The Sportscar and Endurance Thread

[AndreaModa]

RIP Nissan GTR-LMP 2015-2015

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -resolved/

Well they've not thrown in the towel just yet, but you'd have to say it's not looking great is it? I suspect BMW took one look at Nissan's struggles and that made their minds up that LMP1 wasn't for them.

A real shame to be honest, it's quite a big setback for the WEC because whilst the regulations are open, there is still a significant investment required, and that may well put off other manufacturers in future. It's hard to see Toyota hanging around for more than a year or two longer after their complaints about costs. If they have another poor year in 2016 I could see them pulling the plug and then we're down the VAG show.

[mario]

RIP Nissan GTR-LMP 2015-2015

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -resolved/

Well they've not thrown in the towel just yet, but you'd have to say it's not looking great is it? I suspect BMW took one look at Nissan's struggles and that made their minds up that LMP1 wasn't for them.

A real shame to be honest, it's quite a big setback for the WEC because whilst the regulations are open, there is still a significant investment required, and that may well put off other manufacturers in future. It's hard to see Toyota hanging around for more than a year or two longer after their complaints about costs. If they have another poor year in 2016 I could see them pulling the plug and then we're down the VAG show.

Under the current regulations, the only real course of action that Nissan had was to effectively pull out.

With development of the hybrid drive system completely locked down during a season, plus the strict testing restrictions (I think that Nissan has already burned through most of its allowance for private testing), there is essentially no way that the car can be developed sufficiently in order to make it even vaguely competitive.

At best, therefore, Nissan can only really hope to withdraw, thereby freeing themselves from the development lockdown and to go through the development program that this car really needed in the first place in order to be competitive (Nissan's own engineers have admitted that the car really shouldn't have been launched until 2016, but was brought out a year early in order to try and capitalise in the publicity generated by their "Garage 56" entry in 2014).

That said, overall things do not look especially promising - the fact that Nissan are saying their entry is "depending on the progress of the test programme" suggests they are giving themselves wriggle room to quietly drop the whole program. After all, they will probably have to axe their support for the LMP2 category under the ACO's 2017 regulations, so without the LMP1 program there is little to tie Nissan to the WEC.

AndreaModa, in the case of BMW, their response when asked about an LMP1 program was to state, quite bluntly, that the current LMP1 regulations lack any marketing value for them, since it does not fit with the brand that they want to promote (their "i" electric vehicle division) and therefore holds no interest for them.

In some ways, the TS050 has a fair amount riding on it for next year - if Toyota's new can cannot compete with either VW entry, the likelihood of Toyota withdrawing will certainly go up. All in all, the ACO's policies - which were written with the explicit intention of luring more manufacturers in - might in fact end up pushing manufacturers out in the longer run.

[roblo97]

It would be awesome if Road America could get a WEC race.

[mario]

It would be awesome if Road America could get a WEC race.

They already hold a round of the United Sports Car Championship, although that series only deals with cars up to LMP2 spec - I wonder how they would deal with the LMP1 cars, especially the factory teams? Furthermore, would this race sit alongside the race in Austin, or would it replace that venue?

On another note, it seems that there is the possibility that the organisers of the Fuji 6 Hours will be throwing an interesting curveball into the mix. The organisers are considering asking the ACO if they will bend the regulations to permit three GT500 teams to compete in the 6 Hours event as unclassified runners - the idea seems to be to promote the GT500 series to a wider global audience, as well as promoting manufacturers (Honda, Nissan - now Nissan's LMP1 program is on hold - and Lexus) to a wider audience too. http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... -showdown/

[Wallio]

How much of the upgrades were part of the package to get Indycar back? As much as I love RA, Sebring should be the WEC round over here.....

[roblo97]

It would be awesome if Road America could get a WEC race.

They already hold a round of the United Sports Car Championship, although that series only deals with cars up to LMP2 spec - I wonder how they would deal with the LMP1 cars, especially the factory teams? Furthermore, would this race sit alongside the race in Austin, or would it replace that venue?

