Bikesales back in Supercars mode!

Todd Kelly will debut an updated Bikesales livery on his #7 Carsales-backed Nissan Altima at this weekend's (March 31-April 2) Supercars round at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania.

"It’s great to be representing Bikesales again for a few rounds this year,” said Kelly. "I was just starting to get used to my new livery with Carsales on it – it looked pretty good on the TV at the Grand Prix – and then I walked passed it last week and it was red!

"It’s great because Bikesales is a brand that I am very passionate about, but to be honest I’m passionate about all the Carsales platforms. The entire network covers pretty much everything we’re into between cars, bikes, boats, caravans and whatnots.”

Raised on acreage in the rural Victorian city of Mildura, Todd owned his first motorised tricycle at two years old.

"As a child, I had a small capacity three-wheeler that I started riding on,” recalled Kelly. "This is where my interest for motorcycles and more particularly off-road motorcycles began.”

Despite developing one of the most advanced racing facilities in the country, one of Kelly’s most prized possessions remains his custom Kawasaki KLX450R enduro bike.

"I can’t take any credit for my bike, that all goes to Bryan at Hand-On Kawasaki who created it,” said Kelly. "I’m not even allowed to work on it or service it! All I have to do is ride it. I walk past it in the shed and admire it every day. It’s coming up to that time of year now where the weather is cooling down to get on the bike and do a few more rides."

Following a top four result in the final support race at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, Kelly is delighted with the injection of speed in his Altima since pairing up with engineer Dilan Talabani.

"There’s a huge difference between the style of circuit between Clipsal, AGP and Symmons Plains,” said Kelly. "The style of those three tracks pretty much covers the breadth of what you’re likely to see across the entire season. But Symmons is unique, and it all comes down to how you set up your car.

"What’s most important at Symmons Plains is how you get off that hairpin, while still being able to get around the faster corners at the end of the lap," Kelly said. "I have spoken extensively with Dilan about what options we can have up our sleeve to tune for the track, so we’ll be aiming to get there and get on the pace.”

The new-look livery will remain on the Nissan for two rounds – Phillip Island is next on the calendar from April 21-23 – before returning to the traditional Carsales blue.

The Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint will feature a 50-lap race on Saturday, followed by an 84-lapper on Sunday. Follow all the action at NissanMotorsport.com.au.