Rick Kelly with his Jack Daniel's Nissan V8 Supercar. Picture: supplied Source: Supplied
NISSAN driver Rick Kelly flew out this week for secret test drive of the latest incarnation of legendary supercar Godzilla.
Kelly will pilot the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in next month's Bathurst 12-hour, Godzilla's first trip back to Mount Panorama since the controversial 1992 visit when fans booed Jim Richards and Mark Skaife on the winner's podium.
But first up is two days of testing at Kuala Lumpur's Sepang Circuit, home to the Malaysian Grand Prix
"The test is a huge bonus for me," said Rick Kelly.
"Having the opportunity to join Nismo's global team is very exciting. I've been in V8 Supercars now for over a decade and I've only ever driven for two teams.
Rick Kelly behind the wheel of a Nissan GT-R at Sepang. Source: Supplied
"There hasn't been many chances for me to drive other cars for other teams, so this will be a whole new challenge.
"It's important that I get this test under my belt because we want to head to Bathurst in the strongest possible position.
Kelly will be part of a four-driver team - Katsumasa Chiyo (Japan), Wolfgang Reip (Belgium) and Alex Buncombe (UK) as Nissan go all out to conquer the mountain once again.
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Godzilla raced at Bathurst three times for consecutive wins in 1991-92 - and the Japanese manufacturer will fly over 20 dedicated engineers from its high performance unit, Nismo.
Today's testing will be Kelly's only time in the GT-R before the Bathurst 12-Hour from February 7-9
"I need to learn how to drive the car," Kelly said before he flew out earlier this week.
"All of my experience at Bathurst will be good, but the GT-R is a different beast. It has a lot more aerodynamics and technologies that aren't allowed in V8 Supercars, so it's going to handle like nothing I've driven before"
Rick Kelly in Malaysia for a secret Nissan test at Sepang. Source: Supplied
Kelly said he was also looking forward to seeing the famed Malaysian racetrack.
"This will be my first time around the Sepang circuit, so that's a nice little bonus for me. I've been spending some time over the past week on the PlayStation, learning what way the corners go.
"Nissan has been very straight forward in what they're trying to achieve, whether it's our V8 Supercars team or this Bathurst 12 Hour campaign. The whole Nismo experience has been fantastic, and we've seen what they have done in the past at Bathurst. I'm excited to be a part of the car's return to the mountain."
Kelly drives for Nissan Motorsport in the V8 Supercars Championship and isn't the only star swapping rides for the 12 Hour.
V8 legend Craig Lowndes who will swap his Holden for a Ferrari F458 Italia, while Australian actor Eric Bana will pilot a Lamborghini Gallardo.
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