Percat's frightening first in Tasmania

The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver was delayed in the third and final race of the Tasmania SuperSprint by the somewhat unusual mechanical issue.

The pad worked itself loose early in the race, but wouldn't actually detach itself entirely despite Percat's best efforts to pry it off.

That left him concerned that he would arrive at one of two very hard stops, turn 4 and turn 6, and lose both the pad and his foot pressure on the brake at the same time.

In the end he felt he had no option but to pit from 13th position and have the issue rectified by the crew, the long stop leaving him 23rd at the finish.

"It's definitely a first I've ever experienced from karting, Formula Ford, working on race cars, anything," he told Motorsport.com.

"I tried to keep going as long as I could. I think it got to lap 7 or something. I learned how to left foot brake to hold the pedal pad against the pedal.

"I would have been better off if the pad fell off completely, but I couldn't get it to that point. I was trying to flick it off with my foot but having it wobbling around, with the thread left in it, was worse.

"I didn't want to get to the hairpin and have the pad fall off and take my foot with it.

"It's frustrating, but we had the oldest tyres out there and when I look at the average laps we were the fifth fastest car, which was more annoying. We were definitely a top six position car."

The pedal pad issue was the latest in a poor run of luck with mechanical issues for Percat, whose season has also included a failed wheel bearing in Newcastle and a spectacular engine fire at Albert Park.

It was also a sour end to what was Percat felt was a positive weekend in Tasmania, particularly his drive to ninth in the first race, which was followed by a 10th in race 2.

That helped lift him off the bottom of the standings where he'd been mired thanks to those DNFs.

WAU is set to test with both Percat and Mostert between now and the next round in Darwin, something Percat says will be important as he rediscovers some form.

"I think so, just to find a little more new tyre speed," he said. "The balance, I think, we've come along way with. It's just generating enough grip. And for me it's a good day to get more milage in the car and experience a bit because I missed out on a lot in pre-season.

"If Perth went the right way we could have been seventh, and today, coulda, shoulda, woulda, but we could have been sixth.

"It's back to normal Nick. We've just need to get on top of the mechanical side."