Kelly Racing reveals first Ford colours

Kelly Racing has unveiled new colours for Andre Heimgartner in 2020 when the squad will run Fords for the first time in its history.

The #7 Mustang will be primarily backed by NED Whisky in a multi-year deal, making for a largely white and black scheme.

Kelly Racing revealed the livery with a borrowed car, as construction of its own Mustangs continues to take place.

“It’s extremely exciting to announce a new major partnership between Kelly Racing and NED Whisky for Andre’s Mustang next year and beyond,” said team co-owner Todd Kelly.

“We’ve got a big season ahead with a lot of great opportunities made possible by the switch to Mustang so it’s fantastic to bring a new major sponsor onboard that we can share that with and start a new journey together.”

Next season shapes as a campaign full of opportunity for Heimgartner, who is coming off a strong 2019.

The Kiwi delivered a breakthrough run of performances, leading the team’s fleet of four Altimas on-track for the majority of the year and scoring two podiums along the way.

An incident-packed PIRTEK Enduro Cup plummeted him to 16th in the end-of-year standings, albeit still the lead Kelly Racing driver.

The move to the Mustang model that dominated the 2019 Supercars series presents an avenue to become a frontrunner for both Heimgartner and teammate Rick Kelly.

“It’s exciting and a big step in my racing career to have NED Whisky come onboard with a multi-year partnership for my new Ford Performance Mustang Supercar,” Heimgartner said.

“It is a fun brand and I cannot wait to represent them next year.

“Myself and the team here have the opportunity to be part of something pretty special with NED so we’ll be doing everything we can to serve them well into the future.”

Adem Karafili, chair of Top Shelf International – NED Whisky’s parent company – added: “Today is an important milestone for our growing business with the announcement of our first major partnership as a brand with Kelly Racing.

“It’s the perfect fit for what we stand for as a brand and we look forward to bringing NED Whisky to life in a number of different ways for millions of Australians across the country.”

Kelly Racing’s other entry for 2020 will be the Castrol-backed #15 driven by veteran Rick Kelly.