Well, LMP1 cars used to race at Road america back in the ALMS days so they should be ok. as for the second question, I have no idea if it would be standalone or a replacement for COTA

On another note, it seems that there is the possibility that the organisers of the Fuji 6 Hours will be throwing an interesting curveball into the mix. The organisers are considering asking the ACO if they will bend the regulations to permit three GT500 teams to compete in the 6 Hours event as unclassified runners - the idea seems to be to promote the GT500 series to a wider global audience, as well as promoting manufacturers (Honda, Nissan - now Nissan's LMP1 program is on hold - and Lexus) to a wider audience too. http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... -showdown/

This would be not only awesome to witness but also quite interesting because due to the advancements in the factory LMP1 cars over the winter and what has happened to the non hybrid LMP1 cars, I think the GT500 cars would sit bang in the middle in terms of pure speed.

How much of the upgrades were part of the package to get Indycar back? As much as I love RA, Sebring should be the WEC round over here.....

As for the question asked here, I have no idea but I am fairly sure that WEC would require proper pit garages. Also, a helluva lot of work would be required to get both Road America and Sebring up to task since all of the WEC rounds baring Le Mans are on circuits built to FIA Grade 1 criteria. below is a link to a PDF by the FIA of tracks and their criteria,
http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/ ... ircuit.pdf

In other news, GTA are saying that no more GT300 cars built to JAF GT300 rules can have the engines relocated meaning that the LMP2 twin turbo V6 powered Honda CRZ and the LMP1 V8 Toyota Prius are the last of the breed.
http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... ech-rules/

[mario]

It would be awesome if Road America could get a WEC race.

They already hold a round of the United Sports Car Championship, although that series only deals with cars up to LMP2 spec - I wonder how they would deal with the LMP1 cars, especially the factory teams? Furthermore, would this race sit alongside the race in Austin, or would it replace that venue?

Well, LMP1 cars used to race at Road america back in the ALMS days so they should be ok. as for the second question, I have no idea if it would be standalone or a replacement for COTA.

It is true that Road America was used for LMP1 category cars up until 2011, but there were only a relatively low number of LMP1 entrants at the time - after all, the last factory team to compete there was Audi back in 2008, and most of the entrants have been privateer teams that were typically quite a bit slower than the factory teams.

Now, we face a situation where the circuit will have to cater for a minimum of three factory teams (even if Nissan does not return in 2016, it's still likely we'll have Toyota, Audi and Porsche competing) - if those three outfits alone run two cars, as per usual, that would be more LMP1 cars from them than most of the recent ALMS races were able to muster, and chances are that they would be lapping quite a bit more quickly than they were in the past too. Add in the privateer entries - such as Rebellion and, from 2017, Strakka as well - and whilst you have the positive side that the field will be larger and more diverse, it may also be a bit of a test of the circuit and its facilities, even with the upgrades.

On another note, it seems that there is the possibility that the organisers of the Fuji 6 Hours will be throwing an interesting curveball into the mix. The organisers are considering asking the ACO if they will bend the regulations to permit three GT500 teams to compete in the 6 Hours event as unclassified runners - the idea seems to be to promote the GT500 series to a wider global audience, as well as promoting manufacturers (Honda, Nissan - now Nissan's LMP1 program is on hold - and Lexus) to a wider audience too. http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... -showdown/

This would be not only awesome to witness but also quite interesting because due to the advancements in the factory LMP1 cars over the winter and what has happened to the non hybrid LMP1 cars, I think the GT500 cars would sit bang in the middle in terms of pure speed.

If - and it is a big if, because it depends on the ACO being prepared to override its own regulations - the GT500 cars were permitted to race, I suspect they could at least pressurise the privateer entrants, though the manufacturer entrants would be a long way up the road given the amount of development work thrown at them in recent years. One area where the GT500 cars might perhaps have an advantage is in terms of range, given the limited fuel tank sizes of the LMP1 cars - does anybody know roughly what the fuel tank size of a GT500 car is?

