Russell joins Rick Kelly for Enduro Cup

Nissan Motorsport has confirmed the third of its four endurance pairings, with David Russell returning to the team to co-drive with Rick Kelly.

This year will mark Russell’s fourth endurance campaign for the Melbourne-based outfit, having previously partnered Rick in 2012 and Todd Kelly in 2011 and 2013.

Russell has a best finish of 15th in five career starts in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, with his efforts in last year’s race memorably thwarted by an early collision with a kangaroo.

“David has been a part of Kelly Racing and Nissan Motorsport for many years now, so it’s a great opportunity for him to join us again this year,” said Rick Kelly.

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“That consistency with us is definitely a great thing, he fits in the car very well and his performance as a co-driver is right up there at the top level.”

Added Russell: “It’s fantastic to be joining the Jack Daniel’s side of the garage again, it’s four years in row now, so I guess I must be doing something right.”

Although Russell does not currently race full-time, he will enjoy several outings this year alongside Brisbane-based GT racer Roger Lago.

The pair will team up for the Australian GT and Carrera Cup races at Phillip Island later this month, before embarking on a Spa 24 Hour campaign in July.

Nissan has already confirmed Michael Caruso/Dean Fiore and James Moffat/Taz Douglas pairings for its Norton-backed entries, while a co-driver for Todd Kelly will be announced in the coming weeks.

It is expected that the fourth driver will come from Nissan’s global exchange program, which saw Briton Alex Buncombe cut laps with the team at the pre-season Sydney Motorsport Park test.

The Enduro Cup currently boasts just two confirmed international drivers in Alexandre Premat (Volvo Polestar Racing) and Oliver Gavin (Oliver Gavin).

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport is however known to have approached Dane Jan Magnussen for a possible berth in its Holden.

A former British Formula 3 rival of Ingall’s, Magnussen previously teamed with the two-time Bathurst winner at the Gold Coast 600 in a Paul Morris Motorsport Holden.

The only other remaining endurance seat lies alongside Dale Wood at Brad Jones Racing, which has for the last two years been occupied by the team’s Dunlop Series driver, Chris Pither.

See below for a look at how the endurance field is shaping up

No.	Team	Primary Driver	Co-Driver	Car
1	Red Bull Racing Australia	Jamie Whincup	Paul Dumbrell	Holden
2	Holden Racing Team	Garth Tander	Warren Luff	Holden
4	Erebus Motorsport V8	Lee Holdsworth	Craig Baird	Mercedes
5	Ford Pepsi Max Crew	Mark Winterbottom	Steve Owen	Ford
6	Ford Pepsi Max Crew	Chaz Mostert	Paul Morris	Ford
7	Jack Daniel’s Racing	Todd Kelly	TBA	Nissan
8	Team BOC	Jason Bright	Andrew Jones	Holden
9	Erebus Motorsport V8	Will Davison	Alex Davison	Mercedes
14	Lockwood Racing	Fabian Coulthard	Luke Youlden	Holden
15	Jack Daniel’s Racing	Rick Kelly	David Russell	Nissan
16	Wilson Security Racing	Scott Pye	Ashley Walsh	Ford
17	Wilson Security Racing	David Wall	Steven Johnson	Ford
18	Team JELD-WEN	Jack Perkins	Cameron Waters	Ford
21	Advam Racing	Dale Wood		Holden
22	Holden Racing Team	James Courtney	Greg Murphy	Holden
23	Repair Management Australia Racing	Russell Ingall		Holden
33	Valvoline Racing GRM	Scott McLaughlin	Alexandre Premat	Volvo
34	Valvoline Racing GRM	Robert Dahlgren	Greg Ritter	Volvo
36	Norton Hornets	Michael Caruso	Dean Fiore	Nissan
47	Supercheap Auto Racing	Tim Slade	Tony D’Alberto	Holden
55	The Bottle-O Racing Team	David Reynolds	Dean Canto	Ford
97	Team Tekno V.I.P. Petfoods	Shane van Gisbergen	Jonathon Webb	Holden
222	Walkinshaw Racing	Nick Percat	Oliver Gavin	Holden
360	Norton Hornets	James Moffat	Taz Douglas	Nissan
888	Red Bull Racing Australia	Craig Lowndes	Steven Richards	Holden