Photo : Christian VIGNON - ACO/Nikon

 

After the announcement of Nissan's 56th pit project for 2014, here is the story of Nissan at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is divided into three distinct phases. After thirteen years of absence, the Japanese manufacturer returned to La Sarthe with a win in LMP2 in 2011, before becoming engine partner with the DeltaWing in 2012.

2011 – It was as engine supplier that Nissan returned to prominence in La Sarthe, with a superb double in the LM P2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Zytek of Tom Kimber-Smith, Olivier Lombard and Karim Ojjeh (Greaves Motorsport) who won ahead of the Oreca of Franck Mailleux, Soheil Ayari and Lucas Ordonez (Signatech Nissan). Following the announcement of the creation of the FIA World Endurance Championship , the involvement of Nissan in the class grew in 2012.

2012 - The combination of the 4.5 litre Nissan V8 and Oreca chassis and (later joined by Morgan built by OAK Racing) became the benchmark of LM P2. For the 80th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012, the introduction of the 56th pit dedicated to cars of innovative technology running outside classification raised a lot of media attention, thanks to the amazing performance of the Nissan DeltaWing. It rose to the middle of the LM P2, field before a premature accident on the Saturday evening. But it was the fifth-place finish in October on the Road Atlanta circuit to the fifteenth edition of the Petit Le Mans that confirmed the technical merits of the Nissan DeltaWing.

2013 - For the 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (22nd & 23rd June 2013), Nissan is the main engine of the LM P2 class of seventeen cars. The Japanese manufacturer is counting on the law of big numbers to return to a victory that eluded them in 2012 in favour of Honda.

Click here to find out more about the official announcement of Nissan regarding the 24 Hours 2014

Jean-Philippe Doret

Photo: CIRCUIT OF 24 HOURS (LE MANS, SARTHE) FREE PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING, June 8, 2011. The return of Nissan to La Sarthe ends in victory for the Greaves Motorsport Zytek in LM P2.