[roblo97]

They already hold a round of the United Sports Car Championship, although that series only deals with cars up to LMP2 spec - I wonder how they would deal with the LMP1 cars, especially the factory teams? Furthermore, would this race sit alongside the race in Austin, or would it replace that venue?

Well, LMP1 cars used to race at Road america back in the ALMS days so they should be ok. as for the second question, I have no idea if it would be standalone or a replacement for COTA.

It is true that Road America was used for LMP1 category cars up until 2011, but there were only a relatively low number of LMP1 entrants at the time - after all, the last factory team to compete there was Audi back in 2008, and most of the entrants have been privateer teams that were typically quite a bit slower than the factory teams.

Now, we face a situation where the circuit will have to cater for a minimum of three factory teams (even if Nissan does not return in 2016, it's still likely we'll have Toyota, Audi and Porsche competing) - if those three outfits alone run two cars, as per usual, that would be more LMP1 cars from them than most of the recent ALMS races were able to muster, and chances are that they would be lapping quite a bit more quickly than they were in the past too. Add in the privateer entries - such as Rebellion and, from 2017, Strakka as well - and whilst you have the positive side that the field will be larger and more diverse, it may also be a bit of a test of the circuit and its facilities, even with the upgrades.

Whilst I understand the issues of the speed having increased dramatically since the ALMS days and the number of LMP1 cars being a fair bit higher as well, I did some laps of the track earlier on Forza Motorsport 4 and whilst the run off areas seem perfectly adequate in size, the track width and the pit garages, or rather lack of would be of a bit more concern even with the upgrades. another thought i that of whether the local infrastructure would be able to cope with the increased number of spectators due to the world class event being held?

On another note, it seems that there is the possibility that the organisers of the Fuji 6 Hours will be throwing an interesting curveball into the mix. The organisers are considering asking the ACO if they will bend the regulations to permit three GT500 teams to compete in the 6 Hours event as unclassified runners - the idea seems to be to promote the GT500 series to a wider global audience, as well as promoting manufacturers (Honda, Nissan - now Nissan's LMP1 program is on hold - and Lexus) to a wider audience too. http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... -showdown/

This would be not only awesome to witness but also quite interesting because due to the advancements in the factory LMP1 cars over the winter and what has happened to the non hybrid LMP1 cars, I think the GT500 cars would sit bang in the middle in terms of pure speed.

If - and it is a big if, because it depends on the ACO being prepared to override its own regulations - the GT500 cars were permitted to race, I suspect they could at least pressurise the privateer entrants, though the manufacturer entrants would be a long way up the road given the amount of development work thrown at them in recent years. One area where the GT500 cars might perhaps have an advantage is in terms of range, given the limited fuel tank sizes of the LMP1 cars - does anybody know roughly what the fuel tank size of a GT500 car is?

Whilst I do not know the fuel tank size of a GT500 car and agree on the statement made on where the GT500 cars would fall in terms of outright pace, something in the article caught my eye. It said...

The FIA WEC organisation has pointed out that under the sporting regulations such a move would not be possible due to art 16A which states – “The Events are reserved exclusively for “Le Mans Prototype”cars (hereinafter LMP1 and LMP2) and “Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance” cars (hereinafter LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am) as defined in the applicable Technical Regulations and homologated by the FIA and/or the ACO, in accordance with the 2015 Technical Regulations.” However it would not be the first time such regulations have been overturned in an FIA series, or overlooked after manufacturer lobbying.

I have highlighted the part in bold in particular as I am not sure when that last happened.
Another point is that GT500 teams normally only use 2 drivers for the Suzuka 1000km, which takes a little bit over 6 hours normally, whereas in the WEC, all of the cars are driven by 3 drivers so whether the Super Gt teams would have to draft in an extra driver for this event if it were to ever go ahead because it requires the ACO overriding one of their own rules for it to even happen, or would they just use their normal 2 drivers in the car?

