In 2015 Nissan will enter the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO into the full FIA World Endurance Championship, marking a return to the premier class at the Le Mans 24 Hours for the Japanese manufacturer. Nissan will challenge for victory with an innovative approach and with a truly exciting product that represents the next generation of the Nissan GT-R.
« We are excited to be going head-to-head with the best sports car racing manufacturers in the world, » commented Roel de Vries, Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Nissan. « LM P1 is a proving ground for technological innovation, especially when it comes to the power sources of the future. In 2014 three different manufacturers using three different powertrain combinations won races. If you ever needed proof that LM P1 is the sharp end, this is it. »
Nissan might have been absent from the top class at Le Mans for 16 years but the company has been very active in other categories, building an envied sports car ladder that runs from the new LM P3 category, through a world-beating engine supply programme in LM P2, and onto the top step to LM P1 via the ACO’s clever ‘Garage 56′ programme, a unique class at Le Mans reserved for innovative technology that falls outside of the normal regulations
« Our LM P3 engine supply programme is a new venture for us but if it is nearly as successful as our LM P2 programme we will be very proud of our achievements, » said Shoichi Miyatani, President of NISMO. « Our LM P2 engine has powered teams to championship victories and class wins at Le Mans. Our Garage 56 projects have led us to LM P1 and the innovations that we have employed. Enormous lessons were learned from the very heavy hybridisation of the Nissan ZEOD RC and we’ve carried those lessons over into this project. »
LM P1 cars are the most extreme sports cars in racing today so, for Nissan and NISMO, the opportunity to innovate at the highest level could not be missed.
« These cars represent the pinnacle of current racing technology: huge energy recovery systems, super fuel-efficient engines and wild aerodynamics, creating extremely fast cars for their weight and endurance, » said Nissan’s LM P1 Team Principal, Ben Bowlby. « These are 24-hour racing cars that cover practically a whole Formula One season in one Le Mans race. It’s a very different challenge to F1 and much more relevant to what’s going on in road cars. If you drive from say London to Edinburgh you expect the car to get through the miles and be fast, stable, comfortable and safe and provide the handling and grip you might need if you have to come off the motorway and take some back roads – that’s the sort of challenge that Le Mans represents. It’s all about having a fast, efficient and safe car. »
The FIA World Endurance Championship provides manufacturers with the opportunity to develop new technologies for its road car range. With energy-efficiency being the key, there is no greater test for technology than a 24-hour endurance race where the gap between first and second place can be a matter of seconds after 24 hours of racing.
« It is firmly our intention that technology developed on the LM P1 car will transfer to Nissan road cars, » said de Vries. « We are developing ultra-efficient V6 twin turbo of the configuration and lineage of the Nissan GT-R. This is a more efficient but equally powerful direct injection solution so it’s a potential forerunner to future GT-R engines. Also the kinetic energy recovery technology that we’re developing through racing could indeed have potential for future road car applications. »
Nissan is a global car manufacturer so it makes sense that the LM P1 programme is a truly global project.
« The car was built in the US and will complete its initial test programme there before moving to Europe for the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, » explained Miyatani. « Engineers and mechanics from Japan has been fully integrated into the programme and, just like any race team nowadays, we have selected our personnel from all over the world. »
Taking on the best in the world and competing to win is a daunting task for Nissan. The competition is well-established and the racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship is ultra-close but this is a challenge that Nissan has accepted and the Nissan NISMO team will fight to get onto the top step of the podium like it has never fought before.
« All I want is to be sure that the team did its best, » said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. « What we’re aiming for is to have executed to the best of our ability and that’s what we’re focusing on. There’s a lot we can’t control, for example, we don’t know where our rivals are going to be when we get to the first race. If we’ve all done our best I’ll be delighted and good results will come if we continue to do our best. So our goals and targets are simply to do our best. I think that, as a group, our best will lead to some great results. »
NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO Technical Specification
| Configuration | Front-engine. Front-wheel-drive |
| Engine | Nissan VRX 30A NISMO: 3.0 litre, 60 degree V6, direct injection gasoline twin-turbo |
| Transmission | 5-speed + reverse sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system. Epicyclic final drive reduction with hydraulic limited slip differential Tilton 4-plate carbon clutch assembly |
| Chassis | FIA Homologated weight: 880 kg. Right-hand driving position 68 litre capacity FT3 fuel tank featuring electric lift and feed pumps. ERS housed ahead and beneath driverfs feet in self-contained module. |
| Bodywork | Carbon-composite body panels. Polycarbonate windscreen with hard coating CFD and full scale wind tunnel developed ultra high efficiency bodywork geometry, adjustable rear wing. |
| Suspension | Penske dampers with four-way adjustment front and rear, hydraulic rear anti-roll bar system. |
| Brakes | 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. NISMO Brake-by-Wire active brake ERS blending. Driver adjustable brake bias. |
| Wheels | BBS centre-lock, magnesium forged 16”x13” front and 16”x9” rear |
| Tyres | Michelin 31/71-16 front, 20/71-16 rear radials |
| Electrical | Cosworth engine control unit featuring: Engine control, gearbox control; Driver adjustable traction control, Anti-lag system control, Brake-by-wire, lift-and-coast fuel conservation, Drive-by-wire throttle control and ERS deployment strategy control |
| Interior | NISMO 5-point harness Lifeline lightweight extinguisher system |
| Data / display system | Cosworth Electronics with NISMO steering wheel mounted LCD |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4.645m |
| Width | 1.9m |
| Height | 1.03m |
| Minimum weight | 880kg |
| Full tank capacity | 68 litre |
LE MANS WINNER MARC GENE TO RACE THE NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO
The first driver of Nissan’s Le Mans challenger, the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, has been revealed as Marc Gene. The Spanish ace has an exemplary record in LM P1 racing with eight LM P1 Le Mans 24 Hours races under his belt. Gene’s experience is much in demand and he has been test driver at Scuderia Ferrari since 2005.
Gene will provide Nissan NISMO with a firm foundation of experience in its driving squad. He describes Le Mans as “the best race in the world” and already knows how it feels to win the great race outright after doing just that in 2009.
“We said at the start of our driver search that we wanted an established LM P1 driver who could provide the extra knowledge and experience that can only be gained by having ‘been there and done it’,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “In Marc we have found a Le Mans winner, who has raced for two LM P1 works teams and can provide a guiding hand for the other drivers who are stepping up to LM P1. We are very happy to welcome Marc to Nissan and look forward to the development of a successful relationship.”
Five minutes with Marc Gené
How important do you think it is for a new team to have an experienced driver like yourself?
“Nissan NISMO is a great team already. From the very beginning I have experienced a very good atmosphere in the team. The mechanics and engineers are all very professional and most have Le Mans experience. From my side, my experience in works teams will definitely help Nissan as I have already faced the challenge we are all now facing. Our goal is to reach the podium and ultimately win Le Mans. However we are all aware that at Le Mans there are no shortcuts and we will only achieve our goals with time and hard work, especially now that it is probably the most competitive Le Mans ever with four different manufacturers.”
What does it feel like to win Le Mans?
“Winning Le Mans was the most intense feeling I have ever had as a racing driver. I was lucky to be in the car for the final stint and on that long last lap, with all the marshals congratulating me and with more than 200,000 spectators cheering, it was impossible to contain my feelings. Then came the podium and all you can see is this huge crowd, thousands of fans who have followed the race from the beginning.”
You will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship season. What are your expectations for the year ahead?
“This season we should just focus on learning about and improving the car every time we head out onto the track, whether for testing or racing. Making it to the finish would already be an achievement on it’s own. I hope we can show that the car is competitive, especially at Le Mans.”
What can you tell us about the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO from a driver’s perspective?
“I like the aggressive look of the car, which is a consequence of a well-thought and different design, not seen before at Le Mans. From the very first laps I felt very comfortable. I could feel the very powerful engine and high efficiency of the aerodynamics.”
Are you happy to become a Nissan driver?
“I am delighted and very excited to drive for Nissan. I have always looked closely at Nissan and it’s motorsport programmes, especially at the GT-R activities and of course it’s road car models. Now to be competing with Nissan in the LM P1 GT-R in the most demanding and prestigious race in the world is something I am very proud of.”
Press release Nissan
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