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New-for-2021 Brad Jones Racing combination Nick Percat and Dale Wood shared a lighthearted moment on Monday in reflection of an infamous run-in they once had.
The duo are expected to be a force at the Repco Bathurst 1000 in October, Percat a four-time Supercars race winner including the 2011 Great Race, and Wood a proven co-driver with no shortage of experience.
But a heated exchange they once had at Sydney Motorsport Park still lingers as a moment they now look back on with a chuckle.
That occasion in the 2015 season, when Wood was a full-timer at BJR and Percat at Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, saw the duo come to blows in a Turn 7 collision.
That spilled over into the pits as an enraged Percat marched down to Wood’s garage and launched into an expletive-laden spray that involved the use of “cash cow” and “no ability”. A calm Wood later claimed Percat had made “a fool of himself”.
Six years on, the moment was brought up at a ride day at Sandown earlier this week when Wood jumped behind the wheel of the #8 R&J Batteries Holden with Percat sat in the passenger seat.
“To be honest, we laughed about that during that season,” Percat recalled of the “funny” incident.
“We’re both old enough to not hold grudges and for me, I don’t really hold a grudge against anyone. I know a lot of other people do in pit lane but for me, everyone is very passionate and emotional about what they’re doing and pushing so hard.
“We were laughing about it [on Monday] – he took me for a hot lap and I was like, ‘is this going to be sweet revenge from Sydney? Are you going to do something big here?’
“And he just laughed about it.
“He’s good to have onboard.”
Wood, a renowned larrikin who is a regular in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, had made a reference at the time of his BJR return being announced in February.
“We’ve shared some colourful moments over the years but now we’ll share a seat. Really looking forward to sliding the seat forward and doing the great race with @nickpercat and @bjrsupercars,” he posted to social media.
In the midst of his fifth season at BJR, Percat is eighth in the 2021 standings following a hat-trick of top 10 finishes at the Sandown SuperSprint.
Wood meanwhile is a solo Supercars podium-getter and has a best Bathurst 1000 result of fourth from his final season as a primary driver, with Erebus Motorsport in 2017.
