IT’S OFFICIAL: NISSSAN JOIN V8 SUPERCARS (now we can all get some sleep)

NISSAN TO JOIN V8 SUPERCARS

V8 Supercars Australia will tomorrow announce what it describes as an "historic moment in V8 Supercar history" According to a report on the Australian Auto Action facebook page, tomorrows announcement will see the return of Nissan to local top level racing. A report by AAA Editor at Large Mark Fogerty, claims that Kelly Brothers Racing will be the official works team, running up to four cars from 2013. The Brisbane Times Newspaper says that the deal has been brokered by former HRT boss John Crennan. The return of Nissan will revive memories of the company's domination of Group A racing when the all wheel drive Nissan Skyline outraged Aussie racefans with it's dominating performance. Although no car has been announced as yet the Nissan Altima has been suggested as the model to be raced. Rumours persist that another manufacturer, possibly Chrysler, may also join the series in a partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport. The announcement has taken many by surprise but may well have been brought forward to assist in negotiations on television rights for 2013 and beyond. The planned media conference will be held Thursday February 9 at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

FIRST CHOICE WAS RITTER SAYS ROGERS

V8 Supercar team owner Garry Rogers has admitted that local driver Greg Ritter had been his initial choice as mew team driver for 2012. Speaking at the Victorian Sports Sedan Awards dinner in Melbourne, Rogers said he would have liked Ritter behind the wheel but the need for immediate results moved him to select French driver Alex Premat instead. "My initial thought was to offer the drive to Greg Ritter who's done such a good job for us in the enduros" Rogers said. "But unfortunately he hasn't had a lot of regular racing over the year and commercial reality is that we need someone who can be competitive and ready to mix it with the top guys straight away." Rogers said that the deal to pick up Premat a former DTM regular and 2008 Le Mans Series winner came through his close contacts with German BMW tuning specialists Schnitzer. Rogers had been looking around for a driver to replace Lee (Holdsworth) and the possibility of having the experienced Frenchman drive for the team was simply too good to refuse. He said that the deal with Premat had been made almost two months ago but the team couldn't make any announcements due to some of the French drivers European commitments.

MELBOURNE TO FOCUS ON AUSSIE AFTERMARKET

A heightened commercial focus on Australia’s leading edge aftermarket performance, racing and tuning products will highlight an expanded 2012 Australian Automotive Week, to be held in Melbourne from 11 to 18 March. Supported by the Victorian Government, the 2012 Australian Automotive Week will include a new program to showcase Australian designed and manufactured high performance accessories, [...]

BOWE TESTS BATHURST BEAST

Australian Touring Car Legend John Bowe has had his first taste of the Ferrari power he hopes will take him to victory in the upcoming Bathurst 12 hour race. Bowe took to the wheel of the Il Bello Rosso 458 GT3 at the Phillip Island circuit in warm and fine conditions, the multiple Aussie Champ delighted at what he'd seen so far. “It’s incredibly impressive, with massive amount of grip compared to the Mustang so really, it’s like ‘wow’!" he said. Bowe, who has previously raced an early model Ferrari in the days of The Nations Cup, said that there was considerable difference between the Italian supercars then and now. “The 458 has a much nicer gear change than the previous Ferrari, a nicer brake feel, and it’s got a lot more gizmos to work around, and so far I’ve only done a very limited amount which lends to a lot more to come."

