When Supercars retirement will finally hit Percat
Emotional passenger lap with dad kicks off big weekend for Nick Percat
Percat to make final full-time Supercars appearance at Adelaide Grand Final
Matt Stone Racing driver won 2011 Bathurst 1000, 2016 Adelaide 500
When Nick Percat wakes up on Sunday morning, reality will set in: he’ll have one more day behind the wheel before he retires.
The Matt Stone Racing driver will exit the full-time Supercars arena after this weekend’s bp Adelaide Grand Final, closing the curtains on a long and storied career.
Having won the 2011 Bathurst 1000 and 2016 Adelaide 500, Percat has scaled some of the sport’s highest highs imaginable, and has also lived through some challenging lows.
In his final weeks as a full-time driver, Percat has expanded his racing business, and also scored a plum co-drive with Red Bull Ampol Racing alongside Broc Feeney.
Fittingly, Percat’s final full-time start will come at a place he holds dear, and a track he watched cars tear around as a kid.
“Always dreamed of racing at the Adelaide 500, I feel like I've had a pretty cool career and then I've been lucky enough to win the event,” the 37-year-old told media this week.
“Now there's 50 grand up on Friday. I'm obviously going to try way harder. It’s a cool way to finish up my career in front of a home crowd, so I'm looking forward to it.”
Percat joins 2010 champion James Courtney and two-time Bathurst winner Will Davison in departing the full-time game after Adelaide.
The emotions began early in the week, with MSR revealing Percat will run his favoured #222 on his Bendix Camaro this weekend. Percat carried the #222 through the junior ranks, and raced the number to 2016 Adelaide victory, and Bathurst podiums in 2014 and 2016.
Following opening practice on Thursday, Percat took dad Marc for a ride around the circuit where father and son watched on many years ago. Percat's father Marc, grandfather Italo and great grandfather Paolo were all loyal Holden employees.
The first of three races will take place on Friday, but when asked when it will hit him, Percat replied: "Sunday morning, when you wake up and probably realise it's the last time I'll qualify in the main game in a Supercar around here.
“That’s a really fun session. It's the last chance to try and get into the Top Ten Shootout. All my mates are flying in for it on Sunday as well, so I'm going to have a cool posse here of my friends.
“It’ll be little bit sad, but once you're in the car… I’m not sure if I'm going to take more risk to pass people or if I'm just gonna do my normal thing and try and get a good result of it.
“It’s going to be a little bit weird this weekend."
Supercars return to the track on Friday morning for Practice 2 at 10:30am local/11:00am AEDT, followed by Boost Mobile Qualifying at 12:40pm local/1:10pm AEDT. Tickets for the event are on sale.
