As we reported earlier, our worse fears have most definitely come true. Nissan has formally announced it is withdrawing the GT-R LM Nismo from the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
This move comes after its embarrassing showing in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours race. Basically, the energy recovery system (ERS) was the main culprit, and Nissan had to run the race on engine power alone, thereby robbing the car of its natural speed. The faulty ERS compromised the car’s other systems and the 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine could not compensate for the performance deficiency.
The GT-R LM Nismo is by far the most radical vehicle that debuted at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, as its unique aerodynamics and front-wheel drive paradigm shocked most ardent followers of the sport, so it’s good to hear that they will be back.
“We know people will be disappointed, but be assured that nobody is more disappointed than us,” said Shoichi Miyatani, president of Nismo. “We are racers and we want to compete, but we also want to be competitive.”
Miyatani believes that when a company is committed towards innovation, challenges and hiccups such as this would not deter them. “When you innovate, you don’t give up at the first hurdle. We are committed to overcoming this challenge,” he added.
It is believed that the test program for the GT-R LM Nismo will continue, but not exclusively in the United States at all times. Nissan has stated “a decision on the date for Nissan’s return to the World Endurance Championship will be made in due course.”
