Nick Percat has explained the cause of his bizarre encounter with the wall in the Repco Bathurst 1000.

On Lap 78, Percat wound up in the tyre barrier at Forrest’s Elbow in a peculiar incident.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver, who is sharing the #2 ZB Commodore with Warren Luff, was running fourth at the time.

Chasing a Dick Johnson Racing Mustang, the car snapped sideways through the right-hand kink on the run down to the Elbow.

It then skated across to the left side of the track, tagging the wall before nosing into the tyre barrier.

Percat, who felt he was driving the best car he has ever had at Mount Panorama, said it kicked sideways due to a rejected downshift.

“Firstly Bathurst is annoying,” he lamented.

“The car was ridiculous — I was just driving around fuel saving, thinking this is going to be lovely when Luffy gets in it.

“To be honest, it’s the best car we have ever had here, it’s a real kick in the guts for the team.

“When I came around the wall there down to Forrest’s Elbow, when I went back to second, just mistimed the down-change.

“It had a dog clash in the gearbox and rejected the second gear change and fired it back to third.

“From then on, I was just trying to recover it and keep it off the wall, but it was not to be today.

“Filthy with myself because we don’t come here a lot.

“It is the second time I’ve had a car in the fence in 11 years, so not happy.”

The #2 WAU car remains in the race, but is 10 laps down with Luff at the wheel.