V8s draw line at five as Nissan enters

9 Feb 2012, 3:03 pm   -   Source: AAP
Share This

V8 Supercars have drawn the line at no more than five manufacturers in the series after Nissan confirmed it would take on Holden and Ford next year.

A fourth V8 Supercar manufacturer is expected to be confirmed soon after Nissan revealed it would break the sport's Holden-Ford duopoly from next year.

But V8 boss Tony Cochrane says no more than five car makers will be admitted to the sport, and is confident at least four will be in place for 2013.

Nissan will enter the series next year, with Rick and Todd Kelly's Kelly Racing defecting from Holden to become the Japanese giant's factory-backed team.

And Chrysler is expected to announce in the next few months it will become the fourth make on the grid as the Car of the Future blueprint opens the way for other manufacturers to join Holden and Ford from next year.

But V8 boss Tony Cochrane said he believed the series needed to be sensible about the amount of manufacturers allowed into the sport - saying five was the maximum they would consider.

"We would be very reluctant to go above five manufacturers," Cochrane said.

"At the start of 2013 there'll be at least four manufacturers there. Nothing's happened to change my view on that."

Nissan and Chrysler both have V8 engines in production, and Nissan do have a new mid-sized sedan - the Altima - slated for sale next year.

The expectation is Nissan will drop a V8 powerplant into the Altima shell for the four cars they will run in the series with Kelly Racing.

Nissan has a rich history in Australian touring car racing.

It dominated Holden and Ford in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the powerhouse Nissan Skyline GT-R known as Godzilla and George Fury and a young Mark Skaife at the wheel.

But they were unpopular with traditional Aussie motor sport fans - the nadir coming with a Bathurst win in 1992 when Jim Richards labelled a booing crowd "a pack of arseholes".

They won two Bathursts and two touring car championships, before being eventually chased out of the sport in 1993 by rule changes.

But Nissan executive Ian Moreillon doesn't believe the marque would feel the sort of cold shoulder from motorsport fans it received 20 years ago, and is confident it can increase sales and build a fan base.

Todd Kelly said Kelly Racing would remain with Holden for 2012 ahead of their shift to Nissan, but the increased factory support was pivotal in the decision to quit Holden.

"We tried extremely hard to re-engage Holden and get (factory support) off them - we've been with them for a very long time," he said.

"But at the same time we had to put everything in place if that didn't happen.

"For us to become a top-level team and for Rick and I to hop in cars and know we can go out and have a chance at winning races, Nissan was a perfect partnership."

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube