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The 2011 Bathurst 1000 winner has made the switch to Matt Stone Racing from Walkinshaw Andretti United, where he had driven a Ford Mustang.
While the Queensland-based teams are set to use their first standard ‘VCS Test Day’ on Monday, Hill’s rookie allocation meant the #4 Matt Stone Racing Camaro was in action in the past 24 hours.
Percat was therefore able to enjoy 10 laps behind the wheel of Car #4, per Supercars regulations, before climbing aboard the #10 Camaro which he will steer this season.
“Ten laps went fast,” he said.
“It was as cool to be back in a Supercar. You always forget over Christmas how quick they are and how cool they are.
“It was amazing to be back in the GM product – the family will be happy – so it was a good day.
“It was good to get a little bit of a feel ahead of our test day next week in my own car and keep working with the team ahead of Round 1.”
As Percat alluded to, he is the son of a third-generation Holden worker, and had only ever raced Holdens in Supercars until last year.
While the Lion no longer graces the Australian Touring Car Championship, the Chevrolet Camaro continues the General Motors lineage.
The South Australian was therefore able to reacquaint himself with the GM family and – after a test day in the IRC (nee: MARC) GT which MSR is fielding in the Bathurst 12 Hour – how the Yatala squad sets up its Supercars.
“It’s good, it feels more natural,” he said.
“The whole thing’s been good for me just to get an idea of the set-up philosophy, different dash layouts, the inside of the car is different with the dashboard of the Camaro versus the Mustang.
“So, just making sure that kind of stuff works well, and brake master cylinders and stuff like that; it’s all different.”
MSR was joined at ‘The Paperclip’ by Dick Johnson Racing, which was evaluating alternate engine specifications for the Ford Mustang, and Triple Eight Race Engineering, which shook down its two brand-new Camaros.
