Percat's Busy Bathurst
Nick Percat will be one of the busiest drivers at Mt Panorama this weekend, competing in both the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship for Coates Hire Racing and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 for the Holden Racing Team.
Throughout the weekend Percat will have to adapt his driving around two very different cars at the daunting 6.2 kilometre circuit, swapping from right to left hand drive, in many cases back-to-back.
However Percat – who won Bathurst in 2011 co-driving with Garth Tander, as he is this year – is currently second in the Porsche Carrera Cup and feels up for the challenge.
“I am fighting for the Carrera Cup Championship in the Coates Hire Racing Porsche against the best guy in the world in a Porsche, in Bairdo (Craig Baird), but I am also hoping it won’t be too hard jumping from the Porsche to the V8 Supercar," Percat said ahead of the event.
“With the engine in the back and extremely sticky tyres, the Porsche will be amazing across the top of the mountain, whereas the V8 Supercar is a little bit under-tyred but with a lot of power, so it will be a bit of a juggling act.
“I’ve spoken to Bairdo and Richo (Steven Richards) about swapping from one car to the other; they said it’s easy but they could be stitching me, though I am sure it will be fine.
"I’ve jumped in the Porsche and adapted pretty quickly in the past. Luckily they're a narrow car, so you feel like you are sitting in the middle and with the V8 Car of the Future we sit so inboard, you’re kind of sitting in the middle as well. There are certain points around the track where you won’t want to forget which side of the car you are on that's for sure!
"The toughest bit will be jumping from one car to the other between sessions as some of them are probably back-to-back, so I’ll just have to switch modes and away I go.
"But I am sure as soon as I step into each car I'll know where I'm at."
On his drive in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with the HRT, partnering Tander for a third year Percat said, “I can’t wait to get there and hopefully repeat what we did in 2011, which would be ideal, but being with HRT at Bathurst you're always in for a good day because of the fan base and the support you get. If we get a good result, it just makes the day even better.
“My first year was a dream come true and it's an awesome place where anything can happen, which is why everyone wants to win it so much.”
Carrera Cup is just one of the many categories supporting the V8 Supercars at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, which begins on Thursday. Tickets are still available for the event.
