Articles by James Phelps

Nissan will turn back the clock at the Bathurst 1000 with Michael Caruso set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the manufacturer's first Mount Panorama win by sporting the famous livery of the 1990 Skyline.The Holden Racing Team struck the first blow in the "livery wars" this week when the fully factory-backed team took the covers off a Star Wars-themed Commodore to be driven by Garth Tander in car No.22.Nissan struck back yesterday when the Japanese giant leaked pictures of the new-look Skyline that it hopes will replicate the feats of Jim Richards in 1990 when the V8 legend blitzed the field to put the company on the Mount Panorama map.Caruso and Dean Fiore will partner in the No.23 Altima from October 8 as they try to bring down Ford and Holden in the Richards-inspired beast."It is always cool to get to drive around with this special livery," Caruso said."Jim Richards was a hero of mine and that car from 1990 is just legendary. It is very special to think that I will get the opportunity to honour that drive and that car at this year's Bathurst 1000."Obviously it would be even more special if we could do what he did and win the race.'V8 legend Richards posed with the famous car he now owns in a photo shoot with Caruso to mark the occasion."I liked the car so much that I bought it," Richards said."It is a piece of history and hopefully Michael can create a piece of his own this year."The move follows last year's well-received Nissan heritage campaign at the Bathurst 1000, where Caruso and Fiore raced in the colours of George Fury's famous Nissan Bluebird Turbo, which earned the first Nissan pole at Mount Panorama in 1984.

While Holden are set to start a V6 revolution by strapping a six-cylinder turbo into a Commodore when the "Gen 2" era begins, it appears Nissan will resist calls to put a Skyline GT-R on the grid and extend the reign of the Altima.News Corp Australia has been told Nissan, who come off-contract at the end of next year, will soon recommit to the sport and continue its four-car assault beyond 2017 by signing a new multi-year deal with Nissan Motorsport Australia.But despite popular demand and a new set of rules that have made a return possible, Nissan will not unleash the GT-R — the giant-killing car known as "Godzilla" that dominated the early 1990s.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQNissan will stick with the four-door Altima sedan.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQ in Japan with NISMO bosses set to examine the document."Nissan has been in discussion with V8 Supercars for some time regarding the technical regulations for 2017 and beyond," Nissan said in a statement."The next major step in our decision-making process is to work with NISMO in Japan on closely examining the Gen2 V8SC Technical Regulations so that we can evaluate our options."

V8 Supercars will race in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from next year.

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Ford dealers are prepared to put in more than $1 million a year to save one of Australia's greatest sporting rivalries in a move that could see a Mustang take on the Holden Commodore in 2017.

V8 Supercars declares it's an open grid in the biggest shake-up in the sport's history.

V8 Supercars boss James Warburton has called on Ford fans to find a new team to support after the Blue Oval officially killed off its famous rivalry with Holden by confirming they would quit the sport by 2016.On the week of the season-ending V8 event in Sydney, Ford yesterday robbed Australia of one of its greatest sporting rivalries by announcing they would not sponsor reigning Bathurst-winning team Ford Performance Racing after next year.More than one million Ford supporters - almost half the sport's fanbase - have been bracing for almost eight weeks since The Daily Telegraph revealed on the eve of the Bathurst 1000 the carmaker's plan to abandon the sport. Warburton, who has spent the last 18 months negotiating to keep the Holden v Ford rivalry alive, urged Blue Oval fans to follow their favourite drivers to other teams."I am certainly disappointed for their fans," Warburton said. "They are the ones who are losing out. We are now going to have to get the Ford fans to barrack for other brands. The fans are also very loyal to the drivers they support so we would encourage them to keep on following them." With the Falcon to be axed in 2016 amid a global manufacturing restructure, Ford cut V8 Supercars from its $60 million marketing warship in a move Ford Australia boss Bob Graziano confirmed in a statement yesterday.We will provide technical support to teams racing Ford Falcons in 2015 but will not renew our sponsorships after the season."Ford is transforming our entire business - from our product line-up to consumer experience - that meant we had to make difficult decisions such as not renewing our V8 Supercars teams' sponsorships after the 2015 season," the statement said."Performance is part of our DNA, and will continue to be, as we increase our vehicle offerings and enthusiasts look for a wider range performance of models such as smaller cars like Mustang, Fiesta ST and Focus ST. Ford is proud to launch the FG-X Falcon, including building on our performance heritage by racing the new model in V8 Supercars in 2015. We will provide technical support to teams racing Ford Falcons in 2015 but will not renew our sponsorships after the season""We are proud of the teams and our history in the series but have made this decision so we can move forward by focusing our attention on our great products and consumer experience." Ford will continue to sponsor television programs like The Bachelorette in a move Warburton said would do little to rescue the suffering business from being outmuscled by Asian car manufacturers.Ford have ignored thousands of fans who said they will stop buying their cars if the company quits V8s. "I certainly don't think pulling out of the third-most attended sport in the country will help their cause," Warburton said."Clearly I am going to say it is the wrong move and I truly believe that. The size and the scale of the platform is there for all of them to see." Warburton was amazed the company would announce they were quitting the sport just days before Ford hero Marcos Ambrose is due to make his V8 comeback at the Sydney 500, starting Friday."I find it amazing they are making this announcement ahead of the series finale this week when we have a global star in Marcos Ambrose campaigning in a Ford," said Warburton. "I am sure they will be back at some point.""I don't want to let emotions take over and say too much. The reality is that it is a disappointing result and they are having a tough time. Pulling out will not help them. They have pulled out before and come back and I have no doubt that at some point in the future they will be back."

