New Ford Performance Racing driver David Reynolds will kick off the 2012 V8 Supercars Championship with a brand-new helmet, and he hopes his new skid lid will bring him good fortune.

The Albury-born driver had a mixed 2011 – given a lifeline back into the Championship by Kelly Racing, only to see the relationship between the parties deteriorate as the season progressed.

It has only been in the past month that the dispute between Kelly Racing and Reynolds has been resolved, but with the resolution comes a new beginning. Reynolds will drive the #55 Bottle-O Racing Falcon and he says that his fresh helmet scheme reflects his new outlook.

“I am debuting a new look helmet this weekend as with a fresh start has come a new look and my helmet should reflect that,” Reynolds said.

“It is similar to my old one but has a lot more green – I guess I am now a cross between the Incredible Hulk and Kermit the Frog. They may not have found it easy being green, but that hasn’t been the case for me so far.

“The team has been very welcoming and I have actually enjoyed seeing the garage set-up for the first time as you can see their attention to detail.

“The last few days have been busy but like everyone else I just want to get on track and start the year. We plan to make it a good one and it all starts tomorrow.”

V8 Supercars track action at the Clipsal 500 kicks off today, with four practice sessions, qualifying and the top 10 shootout.

See below for the full Practice 1 result

See below for Speedcafe.com’s Clipsal 500 Adelaide Race Guide