Need for speed: Nissan withdraws GT-R LM Le Mans racer to fix it

Nissan has temporarily pulled out of the LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship to buy itself time to address serious issues with its GT-R racer.

The decision comes after a terrible showing for the Japanese car maker in June’s Le Mans 24 Hour, when the GT-R race car was disqualified for spending over a third of the timed race in the pits with problems.

Perhaps worse still, when occasionally running, was the GT-R’s pace. Using a complex hybrid system that employs four powertrains the Nissan hybrid had to run without its electronic boosts, meaning cars in lower classes were far faster.

Speaking following the announcement, NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani said: “We know people will be disappointed but be assured that nobody is more disappointed than us.

“When you innovate you don’t give up at the first hurdle. We are committed to overcoming this challenge.”

Nissan’s return to LMP1 after a 15 year absence was accompanied by huge hype, fuelled by the unique, state-of-the-art race car but has subsequently attracted huge criticism over its pace and reliability from other teams.

It’s not known how long Nissan will take to continue to develop the existing car or, indeed if they will start again with a more conventional approach.