Toyota Peformance Racing star Chaz … Wait. That doesn't sound right. Let's start again. Hyundai charger Chaz Mostert … Nup. That doesn't work either.Beginning any story about Bathurst's newest champion with anything other than Ford would just not be right. But sadly we may soon be calling the kid who shocked Mount Panorama a Toyota top gun, a Hyundai hero, or maybe even - and God forbid - a Holden driver.As revealed by News Corp Australia last week, Ford have told high-ranking V8 officials that they do not have a future in the sport.They may elect to give Ford Performance Racing - the one and only team they sponsor this year - some help next year, with the team committed to racing the new model Falcon. But after that they are out.They want to kill off the famous Ford v Holden rivalry; the great Australian sporting war. It's the war they just happen to be winning despite their apparent lack of interest as Mostert helped them to back-to-back Bathurst titles on Sunday following Mark Winterbottom's epic win last year. They won't commit to Ford Performance Racing despite the team proving they are not just one of Australia's best sporting teams, but also brands.They are fast, popular and right now facing an uncertain future because Ford can't see the value in taking $2 million a year from a $60 million marketing budget and spending it on … wait for it …cars.Sure, we all know the car market is changing. Apparently the only people buying cars are 22-year-old, latte-sipping, poodle-walking girls. But even if this is true, isn't it still the father that ultimately takes his daughter to the dealer to have the final say?A bloke called Bruce, who hates poodles, drinks Nescafe and has watched every Bathurst 1000 since he was born? Let's take the emotion of a car company using cars to sell cars (yeah, stupid right?) and look at the pure advertising.Ford need to be as visible as possible. Since announcing they are shutting down their Australian operations at the end of 2016 and axing the Falcon, people think the company is in decline. Some people even think that Ford will not exist in Australia soon. The company needs to be as visible as possible, so what can FPR do?Well how about the 3.7 million people who sat in their homes watching a 300km/h advertising board win Bathurst? And the 193,647 that were at Bathurst watching the Ford poster beat Nissan, Holden and Mercedes.There is that. And then there are the other 14 rounds of the championship. The ones that hundreds of thousands of fans go to and spend $60 to become mobile advertising boards themselves by buying the shirts, hats, and flags. Wait … they pay to advertise your brand? Yep.They do much more than that. They buy cars, too. Sure, maybe there won't be any V8s on the road soon, but these people will still be driving something. Ford, do you still want them to be driving a Ford?Chaz Mostert's Bathurst win could not have come at a better time. Surely it will make Ford see what they will lose if they go. Wake up Ford. You have been warned.

Ford is dead, according to high-level V8 Supercars officials - and Australia's greatest sporting rivalry will be killed off by the end of next year.In a Bathurst bombshell delivered on the week the last GT Falcon was built, News Corp Australia can reveal Ford is set to axe V8 Supercars from its $60 million sponsorship war chest in a move that will end the Ford versus Holden racing wars at Mount Panorama.With the Falcon already dead and waiting to be buried, V8 officials have been told Ford will officially quit the sport and not renew a multimillion-dollar deal with reigning Bathurst champions Ford Performance Racing (FPR).Ford will remain on the grid next year when FPR and Penske/Dick Johnson Racing give the Falcon a one-year stay of execution. Plans are already underway to turn the FG X - the last Falcon - into a V8 Supercar. But then the legend, forged by Ford warrior Dick Johnson, will be dead.This weekend's Bathurst 1000 is shaping as the penultimate 1000km fight between Ford and Holden.Mark Winterbottom will look to continue the Blue Oval's famous Mount Panorama history by upsetting Holden great Jamie Whincup.News Corp Australia has been told six Ford Falcons have been confirmed to race in next year's series. Both FPR and Penske-DJR will hit the grid with the new FG X that will not be funded by Ford.Then it's curtains for the 22-year-old Falcon vs Commodore war made famous by Johnson and Peter Brock.Ford's future in the sport has been under a heavy cloud since the American giant announced the Falcon would be axed in 2016 and Ford's Australian factory closed.Ford signed a one-year deal with FPR a day before Winterbottom held off Whincup to land the Blue Oval a famous drought-breaking Bathurst win.Amid a global restructuring and plummeting car sales in Australia, Ford has remained uncommitted to motorsport, instead spending its marketing budget on television shows that include The Voice and The Bachelor.The pleas of V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton to Ford have fallen on deaf ears. "We have two teams who will race Ford in 2015, even if they will not be factory-backed," Warburton said."We have consistently made our case to Ford not only for 2015 but well into the future. They know exactly where we are going and the huge benefits we can deliver."We'd obviously love to have them continue in the sport." FPR last night said it was still negotiating with Ford and had not given up on securing a new one-year deal. The team remains hopeful of receiving some level of factory support."We are still in the fight," an FPR insider said.Holden's future on the grid is assured after the Australian manufacturer signed new deals with the Holden Racing Team (HRT) and Red Bull Racing Australia.Despite suggestions early this year that Holden would also quit the sport after deciding to close down its Australian operations, the Red Lion will, with HRT, join Red Bull Racing Australia as full factory-backed Holden teams.Garth Tander, James Courtney, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup will be their four all-star drivers.But the future of the Commodore still remains clouded beyond 2016. The car is facing the axe when Australian manufacturing stops.