MELBOURNE, Australia –Australian Supercars squad Nissan Motorsport has signed Swiss racer Simona de Silvestro on a multi-year agreement commencing at the 2017 Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, the opening round of next year's Virgin Australia Supercars Championship in Australia.
de Silvestro brings a wealth of international experience to the team, following her involvement in categories such as Formula 1, IndyCar, and Formula E. Having worked closely with de Silvestro during this year's Harvey Norman Supergirls Bathurst wildcard entry, team co-owner Todd Kelly is looking forward to providing a supportive environment as the 28-year-old Swiss star embarks on the new challenge.
"This is a big day for Nissan Motorsport," said Kelly. "Simona's performance at Bathurst this year was outstanding. You could see in the data the amount of potential in Simona. So next year will be very exciting. To have built a race team that can attract a driver of Simona's international experience is a testament to the hard work of everyone here at Nissan Motorsport. I have been racing in Supercars since I was 17, and I've only really worked with cars from this category, so it's great to now have someone who has experienced motorsport from all around the world. It's exciting to be able to compare how we do things here to what Simona has experienced elsewhere."
For de Silvestro, this announcement ends months of speculation on where she would be racing in 2017.
"Today, I'm announcing I'm going to be driving for Nissan Motorsport in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship," said de Silvestro from her current Zurich-based home. "I'm really excited to be joining the team, and I can't wait for next season. In joining Nissan Motorsport, I think the biggest thing is being a factory driver. It's great to have the trust from Nissan Motorsport to give me the chance to drive for them. I really enjoyed driving for them at Bathurst. I really enjoyed the car, so there were a lot of things I really liked. And the team as well – it's a great team – you see there's a lot of potential. So working with them hopefully will bring a lot of success. My expectations for next year in 2017: I think it's going to be a pretty big challenge for me. Like I've said before, most of my career has been in open wheel. The Nissan Altima was feeling pretty great at Bathurst, so I'm sure at the other tracks I'm going to be able to adapt a lot quicker. Learning the tracks and working with the team will be a big challenge but looking forward to it."
Richard Emery, Nissan Australia's managing director and CEO, was delighted to share today's news.
"Simona's results and experience are impressive, and she has already shown strong speed in our Nissan Altima at Bathurst," said Emery. "2017 is now shaping to be our best so far, and Simona's arrival will add a new focus and energy. Nissan has a long history in motorsport, one of the few competitive sports where men and women compete head-to-head on equal terms. It's important that Nissan and the wider automotive sector promote our industry and our vehicles as well as motorsport beyond traditional male audiences. We want to encourage more women to choose our industry as a career and sporting pathway. And by having Simona on our team, we hope to achieve greater speed and results on the track."
The The 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship begins at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, March 2-5.
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