For the first time since the early 1990’s the Nissan GT-R makes a comeback to Australia touring car racing. This time it’s not as a controversial competitor though but as the official pace car for the 2009 series.

Today was the launch of the 2009 Nissan GT-R as the pace car in Melbourne Australia and we have some photos from the event courtesy of our friend Joel Strickland as well as from Nissan Motors Australia.

The first appearance for the GT-R pace car for the year will be in Adelaide on March 14th 2009.

Full press release from Nissan and more photos from Nissan and today’s launch after the jump…

Link: V8 Supercars Website
Link: Joel Strickland Photographics

March 4

SAFETY THE KEYNOTE AS NISSAN BRINGS GT-R TO V8 SUPERCAR CHALLENGE

Nissan Australia today released photographs of its blistering GT-R sports coupe which will appear as the official Safety Car during the upcoming 2009 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Specially fitted with high visibility safety lights inside the cabin the Nissan GT-R makes its first appearance among the V8 touring cars in Adelaide on March 14. The GT-R goes on sale in Australia in April and has already found approximately 150 owners.

The promotional venture into Australia’s most celebrated automotive racing category is designed to attract and maintain public interest in the GT-R over its product life and focus attention on the Nissan brand.

Nissan Australia Managing Director, Dan Thompson said the decision to provide a GT-R to the V8 Supercar Series was a popular one at the company. “Australian Touring Cars have enjoyed immense popularity through the years and Nissan is delighted to become a corporate partner from this season,” he said.

“As most Australian race fans know, Nissan has enjoyed a very successful track record in the past and this year we are very excited at again being part of the support action.

“Just this week we heard about a new plan by the GT-R team to return to Germany’s
Nurburgring in April where the GT-R already holds a lap record for the fastest production car at the circuit – a scorching 7m 29 secs. And with the latest 2009 GT-R now in play, Nissan’s Chief Test Driver Toshio Suzuki will have his sights set on an even faster lap time,” said Thompson.

Nissan will also provide a new AWD Murano crossover at major Touring Car rounds as a Course Car.

V8 Supercar Series, CEO Cameron Levick said Nissan has a proud history in Australian Touring Cars particularly through the 1980s and early 1990s so it is
a welcome return for the manufacturer. “They made their name in those days in
the Championship and particularly at Bathurst with Mark Skaife, Jim Richards co
dominating at the time,” said Levick.

“There were certainly some mixed emotions back then and plenty of passion surrounding the GT-R. Now almost 20 years later Nissan is back again as a valuable addition to the sport and a fantastic new partner,” he said.

Meanwhile overseas, Nissan has also announced a race prepared GT-R will contest the super-competitive FIA-GT Championship in 2010. In addition, this year (with partners Gigawave Motorsport in the UK) a NISMO developed car will run a non-championship entry in 4 races. It is expected that the car will be driven by Michael Krumm (NISMO) and Darren Turner (Gigawave).

Gigawave Motorsport, a racing team based in the county of Essex, has been competing in the FIA GT Championship since 2007. The team’s parent company Gigawave Ltd., as an official partner of the FIA GT Championship, provides on-board cameras for real-time coverage of the races.