P17 FOR PERCAT IN UP AND DOWN BATHURST 1000 🙃
The 2024 edition of the Bathurst 1000 featured up and down moments for Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat, who ultimately finished the Great Race in P17, maintaining P7 in the Supercars Championship standings with two races left to run.
Pace eluded the #10 during the opening practice session around Mount Panorama, however, after one day of data at the notoriously challenging circuit, the crew on the Bendix-backed entry turned the tables as Percat posted the eighth fastest time in practice three.
Unfortunately, the Mountain would bite Percat’s co-driver - Dylan O’Keeffe - badly in that same session, as he found the wall at Griffin’s Bend with five minutes remaining in the session, setting up an intense moment of repairs for the MSR crew.
In a heroic effort, the crew would have the car back on track by the next practice session, gaining invaluable laps as qualifying for the Great Race loomed later that afternoon.
40-minutes of all-out speed greeted drivers late on Friday afternoon, with the field desperately trying to make it into the Top Ten Shootout that would bring the Mountain to a standstill on Saturday.
The time spent in repairs proved costly for the MSR crew when qualifying arrived, as Percat narrowly missed out on an entry into the Shootout by posting the 13th fastest lap time, which is where he would commence Sunday’s race.
A highlight of the weekend was a demonstration of comradery, where Percat came to a stricken Will Davison’s aid following a heavy shunt in qualifying, pulling up and exiting his car as he went and checked up on his fellow racer, ensuring he was ok before proceeding to the pitlane.
161 laps, or 1000km, around Bathurst was on the menu for Sunday, and a stellar performance from all drivers kept any safety car interruptions to a minimum. For Percat, a steady, solid performance throughout the race was disrupted when his passenger side door popped open, forcing the #10 into the pitlane to rectify.
This put a serious damper on Percat’s result, losing an immense amount of time through pitlane, and ultimately winding up in P17 to complete his weekend.
Despite the disappointment, Percat maintains seventh place in this year’s Supercars Championship, with events at the Gold Coast and Adelaide to conclude the year.
Nick Percat: “Challenging old weekend at the Mountain for us. Bathurst always throws up so many curveballs, and this year was no different. Disappointing to have our race interrupted by our door coming loose, but overall we again showed good speed, and we’ll come back and have a crack again next year. Super proud of the whole MSR crew for turning around our cars so quickly after a difficult Friday, and we’ll come out swinging again in the GC and Adelaide to finish the year strong.”
