Nissan Motorsports have recently completed a four-day test session at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in preparation for their entry into the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship for the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Drivers Harry Tincknell, Michael Krumm, Max Chilton, Marc Gene, Jann Mardenborough and Alex Buncombe were all present to test out the brand-new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO at NCM Motorsports Park.
This track has sections which mimic various parts of the Circuit de la Sarthe, as NISMO’s Darren Cox explains: “This circuit was a great find as we now have a very good idea how the GT-R will perform through Mulsanne Corner and the Playstation chicane. This track also has its own version of the Porsche Curves – in curvature but not in topography – so it is the ideal place for us to test.”
“Testing has been going well,” said Tincknell, who carried out a large share of the driving. “We managed some laps in the dry on the first morning but it has been mainly wet since then. We have had the car running smoothly and are still learning masses every day. We have learnt a lot about the Michelin ‘wets’, especially our bespoke designed rear tyre, so it has been very useful.”
Team Principal Ben Bowlby says that: “Our focus was on optimising the suspension set up and refining elements like traction control. We’ve gone from trying to make a car go around a race track to getting the car ready to race.”
Despite the wet weather being a disappointment for the team, they have found that the car is able to run with wet tyres a long way into dry running, which will help in the 24 hour endurance race if there is rain.
The GT-R LM NISMO will be homologated at the end of the month, and it has just two more days of testing in the USA in early May. The team will then move over to Europe in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13/14.
