After a poor performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, Nissan withdrew the GT-R LM Nismo from the FIA World Endurance Championship without announcing a date for its competitive return.
Well, Nissan has just announced that the GT-R LM Nismo will return to the FIA WEC in 2016, as the team has addressed the technical issues it faced at Le Mans in June.
Nissan says its team is in the middle of a comprehensive test and development program to prepare the revised car to race in the highly competitive LM P1 class. As part of the development program, Nissan has appointed Michael Carcamo as Team Principal, a position previously filled by Ben Bowlby.
“Ben had his hands full trying to do everything; managing the design and build but also the race and test operation. That’s a lot to ask anyone to do, especially with a concept that requires this level of development. My knowledge of Nissan engineering processes and project planning experience will help Ben and the team concentrate on making the car deliver on its promise,” said Carcamo.
While Nissan has made multiple changes to the car since Le Mans, the original design principles remain. Last week, the team completed a two-day test at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas with Harry Tincknell and Olivier Pla at the wheel.
The GT-R LM Nismo went significantly faster than in previous tests at the Circuit of The Americas and no notable reliability issues were encountered, despite the fact that it ran without KERS and new bespoke tyre specifications Michelin is currently developing based on knowledge gained from Le Mans.
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