LYONS DOMINATES HAMPTON DOWNS F5000

England's Michael Lyons (Lola T400) won all four MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series races at the first New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport meetings at the Hampton Downs circuit south of Auckland over the weekend but series point leader Steve Ross (McRae GM1) added the icing on the cake with a new outright track lap record. Lyons, who with father Frank and mother Judy, has been traveling from the UK to contest rounds of the New Zealand-based MSC series for the past four years, showed an inkling of what he could do at the two New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing meetings last year and took up where he left off this, claiming pole position in the qualifying session on Friday then leading all four races - including the feature 15-lap final - from start to finish. "The weekend has gone pretty well hasn't it" the 20-year-old from Essex north of London said after his meeting clean sweep. "Last year we weren't quite as well prepared and it was all a bit last minute. Also I hadn't really driven the car much that year. This year we did most of the British championship, which we won, so we were better prepared with the car so it's great to be able to come out here and be able to do so well." After winning both races in hot, dry conditions on Saturday, the first from Steve Ross, Ken Smith (Lola T430) and Clark Proctor (March 73A) and the second - after Ross and Proctor tangled at the first corner - from Smith, Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) and Brett Willis (Lola T330), Lyons led home a fired up Smith, Proctor and Ross in the rain-delayed third race just after lunch time and 15-lap feature final later in the afternoon on Sunday. While the third race was very much a non-event because of the intervention for four of the eight laps of the Safety Car (while Kerry McIntosh's bent Begg FM2 was retrieved from the safety barriers on the run up to the start/finish straight) the 15-lap feature saw Lyons, Ross, Smith, Proctor and Dwyer set a cracking early pace, a sign of just how quickly the leading cars were circulating, Steve Ross breaking the new outright track lap record Lyons had set during the first race on Saturday.

YOUNG LYON TAKES F5000 RACE ONE IN NZ

Young British driver Michael Lyons (Lola T400) has made a winning return to New Zealand's MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, dominating the first day of competition at the third round at Hampton Downs. In front of a large crowd gathered for the first of two New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport meetings at the 2.8 km circuit south of Auckland the 20-year-old second-generation racer from just outside London topped the time sheets in qualifying on Friday afternoon and won both today's eight lap MSC series races, the first - in the morning - from series points  leader Steve Ross (McRae GM1), defending series champion Ken Smith (Lola T430) and high-profile former NZV8 and now Targa driver Clark Proctor (March 73A), and the second from Smith, regular UK visitor Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) and Rotorua driver Brett Willis (Lola T300).

KIWI SUMMER SIZZLES

After yet another year of disappointing fields in the Australian Formula Three Championship, New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series has drawn another great field. The series, the first FIA 2012 International Calendar event of the New Year, starts at Teretonga in Invercargill on January 14-15 and continues through to the New Zealand Grand Prix finale at Manfeild on February 11-12. Drivers will cover in excess of 2,500 kms of testing and racing over five consecutive events from the deep South to the North of New Zealand. Drivers are competing to win the coveted Chris Amon Trophy, and the Kiwi Formula 1 legend believes New Zealand is set for a “brilliant” summer season of International single seater motor racing with the largest, and youngest field of drivers ever. “The 2012 Toyota Racing Series has attracted a record field which is great news for New Zealand motorsport. This rivals the very best years of the old Tasman series,” enthused Amon.

RAIN PLAYS HAVOC AT ISLAND MAGIC

Rain has played havoc with Saturday qualifying and racing at Island Magic with long delays as track workers tried to clear long rivers of water streaming across the track. The day started with steady drizzle and deteriorated from there as an intense low pressure system swept across Victoria. Races started late and were cut back in length as PIARC [...]

MERHI MAULS MACAU: MACAU MAULS BACK

Roberto Merhi secured provisional pole position during a wet qualifying session for the “SJM” Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix on Thursday, but his session ended in disappointment after he crashed into another car and was given a ten car penalty. Merhi, who was more than 1.6 seconds quicker than the next quickest drivers was one of a number of drivers to be penalised after the session. With rain falling for the start of the 30-minute first qualifying session, drivers were keen to deliver their fast lap while the track was in its best condition. And it was Merhi who led the way early on, moving to the top of the session after 10 minutes and then improving on his best to deliver a lap that was 1.675 seconds quicker than nearest rival Marco Wittmann. But with track conditions deteriorating, Merhi made a mistake in the braking zone for Lisboa and slid into the back of Felix Rosenqvist’s car – with the pair crashing into the escape road at the corner. The incident brought out the red flag for a few minutes and, when the session resumed, it was then Wittmann who hit trouble on the wet track as he slid into the barriers at Lisboa too.