrell promoted into the VY for the rest of the series. Come the endurance races, Steven Richards teamed up with his father, six-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards in the No. 11 VY, and Dumbrell and Longhurst were teamed in
7205-418: The No. 8 VY. Jamie Whincup and Alex Davison were drafted in to drive the No. 7 VX, finishing in ninth place. Dumbrell and Longhurst failed to finish. Tratt teamed up with Tomas Mezera to finish 18th. Steven and Jim finished the race in 21st position, 13 laps behind, after having to stop for repairs after striking a kangaroo on the lead in to The Cutting at about two-thirds race distance. For 2005 ,
7336-434: The Romano licence), and the fans were appeased. Following the effective closure of the team at the end of 2008, the franchise licences owned by Larry Perkins were leased into the new Kelly Racing team for 2009. His son Jack also took up one of the drives at the new team, using one of the Perkins owned licences, and will continue the family association with racing number No. 11. Australia Australia , officially
7467-586: The Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. Several 16th-century cartographers used the word Australia on maps, but not to identify modern Australia. When Europeans began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was applied to the new territories. Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as New Holland , a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 (as Nieuw-Holland ) and subsequently anglicised. Terra Australis still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts. The name Australia
7598-699: The United States in the 1990s, where the word " dude " was frequently used. His son Nash Morris is also a racing driver who competes in the Super3 Series and Boost Mobile Super Trucks. * Super Touring race (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) ( key ) ( Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led. ) ( key ) ( Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led. ) Season in progress. The race
7729-441: The V8 Supercar Series full-time. Originally sponsored by Big Kev , he was involved in a major start-line accident at the Oran Park round in 2000. He suffered a number of fractured vertebrae in this accident, and narrowly escaped the flaming wreckage of his VS Commodore. Morris recovered without missing any V8 Supercar races, and he went on to achieve his first major success at Calder Park Raceway in 2001 , where he won two of
7860-441: The VP into a race-winning package. Even after an engine failure at the Sandown 500 the team fronted at Bathurst, full of confidence that the car was fast enough to win. The Perkins Castrol Commodore, with its Holden V8 engine as opposed to the Chevrolets run by the other leading Holden teams, was the fastest in all but one session during practice and qualifying. Perkins then cut a near perfect lap to claim his 2nd pole position in
7991-404: The age of 19 in 1987, driving in the Queensland Gemini Series. He won Rookie of the Year in his debut season, and won the state championship the following year. He spent the next three years competing in Formula Ford . Morris made his Bathurst debut in 1991, driving a Toyota Corolla. He won the Class C title that year with Geoff Full. He joined the BMW Works team in 1992, and competed in
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#17327875450748122-404: The car was known as the "Statewide Roads Commodore", and in Western Australia, and South Australia, it was the "Kreepy Krauly Commodore". Everywhere else, it was again "Perkins Engineering" on the car. However, for the endurance races and the Australian Grand Prix support races, Perkins Engineering picked up significant sponsorship from Bob Jane T-Marts , and the car was painted yellow and blue,
8253-407: The car's main "sponsor" was "Perkins Engineering", and it ran the entire 1990 season this way. A few other minor sponsors were picked up for the endurance races, where Tomas Mezera co-drove. After a good showing at the 1990 Sandown 500 , the pair pulled off a third-place finish at Bathurst after narrowly missing the win after a safety-car mix-up when Perkins was held up in pit lane (the win went to
8384-489: The cars ongoing development. Perkins continued to race until just before the Symmons Plains round, having just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, with Marcus Marshall , who had driven for the team at Sandown and Bathurst, replacing him for the final two rounds of the season. Upon losing Perkins, the team signed former HRT driver Todd Kelly for the 2008 and 2009 seasons . Following a decision by Holden to reduce support for most teams running their Commodore product in
8515-438: The centre and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins , metamorphic and igneous rocks in the east. The Australian mainland and Tasmania are situated in the middle of the tectonic plate and have no active volcanoes, but due to passing over the East Australia hotspot , recent volcanism has occurred during the Holocene , in the Newer Volcanics Province of western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. Volcanism also occurs in
8646-454: The championship – (they weren't previously), so the team needed to run both cars at the endurance races, whereas they had previously run only one. Christian Murchison and Luke Youlden ran the No. 8 car in the endurance races. Perkins and Ingall finished 11th at Bathurst. The deal with Wayne Gardner completed, Perkins Engineering again ran two cars for Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall in 2001 . The team finished 8th at Bathurst, and 2nd in
