The Japanese automaker fielded three examples in the annual endurance race, however two failed to finish at the third spent more than a third of the race in the garage rather than competing on the track.
Nissan LMP1 technical director Ben Bowlby defended the program during qualifying, when problems first started to appear. He pointed out that the cars are new, requiring extensive development and tuning work ahead of and during their racing debuts.
The company may not be quite as optimistic internally, and the program is currently being reviewed by high-level executives to decide its fate, multiple unnamed sources told Sportscar365.
The GT-R LM Nismo features a unique front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, providing some aerodynamic advantages thanks to a low hood. The GT-R’s twin-turbocharged V6 engine provided weight over the front wheels to improve grip, but special traction-control management and other tricks were required to mitigate understeer.
Approximately half of the GT-R LM Nismo’s 1,250 horsepower is delivered by electric motor, however the hybrid system may have been the Achilles heel at Le Mans. The system was reportedly disabled on all three cars, including the finisher. The technology is rumored to be headed to the road-going GT-R, regardless of the racing program’s fate.
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