STRAIGHT TALK – STEFAN BARTHOLOMAEUS Evolutionary theory Nissan’s V8 Supercars entry will test the category’s progress N
issan’s leap into the V8 Supercars Championship next season represents
a bold move from both the manufacturer and the category. After 20 years of a Ford and Holden duopoly, the new- for-2013 Car of the Future (COTF) regulations have opened the class up to all makers of mid- to-large sized sedans in a bid to better reflect the now globalised state of the local car market. Attracting investment from additional manufacturers has the potential to strengthen the teams affected by recent cuts to the Ford and Holden racing budgets, while simultaneously providing an opportunity to grow the championship’s domestic fan base and increase its international relevance. For Nissan, the commitment
to providing existing Holden team, Kelly Racing, with monetary and technical support (through its NISMO factory in Japan) has been made as part of a push to become Australia’s number one vehicle importer, and adds to a substantial portfolio of racing programmes worldwide. While it’s hard to fault the theory behind the decision, just how Nissan’s entry will be accepted by the current crop of V8 Supercars’ supporters remains to be seen.
The manufacturer’s last spell
in the category saw it dominate both the Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 1000 with its Group A GT-R, before being mercilessly tossed aside amid a shift to the V8-only regulations that remain in place today. Nissan’s last Bathurst appearance had, in fact, seen its drivers booed off the podium by a drunken mob well and truly living up to the race’s ‘bogan’ supporter stereotype. The championship has changed markedly in the intervening 20 years however, and is now a $300 million
business that sits behind only the football and cricket codes on the local sporting landscape. The passion associated with the Ford vs Holden rivalry has undoubtedly played a major part in that growth, but a steady shift away from solely automotive industry sponsors and a noticeable increase in women and children attending events proves that the demographics have at least partially expanded.
has taken three race wins since it was formed in 2009, but appeared unlikely to make the final step into the realm of championship contender without the backing of a manufacturer. And with the team’s main rivals all being operated by satellites of British engineering firms (Triple Eight, Prodrive and Walkinshaw Performance), Nissan has effectively thrown its support behind an Australian ‘underdog’
“not all of its fans have
managed to evolve at quite the pace the local car industry has”
What will undoubtedly help Nissan gain greater acceptance this time around is the fact that, while its steamroller GT-R programme possessed major budgetary and technical advantages over the opposition in the early 1990s, its new effort should take place on a much more level playing field. Nissan’s deal with Kelly Racing – believed to be worth between AU$3m and AU$5m per year – will bring the Melbourne- based squad up to the level of manufacturer funding currently enjoyed by Holden and Ford’s flagship operations. Kelly Racing
that, conveniently, has a healthy supporter base of its own. Most critical for V8 Supercars,
of course, will be to ensure the performance of the new Nissan racecars – which will resemble the 2013 Altima body shape – is as closely matched as possible to the latest offerings from the incumbents. While engines and bodywork are the only areas of differentiation between manufacturers under the COTF rules, the fact that the entire 28-car field can be covered by as little as one second on any given lap leaves a very small window for a new marque to drop into.
Nissan is understood to
be developing a version of its VK56DE motor formerly used in FIA GT1 for its V8 Supercars assault. The engine’s aluminium, quad-cam specification contrasts sharply with the cast iron, pushrod Ford (Boss 302) and Chevrolet (Aurora) units currently in the category, which have been gradually homogenised over the last decade to the point where they are now largely identical in their key dimensions and minimum weights. As important as matching
power and torque outputs will be, fuel consumption plays a key role in almost every modern day V8 Supercars race, and equalising the thirst of two-valve and four- valve engines may prove to be the biggest challenge. The development of the Nissan’s aerodynamic package will also be a sensitive process. Working in a country lacking an appropriate full-scale wind tunnel, V8 Supercars has conducted its previous parity testing in open-air environments, and says it has a ‘highly confidential’ plan for homologating the Nissan. V8 Supercars’ secretive
approach to its involvement in the development of the Nissan racecar has undoubtedly fuelled some of the fears held among internet using and letter-writing supporters that Nissan’s arrival will have a detrimental effect on what has been a highly successful category. The fact that, within 24 hours
of announcing Nissan’s return, V8 Supercars deemed it necessary to remind its facebook followers that abusive language and racism would not be tolerated was an indication that not all of its fans have managed to evolve at quite the pace the local car industry has. To the credit of the Car of the
The last time Nissan was in V8 Supercars was 1992, with the mighty GT-R. You can be sure the new Altima-based entry will come out all guns blazing
Future regulations, pandering to the lowest common denominator finally appears to be a thing of the past.
May 2012 •
www.racecar-engineering.com 7
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