Percat relishes top end challenge

After a bright start to his debut V8 championship, Coates Hire Racing’s Nick Percat is looking forward to making his first V8 Supercars appearance at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway this weekend.

Percat has a successful history at Australia’s northernmost racetrack and is undefeated in three previous visits.

He won all four Aussie Racing Car races in 2006 and clean swept all three Formula Ford races in 2008 and 2009, on his way to becoming the '09 Australian Formula Ford Champion.

His maiden V8 season has so far included several top ten results in practice sessions, qualifying, race and round results. As the championship approaches the midway point, Percat currently lies 22nd.

Before heading to Darwin an upbeat Percat said: “I really enjoyed racing at Hidden Valley in the junior categories and have had a bit of success there. It’s going to be my first hit-out in a V8 Supercar and I am looking forward to the challenge.

“The event is awesome and the huge crowds we get in Darwin are always great and they love their V8’s. The whole city gets behind it, so it’s a great event to go to.

“I think the track layout suits my driving style and we rocked up at Symmons Plains earlier this year, (first time in a V8 Supercar) and went well and then went to Pukekohe for the first time and went well, so I am pretty confident we can go to Hidden Valley and have a pretty good hit out”.

TRACK FACTS

Hidden Valley Raceway
Length: 2.9 kilometres
Direction: Anti-clockwise
Average speed: 149km/h
Maximum speed: 271km/h
Fastest Point: Front Straight
Slowest Point: Turn 1
Corners: 14 (8 Left 6 Right)
Most Race Wins: Mark Skaife 8
Most Pole Positions: Mark Skaife, Mark Winterbottom 4
Qualifying Lap Record: 1m07.8546s (Jason Bright Holden Commodore VX 2002)
Race Lap Record: 1m09.0149s (Jason Bright Ford Falcon AU 1999)

CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

Hidden Valley Raceway is characterised by having one of the longest straights in Australia along with a back section full of kinks, twists and bumps and one of the slowest corners in the series.

The start / finish straight is 1.1km long with cars reaching speeds of around 270km/h in sixth gear before braking hard for the left handed Turn 1.The warm conditions mean tyre conservation will be critical to determining the race results.

2013 Highlight: Last season the venue provided Mark Winterbottom with his first win of the season, while the championship took another twist with Lowndes and Whincup claiming a victory apiece.

Coates Hire Racing