[Nessafox]

Not many points of interest in the 24hours of Zolder, who have gone (rightfully so) back to amateur level. A healthy list of around 60 participants suggest that this was the right way to go. That's 4 times the size of what we saw 3 years ago.
One notable name i saw on the entry list, though, is Louis Délétraz.

[roblo97]

This beast has been spotted in the rolling hills of Tuscany today.


Yes it is the new Ferrari 488 GTE which will be replacing the 458 for the start of next season.
Speaking of the 458 GTE, AF Corse locked out the front row in qualifying at the Nurburgring with HWNSNBM's team mate, Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander beating the sister car of James Calado and Davide Rigon. AF Corse also got pole in the GTE Am class thanks to Andrea Bertolini, Aleksey Basov and Viktor Shaytar.
In LMP2, it was the KCMG Oreca of Le mans 24 Hours Winner, Nick Tandy, Matt Howson and Richard Bradley with Nick and Matt doing the driving. It was the #18 Porsche which took the pole thanks to Marc Leib and Romain Dumas with the sister car driven by Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard.

[nome66]

the only thing about the new car that jumps out at me are the side intakes and that's it, really. otherwise looks like the old 458 with replaced headlights.

so, are the GTE/GTLM cars like the old GT2 machines? they seem a bit quicker than GT3's, but i haven't really seen any direct comparisons apart from the 3 SRT Vipers last year racing next to each other.

[Nessafox]

the only thing about the new car that jumps out at me are the side intakes and that's it, really. otherwise looks like the old 458 with replaced headlights.

so, are the GTE/GTLM cars like the old GT2 machines? they seem a bit quicker than GT3's, but i haven't really seen any direct comparisons apart from the 3 SRT Vipers last year racing next to each other.

Well, they're the direct successor to the GT2 category.

[RealRacingRoots]

the only thing about the new car that jumps out at me are the side intakes and that's it, really. otherwise looks like the old 458 with replaced headlights.

so, are the GTE/GTLM cars like the old GT2 machines? they seem a bit quicker than GT3's, but i haven't really seen any direct comparisons apart from the 3 SRT Vipers last year racing next to each other.

GT2 had it's name changed to GTE, and GTLM in TUSC, because it's awkward have a GT2 class with no GT1 bigger brother. So in terms of what's happening next year to the GTE regulations, it's turning into GT1.5 in terms of performance.

As for the 3 Vipers, I imagine that they are all broadley the same, with the big difference being the fact that everyone has to use the same rear wing in GTDaytona (until the end of this year), and some various technical regulation things that don't change performance. Pace wise, between GTE and GT3, the gap between them has closed at a alarming rate to where they are fairly even, even though they make the time in different ways. Otherwise GT3 is a case of where everything is made up, and the rule book doesn't matter, ever. (Unlike GTE where they try to have it matter)

[roblo97]

As the balance of performance testing is happening at Michelin's test track at Ladoux, Aston Martin have launched their new GTE/GTLM car and it has a redesigned front splitter and a huge new rear diffuser as per the regulations as well as other aero changes.


In other news, the non hybrid LMP1 are are getting performance breaks for COTA in the form of a larger fuel tank capacity to 75 liters from 67.4 liters as well as an increase in maximum fuel flow and a boost in petrol energy to bring them closer to the hybrid LMP1 cars. It should be interesting to see the effectiveness of these changes because this could bring them potentially, right up to the Toyotas.

[roblo97]

It was announced today that Gibson Technology will be the sole engine supplier for the LMP2 class for 2017 in FIA and ACO series with Cosworth supplying the electronics. there is something interesting about this in that the rules stipulate a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated and producing 600hp. Gibson designed and built a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated for LMP1 use a few years back and that was putting out 650hp. Theoretically, they could just make a few small tweaks to that engine to make it produce 600hp but I reckon Gibson Technology will be building a brand new engine to integrate better with the power output and the Cosworth electronics .

