here is the story about Nissan pulling out of the deal
http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2009/sports/motorsport-nissanv8-supercar-love-affair-over-15371
Safety car beer row comes to a sudden head
The much-trumpeted return of Nissan to the Australian touring car scene -- by providing the official safety and course cars for the V8 Supercar Championship -- looks to be over, barely three months into a two-year deal.
The end of the honeymoon is because of Nissan's refusal to accede to V8 Supercars Australia's wish that the new-generation GT-R safety car and Murano course vehicle carry XXXX Gold beer livery from the next round in Darwin on June 19-21.
This is an extraordinary upheaval so soon in a corporate partnership.
We can well understand a car manufacturer's concern at being associated with alcohol, well known to be a major contributing factor in road accidents.
It is one thing for the Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's brands to adorn V8 Supercars, but quite another for XXXX Gold -- or any alcohol brand -- to be associated with a SAFETY car.
We are seeking to establish whether Nissan knew at the time it signed up to provide its two vehicles to V8SA whether it was told it would be required to carry alcohol sponsorship at any point.
At a time when V8SA wants, perhaps even needs, more car companies involved with it, such a storm so early in an association could be a deterrent to other manufacturers, if indeed any are interested.
Three months ago today Nissan Australia managing director Dan Thompson said the company was "delighted to become a corporate partner (of V8 Supercars) from this season".
V8SA chief executive Cameron Levick hailed it as "a welcome return for the manufacturer" which was a big player in Australian touring car racing in the 1980s and early '90s, culminating in the success of the original GT-R in the Bathurst 1000, driven by Mark Skaife and Jim Richards.
That success did not go down well with traditional Bathurst fans, who preferred Aussie V8 Commodores and Falcons to the all-wheel-drive, turbocharged Godzilla.
When those fans vented their feelings during a victory presentation Richards returned fire by calling them "a pack of ".
But almost 20 years later Levick was welcoming Nissan's return to the tracks, albeit in a different role, as "a valuable addition to the sport and a fantastic new partner".
But after just four rounds of this year's V8 Supercar Championship, this week's Auto Action magazine reports that V8SA chairman Tony Cochrane claims to have organised a new safety and course car provider already.
"We're going to change our safety cars in time for the Darwin round," Cochrane is quoted by AA as saying.
"Let's say we have a difference of opinion with Nissan and what we want to do on the safety car.
"We want to use the safety car as an ongoing message for our fan base, particularly relevant to road safety messages and as a community billboard in that respect, and they have a difference in opinion on that -- so we are going to part company."
Nissan corporate communications manager Jeff Fisher is quoted by AA as saying Cochrane may have been "a bit premature" with those comments.
"We asked that the car not go on the track with the Lion Nathan (XXXX Gold) colors and that was complied with," Fisher told AA.
"Would we continue? Yeah, of course. If V8 Supercars wanted to remove the brewery sponsorship then we're back to normality again and the car would continue to fulfill its expectations for the rest of the year and next. But at the moment that seems to be a sticking point."
Fisher has not yet returned our message seeking clarification of the situation since the publication of AA.
We're also seeking clarification from V8SA. Among questions we have put to V8SA are:
+ Did V8SA's contract with Nissan stipulate that the manufacturer may be required at some point to carry alcohol sponsorship?
+ What make/model of car will the safety and course cars be at next V8 Supercar round?
