Kelly reflects on “surreal” first Nissan GT3 test
Todd Kelly says today’s Nissan GT-R shakedown was a “surreal” experience, as the Supercars veteran sampled GT3 machinery for the first time.
Kelly and Michael Caruso shook down a brand new Nissan GT-R at Winton today, ahead of next week’s Bathurst 12 Hour where the manufacturer will field two factory-backed cars.
For Kelly, who will share the #24 GT-R with Florian Strauss and Jann Mardenborough, it was an eye-opening experience to drive a GT3 car for the first time.
“I’ve just had my first drive of the GT-R NISMO GT3, and to be honest, the whole day is almost surreal,” said Kelly.
“I’ve spent the whole day trying to erase 20-odd years of learning how to drive a racecar because the only car I’ve driven in recent times is a Nissan Altima Supercar.
“Everything that you do in a Supercar is the opposite to what you do in a GT3 car. The GT-R is an absolute monster. It blows my mind.
“Bathurst is going to be quite a lot different to Winton – a lot faster, high speed and high lateral loads, but Winton is the kind of track that I need to have my first run in the GT-R. It has a lot of really hard braking and tight corners where I’ve been able to get used to the ABS and traction control.”
The car that was shaken down before will be the #23 entry, that will be raced by Caruso, Alex Buncombe, and fan favourite Katsumasa Chiyo.
“Having not driven a GT-R for a few months, it’s great to prepare myself and I’m getting excited for Bathurst,” said Caruso.
“Today is all about doing a shakedown with the brand-new car. We did a few installation laps, doing a few system checks and it has been running great.
“The car gets delivered from NISMO in A1 condition and we will go to Bathurst in the best shape.”
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