MOTORSPORT: Nissan's ultimate test looms
Only one Japanese manufacturer has won the Le Mans 24-Hour. Nissan explains its radical path in search of glory in the world’s greatest motor raceThe biggest day in Nissan’s motorsport history – the Le Mans 24-Hour with Ben Bowlby’s radical front-engined, front-wheel drive creation – is just a week away now.
Nissan’s trio of GT-R LM NISMOs did 1500km at last weekend’s official test day at France’s famous 13.2km La Sarthe circuit and, while they have tons of straight-line speed, they’ll need to slash their lap times as well as keep running twice around the clock to beat the might of Audi, Toyota and Porsche.
Le Mans is, in so many ways, the world’s greatest motor race. Certainly to many car manufacturers it is the most important.
Only one Japanese manufacturer has won this event – Mazda, in 1991.
In the accompanying video, Nissan outlines how it’s tackling the challenge.
While this year marks Nissan’s return to the premier class at Le Mans, LMP1, it will power almost a third of the 56 cars in the field.
The GT-R LM NISMOs have twin-turbocharged V6 engines but 14 of the 19 cars in LMP2 use its VK45DE V8 engine which has prevailed in that class three times in the past four years.
Official practice for the 24-Hour begins on Wednesday, with three qualifying sessions – on Wednesday and Thursday evenings – before the 83rd running of the classic over the duration of Sunday, June 14, Australian time.
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