KEY POINTS:
Australian V8 Supercar driver Jack Perkins is a high profile addition to the grid for the New Zealand V8 Trophy Event at the inaugural Hamilton Street Race this weekend.
The son of six-time Bathurst Champion Larry Perkins will drive a Meguiars Commodore on the 3.4km street circuit.
Perkins, 21, is competing in the Fujitsu V8 Series in Australia, a championship in which he finished third in 2006.
After spending last year in the main championship he was diagnosed with diabetes late in the season and stepped down from the final two rounds of the series.
Perkins' friendship with New Zealand driver Kayne Scott led to this week's opportunity.
"To get back into the main series it will help to have this circuit on my CV," Perkins said.
"However you can only race here once a year so I thought I would have a steer of a New Zealand V8."
David Besnard has also been confirmed as an entrant for the Hamilton 400 trophy event.
Having contested this season's New Zealand V8 championship with the Taupo-based SCG Racing team, Besnard is returning to New Zealand to drive the team's Ford.
The addition of Perkins and Besnard means 29 New Zealand V8s will race in the support races for the inaugural Hamilton 400 over the weekend.
- NZPA