8777-420: The colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, constitutional conventions and referendums , resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia as a nation under the new Australian Constitution . After the 1907 Imperial Conference , Australia and several other self-governing British settler colonies were given the status of self-governing dominions within the British Empire. Australia
8908-440: The colors of the T-Marts. Driving with Steve Harrington, Perkins proved there was life in the older model VL Commodore which won first time out in Bob Jane colors at the 1992 Don't Drink Drive Sandown 500 after a late race battle with the BMW M3 Evolution of Tony Longhurst and Paul Morris . Perkins then sensationally put the Commodore onto the front row for the 1992 Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst, but alternator and tire problems in
9039-475: The continent. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named " New South Wales " and claimed for Great Britain. Following the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the First Fleet , under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip , to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales . A camp was set up and the Union Flag raised at Sydney Cove , Port Jackson , on 26 January 1788,
9170-478: The convict system culminated in its abolition in the eastern colonies by the 1850s. Initially a free colony, Western Australia practised penal transportation from 1850 to 1868. The six colonies individually gained responsible government between 1855 and 1890, thus becoming elective democracies managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire . The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs. In
9301-425: The country's economy. It ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a middle power , and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure . It is a member of international groups including the United Nations; the G20 ; the OECD ; the World Trade Organization ; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ; the Pacific Islands Forum ;
9432-459: The early 2010s after the 2000s Australian drought . Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, the continent includes a diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests . Fungi typify that diversity—an estimated 250,000 species—of which only 5% have been described—occur in Australia. Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota
9563-481: The eastern seaboard. Canberra is the nation's capital, while its most populous cities are Sydney and Melbourne , both with a population of more than 5 million. Australia's culture is diverse, and the country has one of the highest foreign-born populations in the world . It has a highly developed market economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally . Its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to
9694-458: The fastest of the Holdens on track during the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship and into the late season endurance races. While Brock would finish the championship in 6th place, Perkins could only manage 11th. The team's biggest problem was the lack of quality Bridgestone rubber early in the season. The 1991 Bathurst 1000 saw little joy for the team, though both cars easily qualified in
9825-706: The final round, however a bad start by Ingall after tangling with Tony Longhurst saw him lose too many points to Lowndes, and second place in the championship was all that could be salvaged. Perkins and Ingall then went on to win the Tickford 500 at Sandown before eventually finishing second to the Stone Brothers Racing EL Falcon of Jason Bright and Steven Richards at the FAI 1000 at Bathurst. Future dual Supercars championship winner Marcos Ambrose tested for Perkins Engineering in 1999 but
9956-690: The first seven rounds of the championship consecutively) the aerodynamic package for both the EB Falcon and VP Commodore was re-homologated for the 1994 season . Although this allowed Mark Skaife to win the championship, it is possible that by increasing the amount of downforce and drag on the Commodore over Falcon relative to the year prior, that the 1994 specification VP was less suited to the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst. Both races were won by Dick Johnson and John Bowe in their Shell Falcon while Perkins and Hansford finished in third position as
10087-571: The first time as co-driver to Chaz Mostert for Ford Performance Racing . Morris had previously 'won' the 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 in a Super Touring BMW 320i with Craig Baird . However the Morris/Baird BMW was disqualified immediately after the race as the team had mistakenly left Baird in the car at its last pit stop, resulting in Baird breaching race regulations by driving for more than three continuous hours. The disqualification handed
10218-772: The first time when the High Court of Australia held in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) that Australia was neither terra nullius ( ' land belonging to no one ' ) or "desert and uncultivated land" at the time of European settlement. Following the abolition of the last vestiges of the White Australia policy in 1973, Australia's demography and culture transformed as a result of a large and ongoing wave of non-European immigration, mostly from Asia. The late 20th century also saw an increasing focus on foreign policy ties with other Pacific Rim nations. The Australia Acts severed
10349-412: The heart of the country are the uplands of central Australia . Prominent features of the centre and south include Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the famous sandstone monolith, and the inland Simpson , Tirari and Sturt Stony , Gibson , Great Sandy, Tanami , and Great Victoria deserts, with the famous Nullarbor Plain on the southern coast. The Western Australian mulga shrublands lie between
