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Percat: Darwin podium 'meant a lot' to BJR

22 Jun 2021
Percat's Race 12 podium the morale boost BJR needed
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Nick Percat said his Race 12 podium at Hidden Valley on Saturday was the morale boost Brad Jones Racing needed.

Another strong weekend for Percat helped the four-time race winner into seventh in the standings.

The Albury team’s Saturday race effort got off to a miserable start, with Jack Smith and Todd Hazelwood both sustaining heavy damage in the start melee.

Both Smith and Hazelwood had nowhere to go in the pile-up, which also wiped out pole-sitter Anton De Pasquale and Fabian Coulthard.

WATCH: CHAOTIC START TO RACE 12

Darwin flashback: Multiple cars busted up after Turn 1 crash

Percat, having started fifth, emerged from the chaos in second, and raced to third behind Chaz Mostert and Cameron Waters.

It marked BJR's first podium since Percat raced to second in Race 18 in Darwin last year.

However, his podium remained under a cloud, with Percat and BJR investigated after the race over tyre pressures.

After a two-hour hearing, it was determined that Percat would keep his podium, but the team was stripped of the points he had accrued in the race.

Percat and the team only found out about the outcome just minutes before Sunday qualifying.

Speaking after Sunday’s racing, where he scored finishes of ninth and sixth, Percat was relieved he and his team could celebrate their first trophy of 2021.

“I was just about to start putting my helmet on, and Brad came in and grabbed the team and told us all,” he said.

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“It was a fantastic result. Shame obviously with the teams’ points, but it was nice they [stewards] could see the difference between the driver’s side and the team’s side.

“For us on car 8, it was a big positive. It meant a lot to the guys and girls at BJR.”

Percat has moved to 34 points of sixth-placed Mark Winterbottom in the standings heading to Townsville.

The 32-year-old is on a run of seven straight top 10 finishes dating back to April’s trip to Symmons Plains.

His previous best result of the season came in the Tailem Bend opener, where he drove a supreme race from 26th and last to fifth.

The podium was earned on merit in Darwin, with Percat quick from the moment cars hit the track.

However, the immediate feeling in the BJR garage was one of anxiety over whether he would keep his podium.

That he did, albeit after a nervous wait on Saturday, with Percat pleased to bring joy to his team.

“There was a lot of emotion in the garage after that race, feeling like it was going to be taken away,” he said.

“People were down on themselves.

“It was good to get the morale up and give them a good result.”

The Repco Supercars Championship field will return to North Queensland for the NTI Townsville 500 across July 9-11. Tickets are available here.

The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo, and will be broadcast live and free on Seven.

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