Percat looks to the future

Despite being one of the emerging stars of V8 Supercars at a time when several attractive seats are set to become available, Nick Percat has talked positively about staying on at the paddock's emerging giant killer, Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, beyond 2015.

The 26-year old has scored four top 10 finishes in his last seven starts in the Repair Management Australia Holden Commodore VF, including a season high sixth last time out in the 200km Race 17 at Hidden Valley in Darwin.

No doubt he derived much satisfaction from beating home all four Walkinshaw Racing cars in that race including the two factory Holden Racing Team Commodores.

Percat spent eight years within the Clayton organisation, winning the 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Garth Tander as a rookie. He joined the Championship last year full-time and raced impressively, only to be axed at season's end because of a sponsorship shortfall and the withdrawal of licence holder James Rosenberg.

Percat is in the first year of a two-year deal at LDM, set up with the assistance of Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara.

McNamara is a strong believer in Percat's talent and has also worked hard with Dumbrell to improve the structure and competitiveness of his team. LDM also recruited former Championship-winning Stone Brothers Racing crew chief Barry Hay for 2015.

Last week, Percat revealed how much he was enjoying the environment at LDM, working alongside Hay and Dumbrell to develop a team, which has struggled for competitiveness since it joined the Championship in 2010.

Some of the teams where drives are potentially available for 2016 include the Tekno Autosports seat vacated by Shane van Gisbergen, Brad Jones Racing, Prodrive Racing Australia, DJR Team Penske and Nissan Motorsport.

Asked about his future, Percat said:"I am not 100 per cent sure to be honest. I am committed to helping Lucas' team go in the right direction and if you are punching out top 10 results there is no reason to go anywhere else, because it is so hard to be in the 10.

"If we keep going where we are going and I am quite happy where I am ... it's a two-year deal so we will see where it all unfolds."When I came here I wasn't interested in doing one year and disappearing looking for where the grass is greener," he added.

"I knew it was going to be a two year process. You don't just go anywhere, rock up, star and leave. It just doesn't work that way in V8 Supercars.

"You need to build the team around you and get the culture where you want it and that's when the results start coming. If I was still running around 25th my comments might be different but so far so good."

Percat also opened up about his disappointment over the way he left Walkinshaw Racing in 2014.

"I was definitely very bitter about the way it ended," he said. "The way I was treated at the end of last year could have been handled a little bit differently. I could have been told a lot earlier and could have driven somewhere else that on paper could have been better (than LDM).

"But the way it has worked out, with the help of Simon McNamara - and Lucas has definitely got on board with it - I think everyone can see by the level the team is presented at now and the way the cars are running that things have turned around quite a lot.

"At the end of the day I was pretty pissed off to be honest coming into the year and you see where Garth (Tander) and (HRT teammate) James Courtney and (Supercheap Auto Racing's) Tim Slade run at Clipsal and you think 'well I was matching those guys last year in the same car' and you do wonder what you did to deserve being flung.

"But I just had to get on with it and concentrate on what I was doing and it's starting to come back in my favour, which is really good."

Percat will look to build on his strong form at the July 10-12 Castrol EDGE Townsville 400.

At the equivalent event in 2014 he posted 4-9-5 results in the three races at Reid Park, but also impressed with second fastest qualifying in Race 21 and a place in the ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout for Race 22.

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