10480-479: The interior deserts and Mediterranean-climate Southwest Australia . Lying on the Indo-Australian Plate , the mainland of Australia is the lowest and most primordial landmass on Earth with a relatively stable geological history. The landmass includes virtually all known rock types and from all geological time periods spanning more than 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history. The Pilbara Craton
10611-417: The island of New Guinea (considered geologically as part of the Australian continent), and in the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands . Seismic activity in the Australian mainland and Tasmania is also low, with the greatest number of fatalities having occurred in the 1989 Newcastle earthquake . The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including
10742-620: The land and the environment, with stories of The Dreaming maintained through oral tradition , songs , dance and paintings. Certain groups engaged in fire-stick farming , fish farming , and built semi-permanent shelters . These practices have variously been characterised as " hunter-gatherer ", " agricultural ", "natural cultivation" and "intensification". Torres Strait Islander people first settled their islands at least 2,500 years ago. Culturally and linguistically distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and
10873-447: The least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country , and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast . The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the last glacial period . By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had
11004-494: The licences, not the teams who use them, and Gore's WPS Racing was ready to use the No. 11 and No. 8 from the old Perkins-held licences. Perkins fans were incensed, and many were vocal about the return of No. 11 to its "rightful" home. Perkins, along with then sponsor, Castrol, approached Gore and V8 Supercars Australia to have the numbers returned. While Gore kept No. 8, he allowed the return of No. 11 to Perkins Engineering. The team ran No. 11 and No. 24 (the number associated with
11135-494: The location for the future federal capital of Canberra . While it was being constructed, Melbourne served as the temporary capital from 1901 to 1927. The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911. Australia became the colonial ruler of the Territory of Papua (which had initially been annexed by Queensland in 1883) in 1902 and of the Territory of New Guinea (formerly German New Guinea ) in 1920. The two were unified as
11266-431: The main championship. Price and Perkins, even though they had some good runs on tracks they knew well, ended up with results that were a bit of a letdown overall. Rumours amongst the fans that Jack Daniel's were not pleased with the lack of results, saw both Jack Daniel's and the publicly endorse both drivers as "the future". Mark Skaife briefly tested one of the cars at a Winton test session to help Perkins and Price with
11397-448: The mainland. Australia is also one of 17 megadiverse countries. Australian forests are mostly made up of evergreen species, particularly eucalyptus trees in the less arid regions; wattles replace them as the dominant species in drier regions and deserts. Among well-known Australian animals are the monotremes (the platypus and echidna ); a host of marsupials , including the kangaroo , koala , and wombat , and birds such as
11528-474: The mid-19th century, explorers such as Burke and Wills charted Australia's interior. A series of gold rushes beginning in the early 1850s led to an influx of new migrants from China , North America and continental Europe, as well as outbreaks of bushranging and civil unrest; the latter peaked in 1854 when Ballarat miners launched the Eureka Rebellion against gold license fees. The 1860s saw
11659-602: The next two decades, social and economic reforms, together with the establishment of a Legislative Council and Supreme Court , saw the penal colony transition to a civil society. The indigenous population declined for 150 years following European settlement, mainly due to infectious disease. British colonial authorities did not sign any treaties with Aboriginal groups . As settlement expanded, tens of thousands of Indigenous people and thousands of settlers were killed in frontier conflicts while settlers dispossessed surviving Indigenous peoples of most of their land. In 1803,
11790-498: The oldest living culture in the world. Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th-century. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales . By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing British colonies were established, each gaining responsible government by 1890. The colonies federated in 1901, forming
11921-566: The overall win. A year later, he ran much of the 2016 schedule and finished fourth in points, the highest championship run for a winless driver that year. Morris contested the full 2017 schedule as he scored three wins at Adelaide and Darwin (twice). Entering the season finale at Lake Elsinore Diamond , Morris trailed Matthew Brabham by 15 points but did not participate due to a rib injury. In his place, he had off-road veteran Jerett Brooks drive his No. 67 truck, with all points scored by Brooks going to Morris; Brooks finished eighth and second in
