It is the 45th time Darren Smith and Garry O’Brien have had the opportunity to corner someone for their motor sport journey from the beginnings to where they are today.
While he hardly raced fulltime, David ‘Skippy’ Parsons drove for some of the leading racing teams which included the Holden Dealer Team, Perkins Engineering, Glenn Seton Racing and Gibson Motorsport.
In the podcast, he tells how he received his nickname and who from. He also tells us that the late Peter Brock called him by a different name. Parsons speaks about the influence of his dad Graham, and talks about his career, much of which he has never spoken publicly about in the past.
Born in Devonport, Tasmania, the dairy farmer began racing his dad’s Holden Torana L34 before he emerged on the national scene in a Holden Commodore at the local Symmons Plains round of the 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship.
He caught the eye of privateer racer Peter Janson and together they finished fourth outright in the 1982 James Hardie 1000. A year later he qualified third for the Great Race.
He joined the Holden Dealer Team for the 1984 Australian Endurance Championship and co-drove with John Harvey for third in the Sandown 500 and second behind teammates Brock and Larry Perkins at Bathurst. In the 1000, Parsons tells how he was told to chase down second place Alan Jones (in Warren Cullen’s Commodore) for a team one-two finish.
He remained with the HDT into the Group A era that started in 1985, the highlight was outqualifying Brock at the 1000. Parson then joined Perkins Engineering for 1986 before he rejoined Brock in 1987 and raced the Spa 24 Hour round the World Touring Car Championship.
It is history that he, Brock and Peter McLeod won the 1987 Bathurst 1000 race under such dramatic circumstances. Parsons was with the team with its transition from Holdens to BMWs, and later Ford Sierras. For 1991 Parsons went to Glenn Seton Racing and was a regular co-driver for the next seven year.
From 1998 onwards Parsons drove for Gibson Motorsport and Owen Parkinson Racing, including a codrive another racing driver named David Parsons. Skippy’s final Bathurst 1000 appearance was alongside Paul Romano in 2000. Since then, Parsons has driven in V8 Utes and more recently enjoyed the fun of HQ Holdens.
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