Nissan Australia and Kelly Racing took the covers off the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar, the first Nissan to join the V8 Supercars Championship since the all concurring GTR finished its career 20 years ago. Nissan Motorsport will join likes of Ford, Holden and Mercedes Benz to tackle the V8 Supercars Championship next season.
Nissan Australia Managing Director and CEO William F Peffer Jr joined Todd and Rick Kelly to unveil the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar.
“This is a proud day for Nissan and a significant occasion for the sport of V8 Supercars,” said Nissan Australia Managing Director and CEO William F Peffer Jr.
“Unveiling our Nissan Altima V8 Supercar, the first new V8 Supercar model in two decades, brings Nissan’s special brand of ‘Innovation and Excitement’ to the V8 Supercars Championship.
“2013 will be an enormous year for Nissan in many ways, with several important new models set to launch next year. One of those will be the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima, the first time the Altima nameplate has gone on-sale in Australia, and what better way to introduce Altima to Australia than to have it on-track in the V8 Supercars Championship from the start of next season.
“Everyone at Nissan is right behind our team, led by Todd and Rick Kelly, and we are excited about hitting the track next season with this spectacular Altima V8 Supercar.”
The Nissan Altima V8 Supercar will be powered by the production based VK56DE engine, this is the same engine that powered Nissan to FIA GT1 World Championship glory in 2011. The VK56 engine will also power the all-new 2013 Nissan Patrol that goes on sale in Australia from 1 February 2013.
Rick Kelly and brother Todd set-up Kelly racing only four years ago with a staff of 35, with the backing of Nissan Australia this has doubled to 70 full time staff.
"This is the proudest day in the relatively short history of our team, as well as one of the most significant days in recent times for the sport of V8 Supercars,” said Todd Kelly.
“Our team has done a tremendous job to design and build an all-new V8 Supercar, including a new engine, in roughly nine months.
“The Nissan Altima V8 Supercar really is like no other V8 Supercar. Not only does it look spectacular but its unique features and aggressive design ensure that Nissan Motorsport will stand out from the rest of the field.
“The look of the Altima and sound of the VK56DE engine are second-to-none. Once V8 Supercars has homologated the aerodynamic package on the Altima, we will begin our testing to ensure it drives as fast as it looks and sounds.”
Rick Kelly, 2003 and 2004 Bathurst winner, 2006 V8 Supercars Champion and team Commercial Director, said that the team had ambitious goals for the 2013 season despite the significant task ahead.
“2013 will be the first time in my career that I will be a factory driver and it’s a responsibility that I am not taking lightly,” said Rick Kelly.
“Our entire team is working harder than ever to ensure that we rise to another level as we transform into Nissan Motorsport for next season. This is the most exciting time in our sport for two decades and it is amazing to think that our team is at the forefront of this change.
“A lot of hard work still lies ahead but we want to ensure that Nissan Motorsport is competitive next season and is a force to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future.”
To get the car on track for the first racer of the reason a large amount of work still lies ahead for the team. Todd and Rick will need to work with V8 Supercars as the category’s technical team works to homologate the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar, in particular its aerodynamic package, to ensure a fair playing field with the competition.
2013 V8 Supercars Championship schedule:
| Date | Event | Location |
| February 16 | Pre-Season Test Day | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW |
| Feb 28 - Mar 3 | Clipsal 500 Adelaide | Adelaide Parklands, SA |
| March 14-17 | F1 Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park, Melbourne, VIC |
| April 5-7 | Tasmania Challenge | Symmons Plains, Launceston, TAS |
| April 12-14 | Auckland 400 | Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand |
| May 3-5 | Perth | Barbagallo Raceway, Perth, WA |
| May 17-19 | Texas 400 | Austin, Texas, USA |
| June 14-16 | SKYCITY Triple Crown | Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT |
| July 5-7 | Sucrogen Townsville 400 | Reid Park, Townsville, QLD |
| July 27-28 | Coates Hire Ipswich | Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD |
| August 23-25 | Winton | Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria |
| September 13-15 | Sandown 500 | Sandown, Melbourne, VIC |
| October 10-13 | Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW |
| October 25-27 | Armor All Gold Coast 600 | Surfers Paradise, Queensland |
| November 1-3 | F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| November 23-24 | Phillip Island 400 | Phillip Island, Victoria |
| Nov 29 - Dec 1 | Sydney 500 | Sydney Olympic Park, NSW |
