Nissan to enter Australian V8 Supercar Series in 2013

Nissan will enter the Australian V8 Supercar Series from 2013 onwards, when the new rules for the Car Of the Future come into effect. Kelly Racing will field the Nissan cars, in a four-car team. The deal is expected to be finalised in Melbourne tomorrow. Team owners Rick and Todd Kelly will drive two of the cars, with four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy and Karl Reindler completing the line-up.

Although the present V8 Supercar era has been the sole domain of Holden (part of General Motors) and Ford up to this point, Nissan does have a history of having competed in Australian motorsport. The Japanese manufacturer was one of the powerhouses of the final years of the Group A period, and Mark Skaife and Jim Richards claimed back-to-back Bathurst wins in 1991 and '92 at the wheel of a Skyline GTR.

Which car Nissan chooses to field in the series will become clear at a later date. Nissan’s decision to enter the Series, which runs only in Australia and Vew Zealand, is proof of its commitment to these markets.