With his rainbow-coloured Commodore, Nick Percat was always going to make a splash at the Australian Grand Prix.
But his 255km/hour crash in the first Supercars race of the weekend wasn't the way he wanted to draw attention to the equality-branded Holden.
Percat hit the brakes with 150 metres of Albert Park's main straight remaining, leaving himself no choice but to duck into the grass in the hope of slowing.
"My thoughts were just about survival," he told AAP.
"Survival and to figure out some way to miraculously disappear from the situation."
His evasive action directed him into an unsuspecting Lee Holdsworth and sent both cars flying.
Percat ended up in the gravel and eventually in the wall while Holdsworth spun around several times before resting on the tarmac. Both men walked away.
"I didn't know (I had no brakes) until I put my foot on the brake at the 150m board," he said.
"Unfortunately I hit Lee ... and then it was just hold on and hope the impact into the fence wouldn't be too abrupt."
Percat, 28, said the crash was the biggest of his career and shook him up but the worst of it was breathlessness shortly after impact.
The South Australian said he would have been ready to take to the track in Friday's second race if his car was available.
"I would imagine that car's done. If there's anyone that's going to fix it it'll be my crew because they're ridiculously good at it but from here it doesn't look amazing," he said.
The No.8 Commodore wore the rainbow colours of the LGBTIQ community as part of an equality campaign by the manufacturer.
Motorsport and sexual diversity haven't been natural bedfellows in the past but Percat said the feedback since the car's unveiling had been "unbelievably" supportive.
"The wide (coverage) that livery has had around the world - not just Australia - has been incredible," he said.
"It's good to see everyone's got on board, got behind it, and understand what Holden is doing.
"It was cool to have it on my car and hopefully again later down the year we'll do something else and give them a better show than this."
Share
