Kelly Racing confirms Mustang switch

As reported by Motorsport.com on Saturday, the four-car Nissan squad will both scale back its main game operation and switch manufacturers for 2020.

With backing from Ford Australia and Ford Performance, KR will run a pair of Mustangs for a driver line-up that's expected to consist of Rick Kelly and Andre Heimgartner.

It will also run its own in-house Ford engine programme, while still fielding a pair of Altimas in the second-tier Super2 series.

“We are excited for the future now we have confirmed the team will run Ford Mustangs in 2020," said team boss Todd Kelly. "After 11 seasons in Supercars we step into a Ford Mustang that is a proven race winner and will provide us with our best opportunity for success in the future.

“In this competitive environment it has necessitated a reconsideration of our structure to create the optimal model for the future. This has resulted in our consolidation and focus on two Supercars for the 2020 season and our intention includes running two Dunlop Super2 entries from next year.

“We are grateful to [Ford Australia CEO] Kay Hart and her team at Ford for their interest and support to work with Kelly Racing and we look forward to continuing their success both on and off the race track from next year.”

The deal sees the Mustang contingent grow from six to eight for the 2020 season.

“Working with Kelly Racing builds on the already fruitful partnership we have with [DJR Team Penske] and Tickford Racing,” commented Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director.

“Kelly Racing has an impressive pedigree in terms of both engineering and their driver talent, and we see its switch to Mustang as an opportunity to combine their highly skilled outfit with Ford Performance DNA.”