- Continues commitment to Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for 2017 and 2018 seasons with Kelly family-owned Nissan Motorsport race team
- Michael Caruso to drive #23 Nissan NISMO entry for further two years
- Two-car entry at 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour with Nissan GT‑R NISMO GT3
- Explores increased participation in Australian GT Championship from 2017
MELBOURNE, Australia – Nissan has announced a continuing commitment to Australian motorsport for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Nissan has further committed to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Nissan has also signed a new two-year agreement with the Kelly family-owned Nissan Motorsport race team for 2017-18 seasons. The team will continue to field four Nissan Altima Supercars.
Michael Caruso, driver of the #23 NISMO Nissan Altima Supercar, has also re-signed with Nissan Motorsport team for the next two years.
Nissan will return to the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2017 in an expanded two-car effort with a pair of Nissan GT‑R NISMO GT3 factory entries. Full team and driver details will be confirmed at a later date.
It was recently confirmed that Nissan will enter its Nissan GT‑R NISMO GT3 in the final two events of the 2016 Australian GT Championship at Hampton Downs and Highlands Park. Nissan will explore further opportunities in the Australian GT Championship from 2017 onwards.
"Motorsport is in the DNA of Nissan, both here in Australia and globally," said Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Richard Emery. "When Nissan first opened for business in Australia in 1966, one of the first things we did was to go motor racing. Our motorsport program is a way for us to show people what the Nissan brand stands for – through the excitement of our race cars and the innovative and inclusive nature of our fan activations."
In 2016, Nissan is defending nine championship victories in 14 different race series across the globe.
"We are very proud of our global approach to motorsport, and today’s announcements for Australia really showcase our brand – both locally and internationally," said Nissan global motorsports director, Michael Carcamo. "The Supercars Championship is one of the most high-profile sporting events of any kind in Australia, and Nissan has tremendous heritage and a huge fan base in this series. Our efforts in the Bathurst 12 Hour over the past two years have further intrinsically linked Mount Panorama and the GT‑R. They already had incredible history together but this has now gone to a new level."
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Contact
Peter Fadeyev
General Manager – Corporate Communications
Nissan Motor Co. Australia
Phone: +61 3 9797 4294
peter_fadeyev@nissan.com.au
Chris Jordan
Corporate Communications Manager
Nissan Motor Co. Australia
Phone: +61 3 9797 4155
chris_jordan@nissan.com.au
Colette Dunn
Corporate Communications Coordinator
Nissan Motor Co. Australia
Phone: +61 3 9797 4247
colette_dunn@nissan.com.au
Jane Johnstone
Marketing Communications Director
Global Motorsport Communications
Nissan/NISMO
Phone: +44 7979 710646
jane.johnstone@nissan.co.uk
Paul Ryan
Marketing and PR Manager
Phone: +1 678 644 0404
paul@nismosupport.com