Nissan has entered a new two-year partnership with the French-based Signature Group racing team to field an open-cockpit LMP2-class sports car prototype in the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). As part of the deal, Nissan’s Performance and Motorsports division, NISMO, will provide 3.4-liter racing versions of the its VK series of V8 engines, which can be found under the hood of the Titan, Armada and Pathfinder models.
The Japanese company said the Signatech Nissan racing team will compete in the entire 2011 season of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) series.
The LMP2 racer will be driven by a pair of Frenchmen, 40-year-old open-wheel and sports car veteran Soheil Ayari and 25-year-old F3 and Le Mans Series racer Franck Mailleux, along with 25-year-old Spaniard Lucas Ordoñez, who is the winner of the inaugural Nissan and PlayStation GT Academy competition in Europe in 2008.
“Nissan is excited to see our new partnership with Signature kick off and we look forward to a very successful partnership with the team,” said Jon Brancheau, Vice President Marketing Nissan. “I know our customers, fans and dealers will be following our progress at Sebring and will be anticipating our return to the Le Mans 24 hours.”
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