The GT-R LM Nismo race cars were introduced to the WEC circuit in 2015, where they struggled to keep up with the established teams in LMP1. It appears the team was unable to overcome the complications of implementing a hybrid system while simultaneously pioneering a front-wheel-drive architecture in the highly competitive LMP1 class.
“The teams worked diligently to bring the vehicles up to the desired performance levels,” Nissan said in the announcement. “However, the company concluded that the program would not be able to reach its ambitions and decided to focus on developing its longer term racing strategies.”
Nissan announced in August that its WEC effort was being suspended indefinitely in order to focus on the complications that arose during the cars’ first Le Mans outing in June. Only one of the three factory cars finished the race, and none of them ran with their hybrid systems fully functioning, which severely limited their power output.
The cars under-performed so drastically in qualifying at Le Mans that they were all issued penalties for being too slow relatively to their class, relegating them to the back of the prototype grid before the race even began.
Nissan will continue to participate in WEC as an engine supplier, but no factory-backed race cars will be developed.
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