Nissan remains upbeat about slow-running GT-R LM Nismo

Despite running at the back of the pack, Nissan says it isn’t disappointed by the results of its first test day with its radical new GT-R LM Nismo race car.
In preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans set to run later this month, Nissan began a series of test runs of its front-wheel drive GT-R LM Nismo over the weekend. The results were less than stellar, with the GT-R LM Nismo posting lap times that were more than 20 seconds off the pace of the fastest LMP1 car. In fact, the GT-R LM Nismo was more than two seconds slower than the fastest car a rung down in the LMP2 category. Most of Nissan’s laps were, however, run under rainy conditions.

Darren Cox, head of Nissan’s motorsports operations, wasn’t discouraged by the slower lap times.

“There are a lot of positives to take from the test,” Cox told Autosport. “We have three cars sitting in the garage right now with nothing wrong with them. We only had one problem that stopped us out on track and we covered a total of 1500km across the three cars.”

He added: “We were fastest in the speed trap and at the end Jann [Mardenborough] was one of the fastest cars on intermediates.”

Nissan’s GT-R LM Nismo is a departure from the norm at Le Mans, with the car utilizing a unique front-wheel drive setup. Nissan says the FWD layout allows for better aerodynamics, but, at least, so far the design doesn’t appear to be bearing fruit. Nissan has a few weeks to make adjustment before the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks off on June 13.