[twocol_one]After a 20-year exile from the series, Nissan returned to V8 Supercars in 2103. Formerly Kelly Racing, the team was rebranded Nissan Motorsport Australia at the completion of the 2012 season, campaigning four factory Nissan Altima V8 Supercars in 2013, headed by Rick and Todd Kelly.
Born out of Perkins Engineering at the beginning of 2009, when the Kelly brothers broke their 12-year ties with Walkinshaw Racing to setup their own team, Kelly Racing’s switch from running Holden Commodores to becoming the factory Nissan team, marked the first time that the brothers had sat in anything other than a Holden in their V8 Supercar careers. After leasing two Racing Entitlement Contracts (RECs) from Larry Perkins, Kelly Racing now own all four RECs after Perkins sold both to the Kelly family in January 2013.
For the purposes of the Teams Championship, the four car outfit is divided into two teams to form a pointscore – Jack Daniel’s Racing and Norton Hornets.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]In what the Championship newcomer classed as a development season, the Nissan team put itself on the map claiming its first race win, albeit in controversial circumstances. V8 Supercars’ decision to test experimental fuel in Saturday’s opening race of the Winton 360 allowed James Moffat and Michael Caruso’s cars to run on a different fuel to most of the field – a reduced fuel blend of the E85 ethanol to help improve the Altima’s fuel economy which had struggled to match the fuel consumption of the heavily developed Holden and Ford race engines. The two Nissans finished one-two. Despite V8 Supercars stressing that analysis of its track and dyno testing of the alternate fuel proved that it provided no performance advantage, officials decided against using the E70 fuel blend to solve the parity debate. However, permission to re-homologate the aero kit (which includes an end-plate mounted rear wing) and bring in a revised engine package has been granted.
Now in its second year of competition, Nissan Motorsport retain the same driver line-up for 2014.
[/twocol_one_last]
Teams: Jack Daniel’s Racing / Norton Hornets
Manufacturer: Nissan
Team Principal: Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly
Chassis: Nissan Altima
Debut: 2009
Drivers’ Championships: 0
2013 Championship: Jack Daniels Racing – 7th / Norton Hornets 8th
Jack Daniel’s Racing
Drivers:
[twocol_one]
#7. Todd Kelly
Born: 9 October 1979
V8 Supercars Debut: 1999
2013: 25th
Career Highlights:
V8 Supercars Championship – 4th – 2005
Bathurst 1000 wins – 2003
Australian Drivers Championship – 3rd – 1998
Australian Formula Ford Championship – 3rd – 1997
PIRTEK Enduro Cup Co-Driver:
TBC[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
#15. Rick Kelly
Born: 17 January 1983
V8 Supercars Debut: Calder Park 1996
2013: 14th
Career Highlights:
V8 Supercars Champion – 2006
Bathurst 1000 wins – 2004, 2003
Australian Drivers Champion – 2001
Australian Formula Ford Championship –2nd – 2000
PIRTEK Enduro Cup Co-Driver:
TBC[/twocol_one_last]
Norton Hornets
Drivers:
[twocol_one]
#36. Michael Caruso
Born: 25 May 1983
V8 Supercars Debut: Bathurst 2006
2013: 23rd
Career Highlights:
V8 Supercars Development Series – 2nd – 2007
Australian Formula 3 Champion – 2003
Victorian Road Racing Championship – 2002
PIRTEK Enduro Cup Co-Driver:
TBC[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
#360. James Moffat
Born: 18 June 1984
V8 Supercars Debut: Bathurst 2010
2013: 18th
Career Highlights:
V8 Supercar Development Series – 2nd – 2009
Australian Carrera Cup – 4th – 2008
Australian Formula Ford Championship –3rd – 2007
PIRTEK Enduro Cup Co-Driver:
TBC[/twocol_one_last]