James Moffat extends deal with Nissan Motorsport

James Moffat has secured his future in the International V8 Supercar championship after signing a new multi-year deal with the factory Nissan Motorsport squad. The son of four-time Bathurst winner, Allan Moffat, has only driven for Nissan since the beginning of this year; however he has exceeded expectations bearing in mind the continued development of the Altima.

After making the move from Dick Johnson Racing at the end of 2012, Moffat sits only two places behind his proven and experienced team-mate, Rick Kelly, with only six rounds remaining in the season. In only his third year of top-tier competition, the 29 year-old has notched up seven top 10 finishes, and has clearly trumped his fellow Nissan Motorsport team-mates in Michael Caruso and Todd Kelly.

With big shoes to fill after the stellar career of his father, Moffat graduated to V8 Utes in 2005 before gaining experience in Formula Ford and Carrera Cup during the following years. The Victorian’s first taste of V8 Supercars came in the 2009 Development series, where he finished the season in second overall.

From 2011, Moffat spent two seasons at Dick Johnson Racing, where he steadily began to find his feet in the top-tier category. At the conclusion of last year, he had racked up five top-10 finishes in the final five rounds of the season and finished 21st in the standings with the flailing outfit.

Consistency has been a feature of the “Norton Hornet” pilot’s 2013 V8 Supercar campaign, with only one inescapable retirement after the vast pile-up on the opening lap of the final Hidden Valley sprint race. Further flattering the 29 year-old’s race-craft is the fact that his worst finishing position this season has been 23rd in a field of 28 cars. Consequently, he currently occupies 15th position in the standings at the wheel of the greatly underpowered and vulnerable Altima.

In reference to his new deal, Moffat was delighted to have his tenure extended by the factory Nissan Motorsport outfit.
“I’m very happy to say that I’m going to be here at Nissan Motorsport for another few years at least, and nice to lock it away relatively early,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the future. It has been a massive undertaking for everyone involved to get Nissan Motorsport to where we are at this stage. I feel like the future holds some promising things”.

“It’s never easy having year-by-year deals and not knowing exactly what you’re doing the following year. To be able to lock away a deal that gives me some security is nice, but at the same time, we know there’s still a lot of work ahead of us” continued the Norton Racing pilot. “I know there’s plenty of promising signs within the organisation, and that made my decision to stay an easy one”.

“The fact that the team wanted to keep me was positive, because you’ve both got to want to work together, and having continuity in the program should only make us stronger.”

Nissan Motorsport CEO, John Crennan, articulated his admiration of Moffat’s exciting results and ability to harmoniously integrate with the Melbourne-based team.

“First and foremost, his on track performances have been a key factor in Nissan Motorsport re-signing James on a multi-year deal,” said Crennan.
“Secondly, he has displayed an added level of driving maturity this year, and the proof of that is his passing record. He has passed more drivers in race conditions than any other this season”.
“Thirdly, and most importantly, James has turned out to be an outstandingly good fit into our organisation. He is very well suited to the culture of our business and people. He is popular amongst our staff and sponsors and conducts himself at a high level. He is a team player and a really great fit into our team.”

Moffat will team up with Taz Douglas in the upcoming PIRTEK Enduro Cup, and will be looking to prolong his impressive form in the longer format events throughout the coming months.

This weekend, the V8 Supercars visit Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria for the Winton 360. Despite suffering a crash during Nissan Motorsport’s test session at Winton last Wednesday, Moffat has historically displayed impressive pace at the Benalla-based circuit, including a fifth place finish in the opening race of the corresponding event last year.