Nissan Motorsport Keen to Tackle V8 Supercars Return to Pukekohe Following Tassie Tussle

SYDNEY – April 8, 2013: Nissan Motorsport will look to continue its rise in the V8 Supercars Championship at Pukekohe in New Zealand this weekend after a steady performance at Symmons Plains on the weekend.

The four Nissan Altimas raced consistently at the Tasmanian circuit, with a swag of top 20 results recorded over the two days of racing.

Despite results that the team was frustrated by, the all-new Nissan V8 squad is buoyed by small improvements made to the cars and is confident that they are heading in the right direction.

Jack Daniel’s Nissan driver Todd Kelly proved to be the fastest of the quartet at Symmons Plains, but was hampered by two engine problems.

Todd’s brother Rick Kelly finished with a best result of 16th (Race 5) and sits in a strong 13th in the championship.

The Norton 360 Nissans of James Moffat and Michael Caruso proved consistent, with the pair finishing with a best of 15th and 16th respectively. Moffat’s weekend was slightly tarnished by a 15 point penalty for contact with Dean Fiore in Race 5.

The ITM400 Auckland at Pukekohe Park is the next stop for the V8 Supercars Championship, to be held this weekend.

The New Zealand V8 Supercars race has sweet memories for Rick Kelly and the team. Rick was the winner during the last V8 event at Pukekohe, and Rick also took his own team’s maiden race win in its former guise as ‘Kelly Racing’ in 2011.