Percat was ready for robust Mostert ‘showdown’

Percat’s remarkable resurgence at Matt Stone Racing after two horror years alongside Mostert at Walkinshaw Andretti United continued at the Tassie track.

The MSR squad executed a slick strategy that leap-frogged Percat ahead of early leaders Broc Feeney and Cam Waters.

REPORT: Percat scores stunning Symmons Plains win

Mostert meanwhile took on three new tyres during his stop – as opposed to two for the others – and charged past both Waters and Feeney before threatening Percat at the finish.

“I was comfortably hanging out and then you came along,” smiled Percat when seated alongside Mostert in a jovial post-race press conference.

“I could just see this black bonnet coming and thought, ‘no, it must be still Cam… oh, no’. So I had to get on with it a bit at the end there and use what we had left.”

The battle that could have been, if the race was slightly longer, was playing out in the minds of both drivers post-race.

“It was going to be a good old showdown like we used to have, I was not going to make it easy,” said Percat. 

“You’re on for a race win, they don’t come around very often in this game because it’s so competitive.

“I think if it went another five (laps) it would have been like a classic Chaz, Nick, bit of a showdown. 

“I would just park it down the inside, he’d try and over-and-under me…”

Mostert then interjected with a reference to the pair’s days in the Dunlop Series more than a decade ago, which featured some heated battles.

“When I got to the back of Nick I was like ‘is that a #222 Coates Hire Commodore?’” laughed Mostert. “Am I in this old FG Falcon? Is this like the Development Series all over again?”

“It would have been fun,” continued Percat.

“When I saw him get through the other two so easy I was like, ‘can they just race the bloke?’ 

“Honestly, it’s like when people used to complain when Shane (van Gisbergen) would come flying through!

“He obviously had a really fast car. 

“I was lucky because we were together at the start (running third and fourth).

“I could see where his car was fast and coincidentally we could both run a similar line at the hairpin, which was probably what protected me compared to the others.

“Obviously he’s got the eyes on and hunting down the Triple Eight guys (in the championship), so I tried to not let him win every race lately.”

Ultimately both could be counted as winners on the day, as Percat took the trophy while Mostert significantly strengthened his title credentials.

Mostert’s second place run came on the super soft compound tyre that WAU struggled with when last used in Darwin.

He is now just 63 points adrift of championship leader Will Brown, while Feeney, Waters, Matt Payne and Percat round out the top six.