24h Le Mans
With the arrival of the Gibson power plant, the only engine permitted in 2017 under the new LM P2 class regulations, Nissan has reached the end of a five-year winning streak after bagging every single title up for grabs in the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.
The Nissan engine burst on to the scene in 2011, on the initiative of British outfit Greaves Motorsport. It very quickly became the benchmark engine in the class, triumphing in the LM P2 class on its Le Mans 24 Hours debut with Greaves Motorsport (2011), then again with OAK Racing (2013), Jota Sport (2014), KCMG (2015) and Signatech Alpine (2016).
Since the creation of the World Endurance Championship, only the 2012 LM P2 crown, claimed by Honda HPD, has eluded Nissan. The latter has, however, remained unbeaten since 2013, with the FIA Endurance trophies scooped by OAK Racing’s Morgan(2013), the Oreca 03R for SMP Racing (2014), the Ligier JS P2 for G-Drive Racing (2015) and the Alpine A460 fielded by Signatech Alpine (2016).
Nissan has also taken every LM P2 title in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) since 2012, with Thiriet by TDS Racing (2012), Signatech Alpine (2013 and2014), Greaves Motorsport (2015) and G-Drive Racing (2016).
In the end, the Asian Le Mans Series was the exception that confirmed the rule: Swiss team Race Performance were crowned at the end of the 2015-2016 season, powering to victory with a Judd engine fitted in an Oreca 03R chassis. On 4 December this year, the same combination raced to victory in the 4 Hours of Fuji, the second round of the 2016-2017 season.
Photo: For its final year in the LM P2 class, Nissan partnered Sir Chris Hoy’s maiden Le Mans outing. The six-time Olympic gold medallist (track cycling) drove a Ligier JS P2 for Algarve Pro.
