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Bathurst wildcard workload no problem for Nissan
Nissan Motorsport team boss Todd Kelly says his team is not concerned about the extra work load that will come with running a wildcard entry at Bathurst next month.
Andrew van Leeuwen
Published: Sep 6, 2016, 1:36 AM
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As part of the Simona de Silvestro announcement this morning, it was also confirmed that the Harvey Norman Supergirls Bathurst wildcard entry will switch from Prodrive Racing Australia to Nissan Motorsport for the 2016 running of the Great Race.
That means that de Silvestro and Renee Gracie will race an Altima at Mount Panorama this time around, and that Nissan Motorsport will take over the huge work load of fielding five cars in the 1000.
But while it will come at a cost in terms of workload, particularly with the team’s recently-announced Australian GT programme, Kelly reckons the Braeside operation is up to the task.
“Of course this does provide some new challenges for us, in terms of logistics and the like, but it’s a great opportunity,” said Kelly.
“As a team we’re in the right position to take on the extra car for Bathurst, everything is in place for us to make the most of the wildcard.
"It’s really exciting to have a fifth Altima running at Bathurst this year. When we heard that the wildcard was available, we jumped at it. We know what it’s like to run the wildcard at Bathurst, and have done it well in the past, so we’re confident we can do a good job.
"This is a boost for the team at the biggest event of the year. It’s great to have someone in our team with the international experience of Simona. Renee drives these cars year-round, but for Simona they’re not easy things to jump straight in and go fast. So with the pair coming back for a second year, our aim is to do a good job.”
De Silvestro ‘respectful’ of Nissan switch challenge
With her current Supercars experience limited to last year’s Bathurst 1000, de Silvestro says she’s ‘respectful’ of the challenge that will come with the Nissan switch.
“I had my first taste of driving these cars last year at the Bathurst 1000. It was such an incredible experience and I knew this could be a goal for the future,” she said.
“This year we are going to be in the Nissan Altima so this will be a little bit of a change but I look forward to working with the Nissan Motorsport team.”
“Big thanks to Nissan Motorsport for giving me and Renee the chance to be part of their team in Bathurst this year. They have been having a good year and hopefully we can add to that this year at Bathurst.”
“I am very respectful towards this new challenge but at the same time I am very excited about driving in such a competitive championship. I can’t wait to jump in the car to work towards getting the most out of these cars.”
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