- David Russell and Karl Reindler announced as Jack Daniel's Racing endurance co-drivers
- Will partner Todd and Rick Kelly respectively in the Jack Daniel's Nissan Altimas at the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship events at Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast
MELBOURNE, Australia – Jack Daniel's Racing today announced its 2013 V8 Supercars endurance driver line up, which will compete in all three endurance races this season.
David Russell and Karl Reindler will join Todd and Rick Kelly respectively to steer the two Jack Daniel's Nissan Altimas. Russell and Reindler will drive for the team at Sandown, Bathurst and, with the international driver format no longer compulsory, on the Gold Coast.
Both drivers are comfortable at Nissan Motorsport, albeit in its former guise as Kelly Racing. Russell returns to the team after driving at Bathurst with Rick Kelly last year, finishing a credible 15th, while Reindler drove full time for the squad throughout 2012.
There will be plenty of interest surrounding Jack Daniel's Racing's 2013 endurance season, with Nissan returning to Mount Panorama to compete in the most prestigious event on the V8 Supercars Championship schedule, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, for the first time since its back-to-back victories in 1991 and 1992.
Russell and Reindler will have the opportunity to drive the Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima during the designated co-driver practices sessions later in the year.
The first endurance race of the season is the Sandown 500, which takes place on September 13-15. The team then has almost a month before the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on October 10-13, while the Armor All Gold Coast 600 will run on October 25-27.
JACK DANIEL'S RACING QUOTEBOARD
TODD KELLY - #7 Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima:
"It's great to have 'Coighty', as we call him, back in the car, we've spent a little bit of time together in the past in the one car, so to team up again is fantastic," said Todd Kelly.
"To have some continuity with a familiar face is for me, extremely important. We can basically jump in the car and take off from where we left off the last time we drove together at Bathurst.
"We don't have to learn what each other likes, or learn what a new person is like to work with, so it's pretty much jump in and get straight down to business with David, which I'm really looking forward to."
RICK KELLY - #15 Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima:
"Karl in my opinion has got a little bit of unfinished business within our team, we had him last year as one of our drivers and particularly towards the later part of the year, he really found his straps and did a fantastic job," said Rick Kelly.
"It's been tough for him not to be in the car full time this year, but for him to join myself at the three endurance races is a good opportunity for Karl to jump back in and show that he can do a fantastic job as he did last year.
"For us it's a great opportunity to get a strong result, I think that Karl and myself as a pairing is as strong as anyone else out there and it certainly gives us a chance of getting a good result."
DAVID RUSSELL - #7 Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima:
"It's my third year with the team and a very exciting time obviously with a factory team, the first time I've been involved in a factory team, so to be teamed up with Todd is a great opportunity," said David Russell.
"We get on very well, I've raced with him before and I've got some unfinished business from last time I was with Todd. We were in a really good spot and unfortunately things didn't go our way.
"I think it's time to turn the tables and go and get a very solid result for Nissan Motorsport."
KARL REINDLER - #15 Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima:
"I'm really looking forward to teaming up with Rick for all three endurance races this season, obviously I was with the team last year, so I'm comfortable with how everything works," said Karl Reindler.
"Having the opportunity to be part of the Nissan factory team when it returns to Bathurst for the first time since 1992 is a huge deal, and I think Rick and I have got a great chance of getting a really strong result.
"I get on really well with Rick and we are a similar build, which makes seating position and things like that very simple, I just can't wait to get in the car."
TODD KELLY - BATHURST 1000 STATISTICS:
Debut: 1998 (with John Faulkner)
Starts: 15 Best result: 1th (2005 with Mark Skaife)
Podiums: 3 (1st: 1, 2nd: 1, 3rd: 1)
Top 10s: 7
2012 result: 18th with Tim Blanchard
RICK KELLY - BATHURST 1000 STATISTICS:
Debut: 2001 (with Nathan Pretty)
Starts: 12 Best result: 1st (2003/2004 with Greg Murphy)
Podiums: 3 (1st: 2, 2nd: 1, 3rd: 0)
Top 10s: 5
2012 result: 15th with David Russell
DAVID RUSSELL - BATHURST 1000 STATISTICS:
Debut: 2003 (with Jose Fernandez)
Starts: 4
Best result: 15th (2012 with Rick Kelly)
Podiums: 0
Top 10s: 0
2012 result: 15th with Rick Kelly
KARL REINDLER - BATHURST 1000 STATISTICS:
Debut: 2008 (with Michael Patrizi)
Starts: 5
Best result: 11th (2009 with Jason Bright)
Podiums: 0
Top 10s: 0
2012 result: 19th with Daniel Gaunt
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Rick Kelly on Twitter: @RickKelly
Rick Kelly on Instagram: rickkelly15
2013 V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 28 - Mar 3 | Clipsal 500 Adelaide | Adelaide Parklands, SA |
| March 14-17 | F1 Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park, Melbourne, VIC |
| April 5-7 | Tasmania Challenge | Symmons Plains, Launceston, TAS |
| April 12-14 | Auckland 400 | Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand |
| May 3-5 | Perth | Barbagallo Raceway, Perth, WA |
| May 17-19 | Texas 400 | Austin, Texas, USA |
| June 14-16 | SKYCITY Triple Crown | Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT |
| July 5-7 | Sucrogen Townsville 400 | Reid Park, Townsville, QLD |
| July 27-28 | Coates Hire Ipswich | Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD |
| August 23-25 | Winton | Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria |
| September 13-15 | Sandown 500 | Sandown, Melbourne, VIC |
| October 10-13 | Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW |
| October 25-27 | Armor All Gold Coast 600 | Surfers Paradise, Queensland |
| November 23-24 | Phillip Island 400 | Phillip Island, Victoria |
| Dec 6-8 | Sydney 500 | Sydney Olympic Park, NSW |
About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.8 million vehicles in 2011, generating revenue of 9.4 trillion yen ($94.4 billion AUS). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan and 2011 World Car of the Year Awards.
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