Horrifying scenes in Albert Park as Nick Percat’s Mustang catches fire

Mustang driver Nick Percat was forced to retire from Friday’s Supercars race after his car burst into flames.

Percat’s car appeared to catch fire in the left front tire as he lapped the track on the first few laps at Albert Park on Friday.

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The race was already under safety car conditions due to an earlier incident involving Dave Reynolds.

Percat immediately returned to the pit lane, where his team rushed to remove him from the cockpit.

The car was full of smoke when the pit crew successfully extinguished the fire.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Percat said.

“Good start, no contact. I thought I could smell something on the back straight… I didn’t think about it much.

“Up to the third to last corner and I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m on fire.’

“I came in with no power. It was a shocking start, maybe I need to find the black cat and fix it.”

Erebus’ Brodie Kostecki claimed his first Supercars victory as the race was abandoned due to multiple incidents.

Kostecki was ahead when the shortened race ended under the safety car after Jack Le Brocq crashed into a wall on lap seven.

The 25-year-old Camaro driver celebrated his first win of his career in bizarre and chaotic circumstances, finishing ahead of James Courtney and two-time reigning champion Shane van Gisbergen.

Qualifying for the third and fourth races of the weekend begins on Saturday morning.

The fifth race of the season begins at 5:30 p.m. AEDT on Saturday.

Van Gisbergen clinched back-to-back victories by winning the first race of the weekend on Thursday and taking the championship lead to offset his dramatic and controversial first race at Newcastle when he was disqualified.

– With AAP

SUPERCARS RACE FOUR RESULT:

1. Brodie Kostecki (Coca-Cola Race)

2. James Courtney (Snowy River Race)

3. Shane van Gisbergen (Red Bull Ampol)

4. Broc Feeney (Red Bull Ampol)

5. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)

– With Ben Sutton