In one of the most significant events in V8 Supercar history, Japanese car giant Nissan will join the pinnacle of Australian motorsport and touring car racing by entering the championship from 2013.
After a 20-year absence from the Australian Touring Car Championship, Nissan Motorsport (Australia) will run four cars with up and coming V8 Supercar team Kelly Racing.
From 2013, Kelly Racing will campaign as Nissan Motorsport – a formalised factory team.
Nissan is the first manufacturer to take advantage of the Car of the Future program, which virtually two years ago was unveiled with an aim to cut running costs and encouraging other marques to compete, in turn broadening fan and sponsor appeal.
Kelly Racing will from 2013 be a fully-fledged Nissan factory team developing its own cars and engines, utilising the global resources of the giant NISMO motorsport organisation.
Rick Kelly, a V8 Supercar champion and multiple Bathurst winner, was enthused about the move.
“I couldn’t be more excited with the opportunity Nissan has offered Todd, myself and the entire team at Kelly Racing to become their official factory team,” he said.
“Nissan’s genuine enthusiasm, unwavering support and absolute professionalism through this evaluation has been tremendous and underpins their absolute intentions of championship success in the category – a dream we share and hope to deliver on.
“This new partnership brings with it a host of opportunities for the team, our business partners and of course fans and delivers the vision that we have shared since our inception in the category in 2009.”
Business partner and brother Todd Kelly said Kelly Racing’s innovative business strategies fitted perfectly with Nissan’s desire to enter the V8 Supercar Championship.
“Rick and I have had one clear goal that we have been striving for since we started Kelly Racing, that was to become a benchmark race-winning team with factory support,” he said.
“The timing with Car of the Future has enabled us to engage a manufacturer and achieve that.
“We couldn’t be happier to be a Factory Nissan team and Factory Nissan drivers.
“Nissan is a fantastic brand that we will all be extremely proud to represent and their international motorsport heritage and engineering capabilities are both key factors in our new relationship that will help us achieve our goals.”
Car of the Future architect Mark Skaife said the ground-breaking announcement was only the start.
“This opens up a whole new chapter for V8 Supercars,” Skaife said.
“The sport and the brand have been so successful over such a long period of time with today’s news reinforcing the direction of the business, coupled with imminent international expansion to multiple destinations globally.
“Nissan has clearly acknowledged V8 Supercars as a major component of their future plans within the Australian car market and motorsport internationally.
“V8 Supercars will deliver on their expectations.
“There is no doubting the entry of more manufacturers now that Nissan has taken the first step to recognise what the relationship will do for their brand.”
V8 Supercar chairman Tony Cochrane, who announced the Car of the Future program in March 2010, said it confirmed the global demand for V8 Supercars by manufacturers and destinations was very real.
“We welcome Nissan with more than open arms,” Cochrane said.
“This announcement confirms all we have known about V8 Supercars for a long, long time – that we are truly an international player, an extraordinarily popular sport amongst fans globally and in great demand by big business and corporate players.
“I applaud Kelly Racing for this pioneering move to embrace Nissan and take one of the world’s biggest brands on their journey within the V8 Supercar Championship.
“Todd and Rick are truly remarkable businessmen, visionaries and drivers.”
This article appeared in Thursday’s Sunraysia Daily 10/02/2012.
Email a friend