The leading Nissan in the 2016 Virgin Australia Supercars series grand finale at Sydney Olympic Park this weekend (December 3-4) will carry an important road safety message from the entire automotive industry.
Michael Caruso’s Nissan Altima, eighth in the title fight, will carry Genuine Is Best signage – an initiative of the industry to stamp out dangerous fake and counterfeit parts.
“It’s a great time to bring a livery that sends a fantastic message to our fans and people watching on and looking to get their Nissan checked before they start driving during the holidays,” said Caruso.
“When you have your car repaired, insist on genuine parts sourced from an authorised dealer.
“Genuine is best, and Nissan knows that better than anybody. Making sure you have the right parts in your car is incredibly important, so when you’ve got the family in the car this summer you know that they are safe and sound.”
There is increasing evidence that some fake parts can weaken the structural integrity of repaired or modified cars, which leads to component failure and potentially road trauma.
Supercar racing has long been used by road safety advocates as a valuable means of reaching out to car enthusiasts and influencing road user behaviour.
One of the most memorable campaigns was that of the late Peter Brock, who used his famous racing number 05 as a means of raising awareness of the legal blood alcohol limit for driving, and the importance of not drink-driving.
Michael Caruso’s Nissan race car signage is the second direct contact by the Genuine is Best campaign with a Supercars Australia personality.
Five times V8 Supercar champion Mark Skaife is an ambassador for Genuine is Best and has participated in several laboratory and field tests to compare genuine and fake components.
Wheel tests and pedestrian-strike safety evaluations have been part of an ongoing series of comparisons by the motor industry’s peak body, The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
In each instance the factory homologated parts have proven to have a definable performance advantage which can be related to increased safety.
Nissan Australia has endorsed Caruso’s signage in the Supercars grand finale at Sydney Olympic Park as an important way of informing Australian motorists.
Caruso faces an intense race weekend chasing Ford’s Chaz Mostert, 125 points ahead in the championship, and defending from Holden’s Tim Slade who is just 27 points behind.