12052-428: The political systems of the United Kingdom (a fused executive , constitutional monarchy and strong party discipline ) and the United States ( federalism , a written constitution and strong bicameralism with an elected upper house), resulting in a distinct hybrid. Federal government power is partially separated between three groups: Charles III reigns as King of Australia and is represented in Australia by
12183-434: The printers to make me up a box full of 1's". This simple, no nonsense approach is typical of almost everything that Larry does. At the start of the 2005 season, Perkins Engineering almost lost the use of the racing number 11. At the end of the previous season, Larry sold his two Level 1 racing licences to Craig Gore , and purchased a single Level 2 licence, and leased a second from Bap Romano. Racing numbers are attached to
12314-594: The protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created under the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity to protect and preserve unique ecosystems; 65 wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention , and 16 natural World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia was ranked 21st out of 178 countries in the world on
12445-410: The race (Peter Brock set the pole time in 1983 ), and won after a race long battle with Jim Richards and Mark Skaife . Former motorcycle racer and longtime Allan Moffat co-driver Gregg Hansford had joined to team to co-drive at Sandown and Bathurst. After the domination of the two Ford teams in the 1993 championship (which despite making up only four of the 14 current-shape models on the grid won
12576-421: The race meetings giving them more engineering data than they could get from two cars. Gardner had run his own team ( Wayne Gardner Racing ) previously but with reduced Coca-Cola money did not have the resources to run it himself any more or even attend a full season. The 2000 season saw more expansion for the team. Previously, although running two cars in the championship, the endurance races were now included in
12707-471: The rainstorms that marred the race (and eventually caused its early finish) saw them eventually finish in 9th place. While driving the older VL, Perkins also pointed out during the top ten runoff at Bathurst that the only 'old' thing about the car was its superseded body shape. The speed of the Perkins VL at Bathurst raised questions about the legality of the car, though Perkins' qualifying time of 2:14.08
12838-480: The rate of 6 to 7 centimetres a year. The Australian mainland's continental crust , excluding the thinned margins, has an average thickness of 38 km, with a range in thickness from 24 km to 59 km. Australia's geology can be divided into several main sections, showcasing that the continent grew from west to east: the Archaean cratonic shields found mostly in the west, Proterozoic fold belts in
12969-545: The remaining constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom while maintaining the monarch in her independent capacity as Queen of Australia . In a 1999 constitutional referendum , 55% of voters rejected abolishing the monarchy and becoming a republic. Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, Australia joined the United States in fighting the Afghanistan War from 2001 to 2021 and
13100-419: The resources of their reefs and seas. Agriculture also developed on some islands and villages appeared by the 1300s. By the mid-18th century in northern Australia, contact, trade and cross-cultural engagement had been established between local Aboriginal groups and Makassan trepangers , visiting from present-day Indonesia. The Dutch are the first Europeans that recorded sighting and making landfall on
13231-491: The rise of blackbirding , where South Sea Islanders were coerced or abducted into indentured labour, mainly by Queensland colonists. From 1886, Australian colonial governments began removing many Aboriginal children from their families and communities, justified on the grounds of child protection and forced assimilation policies. The Second Boer War (1899–1902) marked the largest overseas deployment of Australia's colonial forces . On 1 January 1901, federation of
13362-508: The rival Ford Falcon product. Ensuring that 2003 would have a completely different flavour for the team, Perkins also announced that he would step down from full-time driving, handing the reins over to Richards and Dumbrell for the season. Perkins would return for the endurance races, teaming with Richards. Dumbrell teamed with Tomas Mezera , returning to the team for the first time since 1991. Richards and Perkins finished in fourth placed at Bathurst , but not before Larry severely damaged
13493-528: The same could not be said for Lowndes' car, which suffered a caved in roof and windscreen. The car continued in the race, minus the front and rear windscreens, and after some hasty panel work. Late in the season, Richards and Dumbrell swapped numbers, with Richards using No. 24, and Dumbrell No. 11 in order to try and lift the No. 24 franchise up the point standing. During 2005, longtime sponsor Castrol announced they would not be renewing their sponsorship. Spirit maker Jack Daniels replaced Castrol. Though not
13624-412: The second placed Holden on both occasions. Preparing for 1995 with a new Holden VR Commodore , Perkins Engineering had been asked by Castrol to increase its presence to two cars. Perkins resisted saying he wasn't ready to expand the team. Had the team expanded at this point it would be almost certain that Gregg Hansford would have driven the second car. Hansford, who had matched Perkins lap times in
13755-437: The series for 2009, at the end of the 2008 V8 Supercar season, team principal Larry Perkins chose to reduce the level of his involvement in the series. Perkins entered into a business relationship with John and Margaret Kelly whose son Todd drove for the team in 2008, to provide the engineering services for their newly formed Kelly Racing . Many Perkins Engineering staff, equipment and sponsors moved to Kelly Racing including
