The news in early-2012 was exactly what Supercars needed. The Car of the Future program had ticked one of the boxes it needed to tick with a new manufacturer joining the category, Nissan with Kelly Racing.
As the pioneers in this exercise, Todd and Rick Kelly had taken on a massive venture and a giant step into the unknown from which others would benefit, namely Erebus Motorsport with AMG Mercedes- Benz and Garry Rogers Motorsport with Volvo.
There was talk of how much money Nissan had dropped just to get the engine close to that of the established rivals, and there was complexity getting aero parity right. The Altima had to conform to all the measurements. Its steeply raked front windscreen and tailgate meant it was slippery and a very different beast to the Commodore and Falcon of the time. It was a challenge, and now it is ending after seven years.
The Kellys made a team that builds and develops, and only one manufacturer remaining was going to allow that to happen, while acknowledging that the seven-year-old build and development program for the Nissan has clearly left it trailing behind two Holden evolutions and one significant evolution from Ford in the switch from Falcon to Mustang.
“For us, it’s just really exciting,” Rick Kelly says from his Braeside base.
“Obviously, we’ve been in the Nissan program for a long time and the cars that are racing in Supercars now are quite different in the specification to what we started with. The Nissan that we’ve got and that we race was built to the rules of the times.
“So having a common car and all the bits and pieces that go along with it is going to be different and a new challenge for us. To get into something that’s I guess a little bit more current than what we’re in now is something we are really looking forward to.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2019 - January 2020 Issue 114 من V8X Supercar Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2019 - January 2020 Issue 114 من V8X Supercar Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The F1 Legends At The Mountain
The recently departed Sir Stirling Moss is recognised as the best Formula 1 driver never to win the drivers’ world championship, but his illustrious career extended to many other categories, including an often forgotten appearance in the Bathurst 1000 alongside another legend of the sport.
Right On Track: Sprinting Back Into Action
The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship returns with shorter sprint races on the reworked calendar in 2020.
Beyond The Wheel: Racing Virtually
Racing online in the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries was a new experience for me. While there were some carryover traits from racing in real life, there were also some significant differences.
Top 10 Seasons
Top 10 Seasons
The Inside Story: The New Normal
As we prepare for the return of racing, the whole Supercars pitlane is wondering how things will look. And work.
Top 10 (Multi-Car) Crashes
10 mount panorama circuit 2014
TOP 10 MAKES
TOP 10 MAKES
VIRTUAL MOVES
The BP Supercars All Stars Eseries provided some racing during the suspension of the season, paving the way for more regular virtual contests.
VIRTUAL REALITY
The BP Supercars All Stars Eseries has paved the way for Supercars to further embrace virtual racing, opening up an important avenue to attract and engage with new audiences for the category
1960 – 2020 TOP 60 DRIVERS
Who are the greatest drivers in the 60-year history of the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars? We rank the top 60 with an emphasis on best championship finishes, race-winning percentage and competitive longevity. Only drivers with top 10 championship finishes were considered, to emphasise championship performances over part-time or endurance campaigns. Also, results from the Bathurst 1000 and other endurance events were only factored in when they were part of the championship.