[Bobby Doorknobs]

JPM could be offered a Porsche LMP1 test.

Although apparently they're not making any short-term changes to their driver line-up. Still, I hope to see him go for that Triple Crown soon

[mario]

It was announced today that Gibson Technology will be the sole engine supplier for the LMP2 class for 2017 in FIA and ACO series with Cosworth supplying the electronics. there is something interesting about this in that the rules stipulate a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated and producing 600hp. Gibson designed and built a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated for LMP1 use a few years back and that was putting out 650hp. Theoretically, they could just make a few small tweaks to that engine to make it produce 600hp but I reckon Gibson Technology will be building a brand new engine to integrate better with the power output and the Cosworth electronics .

I am a little surprised that Gibson were given the contract for the engine supply deal, because on paper their existing designs would not be eligible under the proposed regulations (the ACO's original proposal was essentially two four cylinder Global Race Engines with a common crank shaft). In theory, I suppose that if the ACO agreed to it, Gibson could adapt that existing design to the new regulations - however, I imagine that they will give it a fairly thorough overhaul in order to comply with the requirements on longevity and maintenance requirements.

[roblo97]

It was announced today that Gibson Technology will be the sole engine supplier for the LMP2 class for 2017 in FIA and ACO series with Cosworth supplying the electronics. there is something interesting about this in that the rules stipulate a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated and producing 600hp. Gibson designed and built a 4L V8 which is naturally aspirated for LMP1 use a few years back and that was putting out 650hp. Theoretically, they could just make a few small tweaks to that engine to make it produce 600hp but I reckon Gibson Technology will be building a brand new engine to integrate better with the power output and the Cosworth electronics .

I am a little surprised that Gibson were given the contract for the engine supply deal, because on paper their existing designs would not be eligible under the proposed regulations (the ACO's original proposal was essentially two four cylinder Global Race Engines with a common crank shaft). In theory, I suppose that if the ACO agreed to it, Gibson could adapt that existing design to the new regulations - however, I imagine that they will give it a fairly thorough overhaul in order to comply with the requirements on longevity and maintenance requirements.

I think a brand new design will what they will do, It was only a theoretical solution that the existing engine was modified.
In other news, WEC have announced that they will be off to Mexico next year on the first weekend of September. It is still to be confirmed by the FIA World Motorsport Council.
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/2016 ... -released/
Other than that, the races are the same, Silverstone will be on the 15th-17th of April.

[AxelP800]

Oh my! Thanks to heavens playing part in Petit Le Mans, Nick Tandy of Porsche GTLM wins outrightly! Yes, GTLM wins outright! The first Prototype class finished at 3rd place. What a race that was!

[mario]

So, it now seems that Darren Cox, the head of Nissan's NISMO division and one of the drivers behind Nissan's WEC program, has announced that he is leaving the company. http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/10/3 ... issan.html

With his departure, I do wonder if there will still be the drive for Nissan to resume their LMP1 program next year - perhaps I am rather pessimistic, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is a prelude to development being "indefinitely suspended".

[roblo97]

There was a big announcement from Ginetta this morning regarding the new G57.

It will have a 580hp Chevrolet LS3 and more downforce than the current LMP3 but the interesting part is what happens when you read into some of the comments made by those at the company.

European Le Mans Series provided the perfect platform to further introduce the Ginetta brand to the European marketplace, and we worked closely with the ACO to ensure both the car and the series was a success. As a business, we must now continue towards our goal of increasing export, which inevitably means creating a new, and significantly faster, car which is eligible for competition on a number of different global platforms.

We’ve had a great season with ELMS, but Team LNT had only ever planned to contest one full season. For 2016, we will continue to support our customers who remain within the series, but as a manufacturer, our attentions now turn to the Ginetta G57.

