Nissan breaks through for first V8 Supercar win

Behind the wheel of the Norton 360 Racing Nissan Altima, Moffat won the first of three races at Winton, with team mate Michael Caruso finishing second to make it a Nissan 1-2.

The race 1 win came after a strong qualifying performance that saw Caruso claim second place on the grid behind three-time series champion Jamie Whincup. The qualifying result was a personal best for Caruso. Moffat started the race from third.

Whincup led the opening stages of the 40-lap 60/60 Super Sprint race, only to suffer a mechanical problem early on.

Caruso led the field home in the first part of the race, but at the re-start, Moffat got the jump and led the remaining 20 laps.

Sunday's two races were not as fruitful for Nissan Motorsport, but the encouraging signs remain for the squad as it heads towards the all-important endurance races at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast.

Moffat then finished eleventh in race 2, and eighth in the third race of the weekend to move up to 13th place in the championship - the highest of the four Nissan Altima drivers.

Michael Caruso failed to finish the second and third races after being taken out in separate incidents - the second of which was a clash with Craig Lowndes while running 10th.

The incident saw Caruso spear into the fence with three corners of the race remaining. Lowndes was later penalised 25 championship points for his part in the crash.

The other Nissans in the field - the Jack Daniels' Racing Altimas of Todd and Rick Kelly - had less fortune at Winton.

Todd Kelly took a best of 14th place, but had his weekend spoiled by a clash with the wall after contact with Jamie Whincup.

Rick Kelly finished 14th and 22nd in the first two races of the weekend before an incident with Mark Winterbottom saw him fail to finish the third race as a result of rear suspension damage.

Moffat's victory was the first time that Nissan has won an Australian Touring Car Championship race since Mark Skaife led home team-mate Jim Richards in the Nissan GT-R (R32) at Oran Park on June 21, 1992.

The next event of the V8 Supercars Championship will be the first of the 2013 endurance races - the Wilson Security Sandown 500 on September 13-15.