Nissan to expand Supercars programme

A technical alliance between the Kelly Racing-run Nissan Motorsport and Matthew White’s MW Motorsport will see the long-established Dunlop Series squad switch to Nissans for the 2017 season, the first time it has fielded Car of the Future-spec hardware.

It will also be the first time that a brand outside of Ford and Holden has competed in the Dunlop Series.

“It’s quite an advantage to either have your own team or have a relationship with another team in the Dunlop Series,” said Nissan Motorsport co-owner Todd Kelly.

“We always have our four cars in equal spec, so it will be easy to carry that over and have competitive cars in the Dunlop Series as well.

“We have been with Nissan for a while now and have accumulated a lot of stock, so to be able to put our surplus parts into good use is a big advantage. This gives us the opportunity to work with one of the best teams in the category. Matthew White has had a lot of success in the past and is a really good operator.

“He is also really close to our workshop as well, which will be beneficial next year.”

MWR will run a Nissan for the first time at Winton today, as part of a handover and shakedown with one of its two cars.

“We’ve been looking for a team partner that can see the benefits we could put forward," said White.

"This full technical partnership will give us access to the current specification Altimas that Nissan Motorsport are running and will offer support to ensure we are getting the most out of them.

“They have undertaken a massive programme, with building cars and engines from scratch. All the resources that Nissan Motorsport have put together ensure they are a great team to partner with.

“On a personal level I am also excited to work with the Kellys, because performance is one thing, but we’ve got to build a good relationship with the people we’re working with too. We go racing to win, and we’ve won the championship twice already, so now we want to bring a third one home."

While there has been no confirmation of who will race the MW Nissans next season, Dunlop Series front-runner and former MW Motorsport driver Jack Le Brocq will drive the Altima at Winton today. 

Nissan Motorsport will also have Rick Kelly's Sengled Altima in action at Winton, with Formula 4 prize winners Jordan Lloyd and Thomas Randle sharing the driving.