Reading between the lines, to me it seams as if someone or something has peeved the people at Ginetta off, be it missing out, like so many other manufactures, on an LMP2 contract for 2017 or the issues with LMP3, namely the powertrain.

[roblo97]

Much better than the earlier spy shot from Mugello which I posted earlier.

[Miguel98]

Alexander Wurz has announced his retirement from driving today.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/wurz-announces-retirement/

This obviously opens a spot in the Toyota factory team. The question is, for who? Will Toyota promote one of their Super GT drivers, or will they give a youngster a chance?

[roblo97]

Alexander Wurz has announced his retirement from driving today.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/wurz-announces-retirement/

This obviously opens a spot in the Toyota factory team. The question is, for who? Will Toyota promote one of their Super GT drivers, or will they give a youngster a chance?

Kamui Kobayashi was called up to be on standby should Kazuki Nakajima not be fit to race following his back injury from practice 1 at Spa this year.

[AxelP800]

Webber with Bradley and Benhardt won WEC title. Finally! Awesome classic battle by Porsche #18 vs Audi #7. WEC is now ahead of F1.

But the amount of response is saddening. Watch WEC people! You won't regret it!

[Bobby Doorknobs]

But the amount of response is saddening. Watch WEC people! You won't regret it!

The thing is, as great as WEC is, the fact that the races are as long as they are means a lot of people just do not have the time to sit down and watch six hours of racing. I know that's the way WEC is and it wouldn't be an endurance championship otherwise but it's too much to ask for many people. I try to watch as much racing as I can, I enjoy WEC when I get the chance, but even I can't devote so much time in one day for one race most of the time; I have other things I want to do on a weekend. This is why there is so little response. That isn't going to change unless WEC becomes more like its predecessor did before its demise in the early nineties by having races closer to Grand Prix distance, but then the 'E' would become meaningless so it's probably not going to change and... yeah, I'm going around in circles now

[AxelP800]

But the amount of response is saddening. Watch WEC people! You won't regret it!

The thing is, as great as WEC is, the fact that the races are as long as they are means a lot of people just do not have the time to sit down and watch six hours of racing. I know that's the way WEC is and it wouldn't be an endurance championship otherwise but it's too much to ask for many people. I try to watch as much racing as I can, I enjoy WEC when I get the chance, but even I can't devote so much time in one day for one race most of the time; I have other things I want to do on a weekend. This is why there is so little response. That isn't going to change unless WEC becomes more like its predecessor did before its demise in the early nineties by having races closer to Grand Prix distance, but then the 'E' would become meaningless so it's probably not going to change and... yeah, I'm going around in circles now

Funny enough, yesterday I watched only from hour 2 to hour 4, and had I not been tired, I would watch it to finish. But between those hours were when the battle on the rage!

[AndreaModa]

We've raised this before in the thread, but what they need is a mixture of distances. Two hour races, 1000km races, 4 hour races, six hour races as they have now, and for the love of god at least one 12 hour race. Having Sebring in the first season was such a smart move. Why they don't go back is beyond me.

An ideal calendar in my mind would contain:

6 Hours of Silverstone
6 or 12 Hours of Spa
6 or 12 Hours of Suzuka/Fuji
6 Hours of Road America?
12 Hours of Sebring
24 Hours of Le Mans
1000km of Monza
1000km of Nurburgring
2 Hours of Austin (or maybe the "COTA Sprint" or something else more marketable)
2 Hours of Sao Paulo
2 Hours of Bahrain/other Gulf state paying serious dollar.
2 or 4 Hours of Malaysia/Barcelona/Imola/Hockenheim/Zolder (or other similar "fringe" tracks - pick your favourite)
Could use an Australian round as well perhaps.

But ultimately you'd have around 12-15 rounds of varying length. Lots of potential to rekindle classic races and use new venues for endurance racing too.

[mario]

So, although VW intend to continue pushing forward with their WEC for both Porsche and Audi, it looks like both outfits are feeling some of the repercussions of the scandal around VW.

