Kelly: Test Results No Indicator
While all four Nissans finished the sydney.com V8 Supercars Test Day in the top 10, Rick Kelly is not reading too far into the result.
The Clipsal 500 will really show the team’s progress.
With a range of developments implemented during the off-season, the Jack Daniel’s racer’s eyes are firmly focused on the season opening races.
"The test day for us certainly looked good on paper, we were in the top-three all day long," Kelly said.
"We had very strong pace in the wet, and very strong pace in the dry.
"What does that mean for us? In my opinion, it means nothing.
“We don't know what tyres everyone was on, there were very changeable weather conditions, some people got a run, some people didn't… For us, we're not hanging our hat on the test day result, we're obviously happy with the way it went, but from now we need to build on the knowledge of what our car's doing from Clipsal and the rounds following that."
The weekend marks the first anniversary for Nissan Motorsport's return to the premiere level of Australian motorsport, and with a full season of development under their belts, the Kelly brothers are looking for an improved showing in the concrete canyon.
"It's certainly an exciting time for the team, we've done a huge amount of work through the off-season, in particular with our aero kit, and we know that it's got less aero drag than last year's car, so we should be faster up the straights,” driver and co-owner Todd Kelly said.
"The cars are good, the team is fantastic, the reliability was good at the end of the year, and there are a lot of upgrades in the car. I just can't wait to get stuck into it and have a really solid start for the team."
Both brothers have won a race at the Clipsal 500, one apiece at the 2007 season opener, Todd winning on Saturday and Rick Sunday, giving him the event Champion statistic.
Todd said the new format, seeing two races on Saturday, will mean a closer contest.
"You will certainly be able to push a lot harder, and the racing will be a lot tougher on Saturday," he said.
While two 125km legs may not physically be as challenging as the former 250km run, there’s an added challenge in the finish time, given the twilight timeslot for the second race.
"The Saturday race will be split into two, which is probably a bit easier from a driver's point of view, but the thing that will add a level of difficulty is actually the fact that the second race on the Saturday finishes very late," Rick explained.
"What that's going to create is a really unique and exciting atmosphere, the sun starts to set, the cars will be a little bit louder, and you start to see the brakes glow red as the light dissipates in the background.
"Certainly later in the evening there will be a very good atmosphere for the fans. From the team's point of view, it creates the challenge of having to settle down after the race, cool down with a drink, have a debrief, and work out what you are going to do with the car.
"By the time you do all that, it's going to be quite late on the Saturday night."
Be there for the first twilight race of 2013. Tickets are available for the Clipsal 500, which starts Thursday, now.
