After a 16-year break from the top category in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Nissan will again compete for honours in the LMP1 class this year. The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo is no ordinary racer and will challenge convention; what else should one expect from a company that raced the radical DeltaWing and ZEOD prototypes in the experimental Le Mans class?
Firstly, it is front-engined; secondly, it’s (mainly) front-wheel driven; and, lastly, it has massive internal tubes to channel the air after the front splitter through the vehicle and out at the rear to enhance aerodynamic performance. Power is provided by a twin-turbo, 3,0-litre V6 engine driving the 356 mm wide front wheels, while a flywheel hybrid system (to harness kinetic energy) can send power either to the front wheels or the 229-mm wide rear wheels via a driveshaft. The combined power figure of over 930 kW in a car that weighs 880 kg should give the Nismo serious performance potential.
Purists may scoff at the idea of a FWD Le Mans racer, but it is great to see that the WEC regulations allow engineers to be innovative rather than produce cookie-cutter designs as seen in other racing series. The GT-R LM Nismo will be in action for the first time this month at the opening round
of the WEC at Silverstone.
