Nissan celebrates 25 years since first Historic Bathurst win

The Japanese automaker is preparing for the celebration this weekend's race at Australia's Mount Panorama. The Nismo Altima Supercar to be raced by Dean Fiore and Michael Caruso has been adorned in the same blue, white and red livery used by the 1991 race winning GT-R R32.

The legendary 1991 R32 GT-R was untouchable and finished first and second, with Richards and Skaife respectively in the Australian Touring Car Championship. Then, it went on to record a dominant victory in the that year's Bathurst.

Mark Skaife, then a rising star in Australian motorsport, went on to win five Australian Touring Car Championships and six Bathurst 1000 crowns. The most remarkable performance was in 1991 - overall race time was 6 hours, 19 minutes and 14.8 seconds - a record that would remain untouched for 19 years.

Skaife said, "Twenty-five years on and some of the best memories of my life. To win my first Bathurst with a legend like Jim Richards in the Nissan GT-R was just fantastic. It was a life changing moment to win the biggest car race in this part of the world.

"The 1991 race was fantastic because we could press on all day. It was the fastest race in history at the time and it was just a faultless day for not only the team but the way the car ran. It was an amazing experience and a great result for the Nissan Motor Company.

"I think it's a great connection for Michael to run this livery as a consequence of the GT-R and the way the Nissan Motor Company has been long-term supporters of car racing in Australia. I love the look of it and I'm sure ‘Richo' will have a tear in his eye also."

Caruso said he is honoured to drive his #23 Nissan Altima Supercar in blue, white and red livery.

"It's definitely the Nissan livery that I've been looking forward to the most. There's no doubt about how important and how successful the GT-R was and to have the same colours on my car at Bathurst is something very special.

"We're going to Bathurst with the best chance for success we've ever had. In the four years since Nissan has been back in Supercars, this has been my strongest year. We've had a race win and a couple of podiums, so hopefully we can go to the mountain and do what it takes."