Nissan Withdraws GT-R LM Nismo From The FIA WEC To “Focus On Technical Issues”

As innovative and unconventional the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo endurance racer is, the truth is its performance at the Le Mans 24 Hours was rather embarrassing.

As many expected, Nissan has announced it is withdrawing the GT-R LM Nismo from the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) to fix the technical issues encountered at Le Mans. The front-wheel drive race car will remain in test program for an unknown period of time before re-joining the FIA WEC.

Nissan had to run at the Le Mans 24 Hours on engine power alone because of issues with the energy recovery system (ERS). While the bespoke Nissan 3.0-liter twin turbo V6 gasoline engine and the unique aerodynamics of the GT-R LM Nismo proved to be the main strengths of the car at Le Mans, many of the car’s other systems were compromised because of the faulty ERS.

“We know people will be disappointed, but be assured that nobody is more disappointed than us,” said Shoichi Miyatani, president of Nismo. “We are racers and we want to compete, but we also want to be competitive. That is why we have chosen to continue our test program and prepare the GT-R LM Nismo for the strong competition we face in the World Endurance Championship. When you innovate, you don’t give up at the first hurdle. We are committed to overcoming this challenge,” the executive added.

Nissan will continue the test program for the GT-R LM Nismo, predominantly but not exclusively in the United States. Depending on the progress of the test program, “a decision on the date for Nissan’s return to the World Endurance Championship will be made in due course,” the company said.

This decision only affects Nissan’s LM P1 program, while the rest of the carmaker’s global motorsport programs will continue as planned.