WAU secures Bathurst-winning engineer for Percat

Walkinshaw Andretti United has secured the services of decorated engineer Dr. Geoffrey Slater, who will skipper Nick Percat in 2022.

Slater joins WAU as race engineer, and will lead the efforts on Percat’s #2 entry.

Percat and Slater are both WAU additions for 2022, with the former shifting from Brad Jones Racing.

The 2011 Bathurst winner is a previous Walkinshaw alumnus, and last raced for the team in a customer outfit in 2014.

Slater, who has been involved in Supercars since 2005, arrives from Team Sydney. He joins a WAU squad buoyed by its recent Repco Bathurst 1000 victory.

Slater (second from right) overseeing Team Sydney in 2021

Notably, with Tekno Autosports, Slater engineered Shane van Gisbergen to second overall in 2014, and won the Bathurst 12 Hour and Bathurst 1000 in 2016.

Slater shifted to the USA in 2018 to work with the BMW factory-backed Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and scored a Daytona 24 hour class victory. He returned to Supercars in 2021 with Team Sydney.

WAU also confirmed Adam De Borre will continue on as Chaz Mostert’s race engineer on the #25 entry.

"I’m really excited to be joining Walkinshaw Andretti United, and to be working with Nick in 2022," Slater said.

"It’s a fantastic time to be joining the team after such an impressive finish to the season, but also to be starting alongside Nick in his return is great, it means we can both familiarise ourselves together, and understand the ins and the outs of the team.

Percat returns to the Walkinshaw fold

"There’s no doubt Nick is one of the top talents in the sport, and in speaking to the rest of the team, the motivation is clearly there to continue to improve which excites me. I’m looking forward to what 2022 holds.”

WAU team principal Bruce Stewart added: "It’s fantastic to have someone of Geoff’s calibre joining us for 2022, and I’m really excited about what he can add to our team, and also what he can achieve alongside Nick.

"It will be great to see the rapport he and Nick will build together, as we work towards the opening round of the season.

"Importantly, it’s another step in the right direction for us as a team and the journey that we are on over the past few seasons, so to have someone with the talent of Geoff as a part of our engineering team, working alongside Nick, is going to be exciting to see."

The 13-event 2022 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle in March. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The 13-round draft calendar was released during the Repco Bathurst 1000 weekend.