Darwin delight, Sydney success: Percat's BJR journey

Nick Percat will remain with Brad Jones Racing in 2022 and beyond, with the 2011 Bathurst winner inking a new multi-year deal.

Percat joined BJR in 2017, and has scored two wins and four podiums with the team.

The 32-year-old’s new deal will make Percat, at the very least, a seven-year BJR driver.

It has been a turbulent journey for Percat with the team, but over the course of his BJR career, he has firmed as one of the best drivers on the grid.

Percat won two races at Sydney Motorsport Park en route to a career-best seventh in the 2020 standings.

Heading to next weekend’s NTI Townsville 500, Percat is just 34 points off sixth in the championship.

Earlier this month, the 237-race scored a Saturday podium in Darwin, which was the 12th of his career.

Supercars.com has listed the key dates in Percat’s BJR journey, which began almost five years ago.

26 October, 2016: BJR deal confirmed

In the weeks after he scored a third Bathurst podium, Percat was confirmed to join BJR.

Percat was recruited to replace the team’s former spearhead Jason Bright, who departed for Prodrive Racing Australia.

BJR had scored a coup in signing Percat, who won Bathurst in 2011 and was fresh off a surprise Adelaide 500 win with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

"It will be great to work with the team at BJR. They are a respected Holden team and one I’ve wanted to work with for quite a while now,” he said at the time.

"I’m super excited to start 2017 with the BJR team… I couldn’t be happier with the announcement and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running."

4 March, 2017: Top 10 on BJR debut

Percat’s maiden BJR start, on home soil in Adelaide, reaped seventh in a race he started 11th.

He started sixth for the Sunday race, but a first-lap crash at Turn 1 brought an early end to his day.

17 June, 2017: First podium for BJR

It took just 11 starts for Percat to score his maiden BJR podium, driving from sixth to third in Darwin.

It was his first podium since Bathurst the previous October, and first solo podium since his breakthrough Adelaide win.

It would be his only success of the season, as he recorded four further top 10 finishes in 15 starts en route to 19th overall.

26 April, 2018: Two-year extension confirmed

Early in the 2018 season, Percat was confirmed to remain with BJR until the end of the 2020 season, having scored a two-year contract extension.

It came after Percat sat 12th in the standings after four events, having scored two podiums at Albert Park.

He would finish 10th and ninth in 2018 and 2019 respectively, yet was still hunting a first win for the team.

28 June, 2020: First win for BJR

A return to the winners’ circle came in epic fashion at Sydney Motorsport Park when the season resumed following the COVID-19 hiatus.

Percat and BJR masterminded a race of tyre strategy to defeat the might of Jamie Whincup and Triple Eight.

It marked Percat’s first win in over four years, with BJR also ended a four-year win drought, its last coming courtesy of Tim Slade at Winton.

19 July, 2020: Back-to-back in Sydney

The team didn’t have to wait long to go back-to-back, with Percat winning in the second of the Sydney doubleheader.

Percat started third for the second race of the weekend, and crushed his opposition by a whopping nine seconds.

6 September, 2020: First career pole

Later in the season, Percat helped BJR complete one of its most memorable days.

Percat and Todd Hazelwood claimed their maiden ARMOR ALL Pole Positions on the same day in Townsville.

While neither driver was able to convert their poles into victories, it ensured Percat had ticked another career box.

He would later finish the season ranked seventh, marking his best career championship finish.

19 June, 2021: Return to the podium

Earlier this month, Percat sailed to his first podium of the season in a chaotic Merlin Darwin Triple Crown opener.

He started the race fifth, and avoided carnage at Turn 1 to race to his first podium since Darwin last year.

His result hung under a cloud, however, with the team investigated after the race over tyre pressures.

The team was later stripped of its points accrued by Percat for the race, but he retained his podium finish.