Nissan's two-car GT3 assault on the Nurburgring 24-hour
- Two x GT3 spec GT-Rs to battle at the ‘Ring
- Michael Krumm returns to 24 Hour assault
Yokohama, Japan, April 6, 2016: Nissan and NISMO has doubled its efforts for this year’s Nürburgring 24-Hour with two Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 entries set to fight for the win.
Reigning Blancpain Endurance Series Champions, Nissan GT Academy Team RJN will be out to improve on its ninth place finish in last year’s ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race, but an additional GT-R will now be on track with newly signed customer team, Zakspeed.
From its headquarters based on-site the Nürburgring, the famous German squad has triumphed three times at the famous endurance classic in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
NISMO ambassador, former Super GT and FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm is the first driver confirmed for this year’s 24-hour assault.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 at the Nürburgring. The track is an enormous challenge and competing at the ‘Ring is an incredible opportunity for any driver,” Krumm said.
“Last year we had a strong run to finish in the top ten and despite the fact the competition in the GT3 category continues to get tougher, I’m confident the GT-R will be very competitive.
“The car clinched championships in Europe and Japan at the end of last year and has already been on the podium at Bathurst in Australia and led races and been on the podium in World Challenge in the US this year.”
GT Academy Team RJN and Zakspeed will contest both the Nürburgring six-hour qualification race on April 17 as well as the 24-hour.
“The Nürburgring is clearly one of the most demanding tracks in the world and a 24-hour race is an even greater challenge,” Nissan’s Global Motorsport Director, Michael Carcamo said.
“The fact that the 150+ entries represent virtually every brand in the world certainly showcases the iconic nature of this race. Last year we finished ninth and we would certainly love to build on that.Having a customer team like Zakspeed with its amazing experience at the Nürburgring will certainly enhance our program and we’re really looking forward to working with them.”
The Nordschleife circuit is renowned as one of the biggest challenges in global motorsport. The legendary circuit became a cult favorite for Nissan GT-R fans after Krumm’s then record-breaking lap of 7 minutes, 8.679 seconds in 2013.
“The road car lap by Michael was the fastest ever for a volume production car around the Nürburgring at the time so the track is certainly a very important part of GT-R history and culture,” Carcamo said. “Our engineers have certainly taken inspiration from that and lessons learned from the experience have gone into improving both the road car and race car versions of the GT-R.”
The remaining drivers for both the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN and Zakspeed entries will be revealed in the coming weeks.
ENDS
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Jane Johnstone
Marketing Communications Director
Global Motorsport Communications
Nissan/NISMO
Phone: +44 7979 710646
Email: jane.johnstone@nissan.co.uk
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 635,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world’s most popular Electric Vehicle with 97% performance satisfaction and 95% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.
