Supercars driver Nick Percat says his sport will open up because The Bend

WHY Adelaide Supercars driver Nick Percat things The Bend, considered Australia’s best racecourse, will favour younger drivers.

Nick Percat, The Bend managing Director Sam Shahin and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall at the launch of the OTR Supersprint. Picture: David Mariuz/AAP

SOUTH Australian Supercars driver Nick Percat believes the OTR Supersprint at The Bend Motorsport Park outside Tailem Bend will give the younger drivers a better chance as he embraced coming changes to his sport.

Percat spoke to The Advertiser after having his first look at the track at the official launch of the August 24-26 event yesterday and was glowing in his appraisal.

And he also noted that there was an added bonus for the younger drivers as a result of changes in the Supercars schedule, which has a night event in Sydney for the first time leading up to the race at The Bend.

It will have a levelling effect on the field with the veteran drivers not able to call on years of experience.

“It’s impressive what Supercars are doing,” Percat said. “I love it. If we could race every week I would. The more challenges the better.

“Blokes like Mark Winterbottom, Jamie Whincup and Garth Tander, when they line up they’ve had 25 starts at a certain circuit. It’s good to go to new places.

“The young guys can have a few more tricks up our sleeve and can adapt a bit quicker.

“It probably levels it out a bit because everybody is going to learn it for the first time.”

Percat, who sits 12th on the Supercars leaderboard, has won both the Adelaide 500 and Bathurst.

Percat’s last visit to The Bend was more than six months ago, when it was still under construction. Yesterday he was impressed with what he saw as he took dignitaries around on hot laps.

“The circuit surprised me a lot,” Percat said. “It’s really good fun, challenging as a driver even though we did it in a road car.

“You can throw the car over kerbs, you can slide it, you can get a lot of high speed stuff.

“But then you’ve also got the slow speed, technical, twisty stuff that makes you really earn it as a driver.

“My first impressions was incredible.”

Percat’s words come as Jamie Whincup could not speak more highly of Australia’s newest track.

“In my opinion The Bend is the best racetrack this country has ever seen,” Whincup said. “And it’s something South Australia should be very, very proud of.”