Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd.
Tokyo - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd., (NISMO) announced today they would compete as a works team in the Super GT Series. NISMO also announced details of its support activities for private teams in 2005.
1. Super GT Series
Nissan will enter four Z33 Fairlady Z (350Z) models in the Super GT Series, which starts on March 27. The cars will race in the GT500 Class. NISMO will be responsible for vehicle development of all of the cars, as well as technical support. Kunihiko Kakimoto has been selected as general manager of all four teams for the second consecutive year. Hiroshi Degawa will be directly in charge of the two NISMO teams.
The Fairlady Z for 2005 has been developed with emphasis on the following 4 points: (1) improvement of driver safety in the event of a collision from the side (2) improvement of aerodynamic performance for higher straight line speeds (3) improvement of damage sustainability upon light impact and (4) improvement of serviceability.
2. Support for Private Teams
In addition to the Super GT Series, Nissan will continue to provide support for a wide range of motorsports activities during 2005.
1) March Cup Race
Nissan will host this introductory class race for the third consecutive year in 2005. The competition vehicles are based on the current K12 March, with enhancements made to the suspension and exhaust systems. Each vehicle comes with a data logger as standard to enable drivers to assess their performance and improve their driving skills.
In addition, participants of the March Cup will be able enroll in a racing school before the start of the races that provides guidance on circuit manners, car maintenance and other points.
2) Support for Privateers in Japan
NISMO will provide technical support for private teams competing in the GT300 Class of the Super GT Series and the Super Taikyu (Endurance) Series.
In the Super GT Series, three Fairlady Zs will be entered by private teams in the GT300 class.
In the Super Taikyu Series, Team Endless will field one Fairlady Z in ST1 (former Class 1). In addition, four Fairlady Zs will be entered by other private teams in ST3 (former Class 3).
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