Sounds like a really neat solution.
A useful addition to the script might be to use LWP to grab the same test file off each system and measure the response. I reckon this virtual-browser approach is valuable and perhaps a more indicative measure of performance than comparative ping times:
(i) because servers will respond to ping even when their httpd is down/overloaded and no service is actually in effect, and
(ii) downloading a page is likely a more realistic measure of what a user will actually experience.
What do you reckon?