13886-682: The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus . Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas, with the Coral Sea lying off the Queensland coast, and the Tasman Sea lying between Australia and New Zealand. The world's smallest continent and sixth-largest country by total area , Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed
14017-422: The team initially starting in a pair of VS Commodores , as well as fielding the Castrol Cougars entry at selected races throughout the season with Brewer and Price sharing the seat. Ingall, along with HRT's Craig Lowndes , established themselves as the drivers to beat. Perkins debuted a new VT Commodore mid-season before handing it over to Ingall for the remainder of the season. The championship went right down to
14148-528: The team was again fielded four cars, running a pair of Holden VY Commodores for Richards (#11) and Dumbrell (#24). Matthew Coleman and Christian D'Agostin were drafted in for the endurance races. The Rod Nash Racing and Paul Little Racing relationships continued, with Alex Davison driving the Autobarn sponsored car, with No. 7 on the side. Dumbrell raced this car in the Shanghai & Perth events, as
14279-439: The team would expand once again to three cars, No. 8 for Ingall, No. 11 for Perkins, and No. 16 for Richards. Perkins and Paul Dumbrell teamed up for the endurance races, with Ingall pairing with Richards finishing second at Bathurst . Perkins and Dumbrell finished fifth. The end of the season was a time of upheaval for the team, with Russell Ingall leaving the team after eight seasons, moving to Stone Brothers Racing , who ran
14410-536: The team's best season, 2006 saw both Dumbrell and Richards score various high finishes, with Richards winning the Western Australian round for the second time as in many years. The 2006 season also saw the team run its first full-time program in the Fujitsu Series , with Jack Perkins and Shane Price driving, finishing third and second respectively in the championship. Perkins Engineering ran
14541-446: The team's three VE Commodores and Jack Daniels . The Perkins Engineering franchises were retained by Larry who was the entrant for Kelly Racing 's third and fourth cars. As part of the deal Perkins Engineering completed two final VE Commodores for Kelly Racing. Gradually Kelly Racing built up its own engineering base and its dependency on Perkins Engineering reduced. In January 2013 Larry sold his franchises to Kelly Racing and vacated
14672-536: The team, however an arrangement with Rod Nash Racing saw Tony Longhurst arrive at Perkins Engineering, in a third Castrol sponsored Commodore, but running under Nash's franchise. Longhurst ran as No. 7 in a new Holden VY Commodore , alongside a new No. 11 VY for Richards. Dumbrell started in an old Holden VX Commodore from 2003. Perkins Engineering also ran the No. 75 Paul Little Racing customer car for Anthony Tratt . Perkins Engineering now had access to data from four cars simultaneously. Longhurst badly crashed
14803-426: The three races and won the round overall. In the week leading up to the final V8 Supercar round of 2008 Morris announced he would no longer be driving full-time in 2009 and that the team were searching for a full-time replacement in the No. 67 Commodore. In 2011, Morris competes in the second-tier Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in one of the teams older Commodores. In 2014, Morris won the Bathurst 1000 outright for
14934-406: The thylacine. Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced animal, chromistan , fungal and plant species. All these factors have led to Australia's having the highest mammal extinction rate of any country in the world. The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is the legal framework for
15065-435: The tire to instantly deflate. The car then went a lap down after 50 laps. The pair charged back to the front to take the lead with nine laps remaining, helped by safety cars periods and also by the race leader Glenn Seton blowing the engine of his Falcon on lap 152 while holding a 10-second lead over Perkins. In 1996 Castrol employed John Clarke who came with many ideas on how to build the Castrol team. His intuition to pick
15196-612: The top 10. After a race plagued by electrical issues, the Brock/Andrew Miedecke car finished 7th while the Perkins/Mezera car retired after 65 laps with no oil pressure. Perkins would later attribute his personal lack of success in 1991 to the contract with Brock's team and sponsor Mobil, claiming that the contract actually prevented him from finishing in front of Brock on the race track. At the end of 1991, Brock and Perkins decided to go their separate way which saw
15327-403: The trucks returned in 2019 under the Boost Mobile Super Trucks name, Paul Morris Motorsport's Norwell Motorplex became its headquarters. In October 2019, Morris also ran his first SST race of the year at Gold Coast; he led much of the second race before colliding with Cole Potts on the final lap, surrendering the win to Brabham. When the series began an Australian championship in 2020 called
15458-430: The two VN Commodores sold to Brock's Advantage Racing . Perkins Engineering was again left without a sponsor, so the plain-white 1990 VL Commodore returned – (albeit painted red, after having been leased to Sydney-based veteran Graham Moore in 1991) – once again, with "Perkins Engineering" as the initial primary sponsor. A number of other sponsors became the "main" sponsor periodically during the season. In NSW-based events,
