Percat 'having a crack' with karting team
Supercars
22 Jan
Nick Percat enjoying karting team's progression
Percat's team, JND Racing, has expanded with Alonso Kart
2011 Bathurst winner's team helping pathway to Europe
Nick Percat is enjoying seeing the hard work with his racing outfit pay off, with the Bathurst winner further helping usher in the next generation of talent.
Midway through last year, Percat announced an expansion of his relationship with Fernando Alonso’s kart business, which included fielding a factory team in the Australian Karting Championship.
Over the weekend, Percat announced his team — JND Racing — has strengthened its ties with Alonso Kart to create a pathway to Europe for young drivers.
The incoming Matt Stone Racing driver will expand his team's presence in karting thanks to a distributor deal with Alonso Kart, with JND set to run nine drivers across various classes.
While preparing for a new Supercars season, Percat has helped expand his business, including moving into a new headquarters.
“It’s cool watching it all come together. It’s nearly my 24/7 full-time job at the moment, it’s a lot of work,” Percat told Supercars.com.
“But I’ve got plenty of good people around me pitching in and helping out, from getting karts ready to doing test days.
“We had a test day before Christmas and all the drivers were there. I’s great to see them gel together, work together, creating a great culture.
"It’s very rewarding see the hard work in that space pay off. We've moved to a new factory, it’s got a simulator and all, there’s a lot going on.
“It’s not just a little kart team out of a garage — we’re having a crack at it, and it’s a lot of fun.”
JND, along with Alonso's management A14 and leading Spanish karting team DPK Racing, will also help facilitate a European pathway for young drivers.
Parents and drivers will be guided through the decision to move overseas to race, while there are also plans for European talent to head to Australia to race for JND.
Percat is keen to helping young drivers develop, having wanted to own a karting team since he was 15 years old. In the weekend’s statement, he added: “We want to give kids the opportunity to be in contact with the right people in Europe. It's a passion of mine, that side of the business.
"For us, it's not all about the karting – it's about providing the guidance they need to get to Supercars, IndyCar, F1, whatever they want to do.
“To be able to link up with A14 and Fernando and his management team is crucial to that. We now have friends in Europe that can help guide the parents as much as the kids about how to make that move.
“And on the DPK side, its a world-class karting team and back-to-back world champions so there's an opportunity for us to help send a driver over to compete at top events, even the world championships. It can be difficult to find an opening in a big team like that without the right support.
“It's great to have this link. And if we can put together the right program we'd love to bring some of their star drivers over to do a couple of rounds of the Australian Karting Championship. That would amazing.”
Percat will test with MSR early next month ahead of the Thrifty Bathurst 500 on February 23-25. Tickets are on sale now.
