Tincknell’s title shot

Tincknell’s title shot
Posted on October 16, 2025

Nissan LM P1 driver Harry Tincknell will enter this weekend’s final round of the European Le Mans Series with a shot at championship success. The 2015 ELMS reaches its climax this weekend in Estoril, Portugal. The result of Sunday’s four-hour race will decide the winners of the 2015 LM P2 championship and three Nissan-powered teams are in with a shot at the title. JOTA Sport lead the way but Greaves Motorsport are just one-point behind and Thiriet by TDS Racing currently sit third with a 10-point deficit to the top of the table. These three Nissan-powered teams have won every race between them this year so Estoril is going to be a close fight to the finish. “We head to Estoril leading the championship and of course the aim is still to be leading it when the chequered flag drops!” said Tincknell. “It’s been a great season for JOTA Sport, we’ve been on the podium in every race we’ve contested so far this season and as a team we’ve grown even stronger than last year. “We only have a slender lead however, so our focus has to be the same, to go out and win the race. If we do that, then the championship is in our own hands. Estoril is a track that should really suit the Gibson chassis and the Nissan NISMO engine has been the class of the LMP2 field all season.” The LM P2 title may still be up for grabs but the 2015 European Le Mans Series LM P3 title was decided last time out at Paul Ricard in France. Nissan’s Sir Chris Hoy and...

Nissan to make LM P1 return in 2016
Posted on October 1, 2025

Nissan today announced that the innovative Nissan GT-R LM NISMO will return to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016. The team has been working hard to address the technical issues faced at Le Mans in June and is in the middle of a comprehensive test and development programme to prepare the new car to race against the tough competition it faces in the LM P1 class. As part of the development programme a recruitment drive has taken place to provide the race team with additional expertise and support, including the appointment of Michael Carcamo who has transferred from Nissan Mexico to NISMO to share the heavy load on Ben Bowlby’s shoulders. Mike Carcamo takes the role of Team Principal, a position previously filled by Bowlby. “Ben had his hands full trying to do everything; managing the design and build but also the race and test operation,” explained Carcamo. “That’s a lot to ask anyone to do, especially with a concept that requires this level of development. My knowledge of Nissan engineering processes and project planning experience will help Ben and the team concentrate on making the car deliver on it’s promise. The challenge that we took on was a monumental task. “We have to learn all of the dynamics of this new vehicle and all the performance tuning so it takes a long time to find the sweet spot of performance. We recognise that challenge and we’ve added the resources and infrastructure behind the programme to try and bring it to that next level.” Multiple changes have been made to the car since Le Mans but...
Buncombe & Co take GT3 crown

Buncombe & Co take GT3 crown
Posted on September 20, 2025

The #23 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 line-up of LM P1 ace Alex Buncombe (GB) plus Katsumasa Chiyo (JAP) and Wolfgang Reip (BEL) has won the Blancpain Endurance PRO Driver’s Championship. Third place in a nail-biting, season-closing race at the Nürburgring in Germany sealed the title win for Nissan after a season of hard racing in what is accepted to be the biggest GT championship in the world. Nissan has previously taken the GT4 European title and more recently the Blancpain Endurance PRO AM title. 2015 is the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN’s first attempt at the PRO title so it is a huge accomplishment to win in its debut PRO season. The Nissan drivers set themselves up for a good race when Buncombe took second overall in qualifying, bagging a front row starting spot for the #23 GT-R. Gaetan Paletou (FRA) then continued the great form he has shown at the Nürburgring, taking the PRO AM pole position, which was eighth place on the overall grid. When the lights went green it was the #173 Always Evolving Nissan GT-R of Craig Dolby that dived to the inside to take the race lead. Chiyo took the outside line from his side of the grid and came out in fourth place despite a shove from one of the Bentleys. By the end of lap one the #23 car was in fourth with Buncombe’s LM P1 teammate Harry Tincknell in 10th place in the sister #22 GT-R. Chiyo managed to slip into third place after a few minutes and set off after the second placed Lamborghini but despite his best efforts there...
Mardenborough for GP2 debut

Mardenborough for GP2 debut
Posted on September 2, 2025

Nissan’s LM P1 ace and former GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough will take another step up the ladder towards Formula 1 this weekend when he competes in the GP2 Series at Monza in Italy. Dubbed the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, Monza is a great place to make a GP2 debut and Mardenborough will be out to show the form that has made him one of the standout winners of the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy. Jann will jump into the #4 GP2 car of Sean Gelael - who is racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Silverstone this weekend – to compete at Monza. Throughout 2015, Mardenborough has been racing in the GP3 Series with Carlin Motorsport, one of the most successful single-seater teams outside of Formula 1. Team boss Trevor Carlin is one of the industry’s best talent-spotters and counts Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen amongst the Carlin alumni. “With Sean busy completing his full season in Formula Renault 3.5, we had the ideal opportunity to give a driver a taste of GP2 at one of the greatest circuits in Europe,” said Carlin. “Jann is a very talented and fast driver and has suffered some bad luck this season which means he hasn’t claimed the results he’s capable of. Although this weekend will be a big learning curve for him, we’re pleased to give one of our GP3 drivers the opportunity to step up to the next level and will be focused on helping Jann get the most from the experience.” For now this is the only GP2 event for Jann so the 23 year-old from Cardiff...
Buncombe heads “down under”

Buncombe heads “down under”
Posted on August 31, 2025

Nissan LM P1 driver and the longest standing NISMO Athlete of them all, Alex Buncombe, has just arrived in Australia for the first of the three V8 Supercars ‘Enduros’. The British driver joins Todd Kelly in the #7 Nissan Altima V8 in the Sandown 500, the Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 600 in September and October. Buncombe wasted no time in getting down to business and is already behind the wheel of the #7 Nissan at Winton Motor Raceway, to reacquaint himself with the car, mindful of the fact that he had a lot to learn when he made the same swap last year. “Last year was tough as it was my first time in a V8 Supercar but what I did then will stand me in good stead for this year,” said Buncombe. “Knowing the car is what it’s all about so I’ll know what to expect and I should be a lot more comfortable than last year. I’ll also have good knowledge of Sandown and Gold Coast, which are tricky circuits and were new to me last time out.” Buncombe heads “down under” was last modified: August 31st, 2015 by Paul...

Nissan to address technical issues
Posted on August 7, 2025

Nissan today announced that it will delay its return to the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and instead focus on technical issues that challenged its race team during the Le Mans 24 Hours. Issues with the energy recovery system (ERS) meant that Nissan had to run at the Le Mans 24 Hours on engine power alone. The bespoke Nissan V6 3-litre twin turbo petrol engine and the unique aerodynamics of the GT-R LM NISMO proved to be the main strengths of the car at Le Mans but without a fully working ERS, many of the car’s other systems were compromised. “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. That is why we have chosen to continue our test programme and prepare the GT-R LM NISMO for the strong competition we face in the World Endurance Championship. When you innovate you don’t give up at the first hurdle. We are committed to overcoming this challenge.” This news only affects Nissan’s LM P1 programme. The manufacturer’s global motorsport programmes continue unabated as Nissan strives to add to its tally of victories in the Blancpain Endurance Series, Super GT and the many other championships it competes in. Nissan’s pioneering GT Academy programme is now entering the ‘Race Camp’ phase where the first of the 2015 graduates will be chosen before going on to compete as NISMO Athletes all over the world. “We’ve said it before but innovation hurts,” said...
2016 NISSAN NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO