Η Nissan παρουσίασε τα χρώματα με τα οποία το GT-R LM Nismo με το νούμερο 21 θα τρέξει στο Le Mans. Το αγωνιστικό έχει ντυθεί στα ίδια χρώματα με το οποίο το Nissan R90CK είχε πάρει την pole position στον ίδιο αγώνα, με τον εκπληκτικό χρόνο 3:27.020. Διαθέτει μπλε, λευκά και κόκκινα στοιχεία με το αυτοκίνητο να το οδηγούν οι Tsugio Matsuda, Lucas Ordóñez και Mark Shulzhitskiy.
Στις σχετικές ειδήσεις, η Nissan ολοκλήρωσε με επιτυχία τις τριήμερες δοκιμές στη πίστα NCM Motorsports Park στο Kentucky, εκεί όπου συμμετείχαν 2 GT-R LM Nismo.
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Nissan celebrates 1990 pole lap of Le Mans with retro livery for LM P1 car
The No.21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO to run in R90CK livery at Le Mans
LE MANS, France – Nissan today revealed a very special livery that will feature on the No.21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO at Le Mans. Exactly 25 years ago, at the peak of the Group C era, Mark Blundell put the Nissan R90CK on pole position with a stunning 3:27.020 lap of the Le Mans circuit.
The No.21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is Nissan’s third LM P1 car that will be raced by current Super GT Champion Tsugio Matsuda (JAP) and two winners of GT Academy, Lucas Ordóñez (ESP) and Mark Shulzhitskiy (RUS).
The No.24 Nissan R90CK will also appear at Le Mans in a special parade to mark the anniversary of the pole lap in the hands of the man who took it to the top of the tables 25 years ago, Mark Blundell. The 1100bhp car may not reach speeds of 366 km/h (227 mph) as it did in 1990, but it is certain to grab everyone’s attention.
“That lap of Le Mans is certainly a very fond memory for me,” said Blundell. “It was one of those moments where time stood still and everything went perfectly. You remember those moments, as they don’t happen all that often. It’s great to see Nissan celebrating that time with the retro livery on the #21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. I can’t wait to see it on track at Le Mans.”
“Our racing heritage is hugely important to us,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “Our 1998 car hangs on the wall at NISMO HQ in Yokohama as a reminder of our Le Mans podium, and the blue liveries of the Group C and IMSA era of the 80s and 90s are a firm favorite with the fans. So much so that when we first started talking about the possibility of a third car livery specifically for our LM P1 debut at Le Mans this year, this was the one that fans across our social media channels called for. It’s a great way to celebrate our past achievements at such a key moment in our current motor racing history.”
First Run at La Sarthe for Nissan’s LM P1 Racers this Sunday
The three Nissan GT-R LM NISMOs will be on track at Le Mans this Sunday for the official Test Day. This is the first time the cars will run at Le Mans and the first time they will run with all of the other Le Mans entrants.
The Nissan NISMO LM P1 team has three Le Mans rookies who will all need to complete their mandatory 10-lap runs during the test day. To allow the team to focus on tuning the GT-R LMs into the circuit, the rookies will all drive a Ginetta-Nissan LM P3 car that will be taking part in the test.
Once their laps are complete, the car will be handed to 2013 GT Academy USA winner Nick McMillen as part of his development – once again demonstrating the global nature of the Nissan Motorsport effort. A second LMP3 car will also be on track with Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy.
NISSAN NISMO COMPLETES THREE-DAY TEST IN U.S.
- Two Nissan GT-R LM NISMOs running at NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky
- Final driver line-up set for Le Mans 24 Hours
- Marc Gene to assume advisory role with Nissan at Le Mans
INDIANAPOLIS, USA (8 May 2015) – Nissan NISMO completed a three-day two-car test at NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky this week to continue the final preparations for next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours. The focus of the test was to complete longer runs with the pair of Nissan GT-R LM NISMOs and continue to build on the performance of the car in the run up to Le Mans.
Nissan’s full team of LM P1 drivers attended the test, including Harry Tincknell who arrived in the U.S. fresh from his LM P2 victory at the Spa round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“It’s great that every test so far has brought progress,” said Tincknell. “The closer we get to the pace, the harder it is to find time but we continue to improve. The next big test for us is the Le Mans test day, which in itself is a huge challenge. Le Mans is the hardest race in the world and we want a respectable result. We’ve had delays but we are working hard. We go there with our feet on the ground but we will push to get the best result we possibly can.”
There has been a change in Nissan’s driver line-up for Le Mans and Marc Gene will now switch to an advisory role. The line-ups for the three cars are now:
#23 – Max Chilton (GB), Jann Mardenborough (GB), Olivier Pla (FRA)
#22 – Alex Buncombe (GB), Michael Krumm (GER), Harry Tincknell (GB)
#21 (Le Mans only) – Tsugio Matsuda (JAP), Lucas Ordonez (ESP), Mark Shulzhitskiy (RUS)
Russian racer Mark Shulzhitskiy has joined the LM P1 team and he had his first run in the GT-R LM this week. Shulzhitskiy won GT Academy Russia in 2012 and has since raced in GT3 and LM P2, making his Le Mans debut in 2014.
“It was a tough decision for me to take a step back for the Le Mans 24 Hours,” said Gene. “I am so impressed with the efforts being made by the team and even though I won’t race at Le Mans I will be there to help with my knowledge of the great race. Nissan is innovating in a big way with the GTR LM. Le Mans is going to be a huge challenge and I think that the best way for me to help the team is by taking on an advisory role. I am excited to see from the garage how the car will perform at Le Mans.”
The Nissan NISMO team is now back at its Indianapolis base to complete the build of the third car before heading to its UK base at Silverstone to make the final preparations for Le Mans.
“Obviously we would like to have more time but we have had three good days of working through a long list of jobs,” said Ben Bowlby, Nissan’s LM P1 Team Principal and Technical Director. “Our focus now moves to the re-preparation of these two cars and completing the build of the third. I’m very happy with the drivers who have all applied themselves well this week and I look forward to getting on track at the Le Mans test day.”
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