High-profile signing Percat endured a rollercoaster weekend on his return to the Walkinshaw fold, signs of genuine pace tempered with some mistakes and bad luck.
On Saturday a kerb strike meant he missed out on a Shootout spot in qualifying, however an impressive drive in the race saw him go from 14th on the grid to sixth at the finish.
Sunday was a difficult day, Percat qualifying last in wet conditions before ending up off the road in the race after tangling with Scott Pye.
The damage to his car took seven laps to repair which meant he was classified 23rd.
Percat’s ups and downs was a stark contrast to Mostert’s brilliant weekend, a third place on Saturday and a win on Sunday leaving him with the points lead for the first time in his Supercars career.
But despite what looked to be a decent gap between the pair, Mostert was left singing Percat’s praises by Sunday evening.
He told Fox Sports he is already learning from Percat’s data and expects to be pushed by the four-time race winner this season – which he says is a good thing.
“In that last race there was a bit of bad luck for Nick, but I really enjoyed this weekend, having him in the team,” said Mostert.
“Looking at data, even though there were a few sessions where he made a little mistake or had a kerb hop, there are things in there that I can learn.
“He’s keeping me honest. There are things I can learn from that. It’s fantastic for me to be pushed like that.
“And as he gets more comfortable in the car, we want to make sure these two cars are trying to fight up in the top three.”
The round win and early championship lead for Mostert, at what is generally considered a bogey track for the WAU outfit, has fuelled the hype that he could be a genuine title contender this season.
The results follow a brilliant performance at last December’s Bathurst 1000, where Mostert and co-driver Lee Holdsworth dominated in a fashion unusual for the Mount Panorama classic.
While not getting ahead of himself, Mostert admits that the team is riding a wave of momentum, and is focussed on keeping it going.
“The worst that gets talked about our team is the golden era [of the Holden Racing Team],” he said.
“But it’s a different team now. We’ve got an international influence with [co-owners] Zak [Brown] and Michael [Andretti].
“From a couple of years ago it’s been building. The start, two years ago, I wouldn’t say we could win the first round. And after last year, I said there was no way we could possibly win [at SMP].
“It’s full of surprises. We just want to keep building momentum, not think about the pressure. Put our heads in the books and make sure we’re working on the best car balance we can. And learn from things along the way, from good things and bad things.”
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