Radical Australia Cup series winner Chris Perini will return in 2020 to defend his well-deserved title after what was a thrilling end to the 2019 season.
Perini and category veteran Peter Paddon had endured a season-long battle for top spot - the duo even being on equal points with two rounds remaining, however the 2018 runner-up took out top honours in both rounds to secure the title, including the season finale which was held in New Zealand.
Despite putting so much energy into the previous two seasons to finally gain the top reward, Perini remains more determined than ever to repeat his efforts.
“I have a huge desire to go back-to-back but the mental approach definitely changes,” Perini said.
“We will wait and see whether or not it’s a good or a bad thing as far as my results go, however I definitely feel more comfortable.
“I will be able to apply myself better in a relaxed fashion and make better judgements and decisions based on the previous results.
“Without a doubt, the desire is there. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be returning. I’m not that kind of person who can race for fun. Racing consumes me so I will definitely be back to defend my title.”
Perini was at a crossroads following on from his 2018 heartbreak. The rookie driver had put so much into that season but couldn’t beat eventual series winner Kim Burke in any round, settling for second place 65 points behind.
Instead of being satisfied with the result, the competitive beast within Perini gave him more motivation - he opted to work harder and get as much time in the seat as he could over the off season.
The strategy paid dividends and Perini then went from being a good driver to a genuine contender once again and it only took him until the third round to grab his first-round win.
From there, Perini was hard to beat.
A second place and those two crucial round wins saw him beat Paddon and Mitch Neilson to secure what was a thrilling end, which Perini put down to having a positive mindset.
“I was only eight points in front of Peter heading into the final round which is nothing in the way we do our race in our category. It really was a huge sensation of joy after win too,” Perini explained.
“I had set my mind to winning and it was really important to me to do so.
“When I get involved in any form of competition, I’m that type of person that puts everything in it. It consumes me. Everything I can do to make my chances better, I will do it.
“And that is what I did in 2018. We narrowly missed out to Kim Burke despite holding a win-at-all-costs attitude, but it was awesome to have the same way of thinking and finally win the series last year.”
The Radical Australia Cup begins its six-round series in 2020 at Sydney Motorsport Park on 6-8 March as part of the Australian Production Cars Series season opener.