Nissan Returning to Le Mans LMP1 With GT-R
Nissan is entering two GT-R race cars into the top class at one of the world’s most prestigious races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The car, known as the GT-R LM NISMO, will be competing against other factory-backed teams from Porsche, Toyota and Audi, in a bid to win the LMP1 category. Nissan is currently involved in racing around the world with the GT-R GT3 car, and its most recent Le Mans effort came from the experimental Delta Wing project.
“We want to win in a very different way to that of our rivals. We won’t be turning up in a vehicle which is a basically another hybrid that looks like another Porsche, Audi or Toyota – they all look the same to me – our intention is to do something that is a little bit different,” said Nissan’s Chief Planning Officer & Executive Vice-President Andy Palmer.
This year, Nissan will run its ZEOD RC all-electric race car at Le Mans from Garage 56 which is reserved for experimental technology. Much of the technology that is going into this EV is likely to turn up in the GT-R LM NISMO when it hits the grid at Le Mans in 2015.
“You don’t go to Le Mans to just turn up,” said Palmer. “The brief to the team is to go with something different. Go with something that brings new technology, which is transferable to the road car technology and an approach that is innovative and exciting, and of course, go to win.”
Testing for the LMP1 car is said to begin in October, 2014, with further details on the car to be released in the coming months.
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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