It’s that time of year again where race teams open up their garages to reveal what they’ve been working on all winter. On Monday, Nissan announced its global motorsport plans for the year and there are a few surprises. The big news is Nissan’s debut in the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E Championships.
Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to debut in the Formula E Championship heading into its fifth season. The company plans to unveil its new Formula E livery this year at the Geneva Motor Show in March. This year in Formula E, teams will have a new chassis and battery combination as well as new powertrains. The goal is to eliminate the mid-race car swap that was previously part of Formula E racing.
Nissan is also entering four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500s. Last year, the company missed winning the title in the Super GT GT500 Class by only two points. They won back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015, then won five out of eight races in 2016. This year’s updates to the car include aerodynamic improvements, enhanced drivability with increased engine output and a revision of all alterable components to optimize the car’s potential.
The company will be an engine supplier in prototype racing for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Their IMSA partner, Extreme Speed Motorsports, will use the GT-R GT3-based VR38 engine while their FIA Partner, ByKOLLES Racing, will feature their 3.0-liter turbo v-6 VRX30A evo.
Speaking on the upcoming racing season Michael Carcamo, Nissan’s Global Motorsports Director said, “Everyone at Nissan and NISMO is very excited about the year ahead. Formula E is a great new opportunity for Nissan, and we’re looking forward to combining the brand’s experience as a market leader for EV technology for the road—and taking that knowledge to the race track. We’ve got a hungry new lineup in Super GT, eager to chase down another championship for Nissan, and an eagerly awaited updated version of the GT-R NISMO GT3 that will race this year. On the engine front, in prototype racing, we’re the only brand in the world that will power contenders in all the major championships around the world—FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series.”