In a joint statement, both marques have announced that they are going to scale back their efforts at Le Mans to just a two car entry, rather than the three car entries of recent years, in order to cut costs as a result of budget cuts across the whole of VW's business activities. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122046

As the article notes, it now looks as if, even if drivers in F1 had wanted to compete at Le Mans, they wouldn't have found a seat available for them anyway - and might just prove to be a little bit of a nasty shock to the ACO as well, given how dependent they've been on the largesse of VW too.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I would love too see an Australian WEC round. Probably would get decent interest here, considering Webber is still fairly well known here. Even people I know who don't actively follow motorsport would remember who he is.

As for a possible track, I suggest SA Motorsport Park. A new circuit under early construction at Tailem Bend, A rural town about 100km south-east of Adelaide

[girry]

Which FIA grade is that track going to be? It looks to have an interesting track profile, with some actual long radius corners. I thought they were getting forced extinct.

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Which FIA grade is that track going to be? It looks to have an interesting track profile, with some actual long radius corners. I thought they were getting forced extinct.

It will be Grade 2, so it does actually sound feasible.

[Salamander]

The only issue is that there's a distinct lack of decent-length straights, so it's going to be a bit difficult to follow another car through most of the lap - on the other hand, it does raise the possibility of a mistake from a driver.

[roblo97]

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/12/2 ... -lmp1.html

Yes, Nissan have finally realised that the unreliable, slow and ill-handling GTR-LM was never going to be anywhere near vaguely competitive against the other LMP1 cars and have decided to not bother in the WEC next year.
However, it also means that is out of an LMP1 seat although it remains to be seen if they do Le Mans or not.

[Dj_bereta]

Nissan had a Mclaren-Honda year.

[FMecha]

Even worse is that the Nissan management remotely fired the GT-R LMP1 employees by email and even secretly changed the building's passcodes to prevent them to return.

That's just harsh.

[mario]

Even worse is that the Nissan management remotely fired the GT-R LMP1 employees by email and even secretly changed the building's passcodes to prevent them to return.

That's just harsh.

Frankly, that is a pretty disgraceful way to treat the people working there - it is bad enough to fire them only a handful of days before Christmas, but to do it in such an underhanded manner is simply inexcusable.

Sadly, I am not surprised that the decision has been made to axe the project in the end, as it sounds as if Nissan's senior management had massively underestimated the required resources and necessary development time, not to mention being somewhat delusional about their chances of success with such an underdeveloped car.

I hate to say it, but this just feels like a rerun of the AMR-One farce - an underdeveloped car with quirky development aspects that was delivered with a bombastic media blitz, failed abjectly on the track and was then quietly sidelined so it could then be quietly dropped once the media buzz had died away.

I also have to wonder how this could impact on the ACO's plans for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. With Porsche and Audi cutting back to two car entries and Nissan withdrawing entirely, the LMP1 field has effectively shrunk by five cars this year (assuming Nissan would have run three cars and Toyota doesn't run a third car) - that's a bit awkward at a time when the ACO is expanding the entry list from 56 to 58 cars.

OK, they should be guaranteed a two car entry from Ford, but those cars aren't replacing the LMP1 entries given the increased size of the field. When you add in the requirement for reserve entries (given there inevitably will be some who withdraw), I wouldn't be surprised if we see the ACO turning to additional GT Am entries to pad out the field.

[FMecha]

The more I thought about it, can I compare Torotrak, the company responsible for Nissan's ill-fated hybrid system, to Shannon Racing's dealings with Forti? Except that we are dealing with promised hybrid system making a team go rejectful instead of money (to an already reject team).

[golic_2004]

Sergio Perez backing an Aston Martin team for the Rolex 24 next year with his brother as one of the drivers. http://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/per ... 24-664752/
I think that says something about Force India and Aston Martin.

[roblo97]

Van Der Garde confirmed to be racing in the ELMS for Jota alongside Simon Dolan and someone else