15589-455: The tyres at Griffin's Bend. Returning to the pits, the team found nothing more than cosmetic damage, but upon returning to the circuit, the front left wheel came loose, throwing the car against the outside wall at Griffin's Bend, and then across to the other side of the circuit against the wall. Unfortunately, the wheel came away from the car, and smashed through the windscreen of Craig Lowndes car. Neither Dumbrell or Lowndes were injured, but
15720-491: The weekend, enabling Morris to win the 2017 championship by one point over Brabham. In May 2018, the series formed an alliance with Boost Mobile to increase its presence in Australia. As part of the agreement, Paul Morris Motorsport became a logistics partner for the series' Australian operations. However, SST was banned by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) later that month for safety reasons. When
15851-453: The wheels of another car on the front straight resulting in his car going end over end and finally coming to rest in the middle of turn 2. Morris escaped the crash without injury, but his Sprintcar was in need of major repair. In 2015, Morris made his Speed Energy Formula Off-Road ( Stadium Super Trucks ) debut at Surfers Paradise, where he finished third in the first race. A doubleheader on 25 October saw Morris finish fifth and second to score
15982-693: The win to team mates Geoff and David Brabham . Speaking over the 2015 V8 Supercars Winton SuperSprint Morris announced his retirement from Bathurst after losing his co-driver seat to Cameron Waters . Morris continues to race in the V8 Development Series. Morris competes in Speedway Sprintcars in Australia in the KRE-engined No. 67 Supercheap Auto Sprintcar. Morris took his first Sprintcar pole position in Round 4 of
16113-615: Was Australia's warmest recorded year, and the 2019–2020 bushfire season was the country's worst on record . Australia's greenhouse gas emissions per capita are among the highest in the world. Water restrictions are frequently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought. Throughout much of the continent, major flooding regularly follows extended periods of drought, flushing out inland river systems, overflowing dams and inundating large inland flood plains, as occurred throughout Eastern Australia in
16244-526: Was a great supporter of the Cougars. For the record they came 13th in two Bathurst 1000 assaults. After finishing sixth at Bathurst in an older VP Commodore, an experiment to work around the convoluted aerodynamic rules of the time, the team prepared itself for an all-out assault on the 1997 championship . The 1997 season turned out to be one of the best for the team from a championship perspective with Ingall finishing second and Perkins fourth. They dominated
16375-413: Was established in 1829, evolving into the largest Australian colony by area, Western Australia . In accordance with population growth, separate colonies were carved from New South Wales: Tasmania in 1825, South Australia in 1836, New Zealand in 1841, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. South Australia was founded as a free colony—it never accepted transported convicts. Growing opposition to
16506-410: Was not employed as his wage demands were more than Perkins was prepared to meet for someone who at that time was relatively unknown. 1999 saw Perkins Engineering end the Castrol Cougars program and enter into a relationship with Wayne Gardner to prepare and run a Coca-Cola sponsored Commodore for selected races during the year. This meant the team had three cars to look after at the workshop and at
16637-472: Was not his fault, Perkins later apologized to Skaife. At the end of the 2006 season, both Richards and Dumbrell announced that they were leaving the team. Richards moved to Ford Performance Racing , and Dumbrell to Paul Weel Racing . The late blow left the team out of the market for any recognised, top line driver, so Jack Perkins and Shane Price were promoted from the Fujitsu Series, to run in
16768-579: Was one of the founding members of the League of Nations in 1920, and the United Nations in 1945. The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended the ability of the UK to pass federal laws without Australia's consent. Australia adopted it in 1942, but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed during World War II. The Australian Capital Territory was formed in 1911 as
16899-477: Was only 0.74 seconds faster than he had qualified in 1990. Also, in that same time period other cars such as the Sierras and the 4WD , twin-turbo Nissan GTR had also improved their own lap times at Bathurst by around 2–3 seconds per lap. Castrol , a long-time ancillary supporter of Perkins Engineering, came on board in 1993 as major sponsor, flushing the team with more funding than it was used to and rivalling
17030-470: Was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders , who said it was "more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the Earth". The first time that Australia appears to have been officially used was in April 1817, when Governor Lachlan Macquarie acknowledged the receipt of Flinders' charts of Australia from Lord Bathurst . In December 1817, Macquarie recommended to
17161-457: Was said to be devastated at Hansford's death. Eventually, then England-based Australian, Russell Ingall was chosen to fill the vacant endurance seat. After a forgettable Sandown 500 , Perkins and Ingall won the 1995 Tooheys 1000 after being in last place after one lap following a flat tyre off the start line when Perkins and the HRT car of Craig Lowndes touched which ripped the valve out causing
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