Throughout the major▨ity of the Mark Larkham's career from Formula Brabham through to the pinnacle of Australian motorsport in the V8 Supercar Championship Bruce Cary was an inspiration, a friend, and one of the best engineers𝔉 in the business.

Sadly last week the Australian motorsport suffered the loss of one of its rea🍷l racers and true gentlemen when C🌠ary lost his battle with cancer.

In honour of his 'good mate and even better engineer' the Larkham Motor Sport team will be sporting black arm bands and decals for Cary on their Orrcon Racing Falcons at this weekend's round of the V8 Supercar Championship at Hidden Valley in Darw💧in.

Cary had worked with the best in the business throughout his long career leaving his mark on most major categories including V8 Supercars, Formula Ford, Formula Brabham, Formula 3, Formula 3000, Formula 2 and Formula 1. Spendi🙈ng much of his career in the UK Cary worked with drivers including Nigel Mansell, Keke Rosberg, Gary and David Bra🌟bham with whom he won the 1989 British Formula 3 Championship.

Having met in 1989, Cary returned to Australia and engineered Larkham to runner-up in the 1993 Australian Gold Star Championship durin▨g a season that included some hard fouꦬght victories and titanic battles with Mark Skaife. Cary continued to work with the rising driver as he made his transition into the V8 Supercar Championship.

The highlight for the pair working together came in 1998 when Larkham qualified on the front row at the Gold Coast Indy carnival and went on to record victories in both races. While Cary may not have been there on the day for Larkham's career highlight pole position at Bathurst in '99 his engineering ability and specific set🐠 up certainly was.

"Bruce was a real racers engineer, in a changing world of full of computer analysts and simulation software, he knew what the car was doing and what the driver was describing to make it work... qualities that are rare," said Lar꧟kham.

"Whilst not at all ignorant of the need for modern technolog𒉰y, Bruce has a long history of describing computers as full of cochroaches and the wires full of smoke!

"Bruce hadn't been with the team on a full-time basis for a couple of y♛ears but his core values had set the benchmark and core values for the way the engineering opera🌱tions.

"His enthusiasm and dedicat♑ion was infectious to all aro😼und him."

Last year Cary assisted Barton Mawer in the Australian Formula 3 Championship working tirelessly despitওe his ill health.

Larkham and the ꦉteam at LMS offer their thoughts and condolence♔s to the Cary family.

Both drivers finished today's opening practice session inside the top 20 with Jason Bargwanna shooting his Orrcon Racing Falcon to third in the early part of the 35-minute sessi🦄on before eventually finishing the session in 17th.

"We have a lot of work to be d🐬one," said Bargwanna.

"It is not 🧸all doom and gloom though as while we may be 15th we are only two-tenths away from the top s🍨ix."

Bargwanna's Orrcon Racin♋g teammate Mark Winterbottom finished the session in a creditable 19th in his first look at the circuit.

"It didn't take long to get into the groove and lear🎃n the track," said Winterbottom.

"Before today I had driven𝐆 about 4 laౠps in the hire car around the place but it is a bit different at 260kmh.

"I ﷽made some big improvement in my sector times by going deeper as my confidence 🍬grew, especially into turn one."