Mark Larkham
Mark Larkham | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1963 Griffith, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, team principal, motorsport broadcaster |
| Years active | 1987–2004 (racing) |
| Known for | Australian racing competitor, founder of Larkham Motor Sport, V8 Supercar broadcasting |
Mark Andrew "Larko" Larkham (born 29 December 1963 in Griffith) is a former Australian racing competitor, ex-team principal, and motorsport broadcaster.
Open wheelers
Larkham first attracted national recognition by securing fifth place in the 1988 Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series. Supported by the Coffey Ford outfit, he captured the 1989 championship, sparking an early rivalry with Russell Ingall that featured a memorable crash at Mallala.
Establishing his own outfit, Larkham Motor Sport, he briefly participated in the 1991 Australian Production Car Championship piloting a Ford EA Falcon before returning to open-wheel competition with a Ralt RT20 in Formula Brabham. In 1991, Larkham achieved third overall in the Australian Drivers' Championship, earning the sole victory not claimed by dominant competitor Mark Skaife. The next season, he became the first driver to employ a carbon-fibre Reynard 90D following regulatory changes but ultimately finished second behind Skaife.
In 1993, Larkham remained a strong contender against Skaife, who also adopted carbon-fibre technology that year. Although he narrowly missed out on the championship, Larkham triumphed in Formula Brabham’s first international event at the 1993 Indonesian Grand Prix.
Touring cars
Larkham's debut in touring car racing occurred at the 1989 Pepsi 300 held at Oran Park Raceway, co-driving a Ford Sierra RS500 alongside nine-time Bathurst champion Peter Brock. Despite Brock securing pole position, their car retired prematurely due to what was believed to be a blown head gasket. Continuing with the Mobil 1 Racing for the 1989 .05 – 500 at Sandown Raceway, Larkham drove the team's second Sierra with teammate Brad Jones. After Brock’s car failed to finish, he joined Jones and Larkham in car #105, finishing seventh overall. Larkham missed selection for the Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst when British Sierra specialist Andy Rouse was brought in as Brock’s co-driver. He partnered with New Zealander Paul Radisich at Sandown but did not make his Bathurst debut until six years later.
Following four seasons in Formula Holden/Brabham and a break in 1994, Larkham's team entered the 5.0L Touring Cars category in 1995 with a Ford EF Falcon, integrating design concepts from open-wheel racing. Although his initial season was difficult and yielded no points, several innovations introduced by his team influenced the broader series. Progressing gradually, they achieved third place at the prestigious 1997 Primus 1000 Classic at Bathurst, attracting international co-drivers. By 1998, much of the vehicle preparation was conducted by Stone Brothers Racing, leading to race victories including the Surfers Paradise Indycar event that year. In 1999, Larkham earned pole position for the Bathurst 1000 and began serving on TEGA’s board.
In 2003, his team expanded to run two cars with former Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna as lead driver. Larkham scaled back his driving responsibilities, passing full-time driving duties to Mark Winterbottom, who won the 2003 V8 Development Series. His final competitive appearance was at the 2004 Bathurst 1000. Following the conclusion of the 2005 season, Larkham Motor Sport was sold to WPS Racing, with Larkham transitioning into team management. This partnership dissolved during that same season, after which he retired from professional motorsport.
Television
Larkham re-entered the motorsport scene by joining Channel 7's V8 Supercar broadcast team, where he took on the role of technical analyst and pit lane reporter. He was a regular guest and sometimes co-host on the V8 Xtra show, working alongside Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife.
In 2015, when broadcasting rights transitioned from Channel 7 to a shared arrangement between Network Ten and Foxtel, Larkham moved to Network Ten. There, he maintained his presence in V8 Supercars coverage, collaborating with Matt White and providing expertise as a motorsport specialist on the panel program RPM.
Additionally, Larkham holds a position on the board of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety.
Career results
Supercars Championship performance
(Bolded races denote pole position) (Italicized races indicate fastest lap)
| Supercars performance overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Vehicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | Final standing | Points total | |
| 1995 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford EF Falcon | SAN R1 |
SAN R2 |
SYM R3 |
SYM R4 |
BAT R5 |
BAT R6 |
PHI R7 |
PHI R8 |
LAK R9 |
LAK R10 |
WIN R11 |
WIN R12 |
EAS R13 |
EAS R14 |
MAL R15 |
MAL R16 |
BAR R17 |
BAR R18 |
ORA R19 |
ORA < br > R20 < br /> | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|- ! 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship#1996 ... |- ! 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series#2004 ... |}
Full Indonesian Grand Prix outcomes
(Template:Motorsport driver results legend#key) (Bold text signifies pole position; italics show fastest lap)
| Year | Vehicle | Race 1 | Race 2 | Overall rank | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 Indonesian Grand Prix | Reynard 91D powered by Mugen Motorsports-Honda | SEN < br /> 1 | SEN < br /> 1 | 1st | 40 |