Larry Perkins gives iconic number to DJR and Anton de Pasquale

Anton de Pasquale will run the #11 for the rest of the 2021 Supercars season after the number was handed to Dick Johnson Racing from Australian motorsport legend Larry Perkins today.

Perkins, a six-time Bathurst 1000 winner and famous maverick in the Australian Touring Car Championship, ran the #11 for a majority of his career in Australia and used it as the primary number in the Perkins Engineering team from 1986 until 2008, the team being sold off to Kelly Racing afterwards.

Having campaigned with the iconic DJR #17 and the #12 under their partnership with Team Penske, the latter number was decided to not be used this season given its ties to the Penske operations in the United States.

DJR Team Principal Ryan Story says he asked de Pasquale what number he would like to run this year and the former open wheel star selected the #11.

“When Anton joined the team, I asked him what number he would like to run as Will was going to drive the iconic #17,” Story said.

“Anton said he’d love to run #11 because it was such a key part of his success in Europe where he won many races with it. I told him we could only do so with LP’s blessing.

“#11 is an iconic number in our sport, and to me it will always be Larry’s number.

“Despite it not having been used for the past few seasons, I thought it fit and proper for Dick and myself to reach out to his old sparring partner and one-time team-mate, and that’s what’s led us to today’s announcement.”

Perkins raced with Johnson in the 1985 Bathurst 1000, being the co-driver aboard the Greens-Tuf Ford Mustang which finished seventh. Always a man who put his own money into the team’s operations, Perkins detailed the history about how he came to use the #11 and how he felt honoured when approached by DJR for the team to use it.

“When I first registered my car in the Australian Touring Car Championship, I chose 11 because it was just straight digits,” Perkins said.

“It was cheap and easy to print, and I only had to carry spares of one number which made it simple to replace on the car.

“The number originally didn’t mean anything to me really; it was just a number. But it became a part of history, and I’m very pleased to see it continue in Supercars today.

“Anton is a fantastic young talent, so when Dick Johnson and Ryan asked me if he and the team could use the number, I was more than happy for them to continue its legacy.”

de Pasquale used the #11 in his run to win the 2014 Formula Renault Championship, being on the pathway to Formula One before budget constraints forced a return to Australia, running for three seasons with Erebus Motorsport before moving to DJR this year.

“I raced with #11 in Europe and won the 2014 Formula Renault Championship with it. Moving overseas to race was the first big move in my racing career and in life, and that’s when I changed to 11,” de Pasquale said.

“Now, moving to Queensland and to the Shell V-Power Racing Team is my second big move, so I’m excited to be running 11 again.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Larry for entrusting me with his number, and I’ll make sure I do it proud.”

Currently sitting 18th in the standings, de Pasquale is looking for a maiden podium with the team after crashing in the opening race while running third, followed by a fourth place the next day.