You don't often get taken utterly off guard by incoming news these days, but this one was a proper surprise. Nissan is going to come back to the Le Mans 24hrs, racing in the top LMP1 category against Audi, Toyota and Porsche. It will do this with a new prototype racer dubbed the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. The name is intended to draw a direct link between the racer and Nissan's impressive bloodline of GT-R and Skyline supercars. Best of all, we won't have to wait long for this mouth-watering four-way Le Mans battle; Nissan says it will compete in the 2015 running of the French classic.
"Innovation is at the heart of everything we do," said Nissan's Chief Planning Office & Executive Vice-President Andy Palmer. "There is no better place to demonstrate innovation than here in Europe's new hot-bed of digital marketing and, from next year, on track at Le Mans. We have chosen this venue - and made it a celebration, rather than yet another press conference - to reflect the fact that when we go racing, we do so differently.
"We applaud the ACO and FIA for the work they have done to get the rules right," continued Palmer. "LMP1 is not just an arms race - all our rivals in the class have taken different technical approaches and we will be doing the same. We want to win in a very different way to that of our rivals. We won't be turning up in a vehicle which is a basically another hybrid that looks like another Porsche, Audi or Toyota - they all look the same to me - our intention is to do something that is a little bit different."
That could be taken to mean that Nissan will be using a significant amount of electric power in its racing car. This year, Nissan will be running its striking Deltawing-based ZEOD racer in the 'Garage 56' category at Le Mans - which means it's there to encourage innovation but won't be eligible for an outright win or championship points. The ZEOD is essentially a range-extender electric vehicle, so it seems likely that there will be some technology transfer between this car and the GT-R LM NISMO in order to take on the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the Toyota TS030 hybrid and the Porsche 919 hybrid.
Electricity won't be the only attention-grabbing thing about the NISMO racer though; Nissan will be leveraging every marketing angle to get the most from its new Le Mans adventure. "Nissan is connecting in motorsport in many ways through its performance arm, NISMO," said NISMO Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox. "In recent years we have taken a new approach to motorsport - not racing for racing's sake - but carefully considering our reasons to engage with our global competition."
"Marketing innovation is important to us and Le Mans is an incredible marketing platform," continued Cox. "We are a big, passionate, innovative brand that wants a presence on the world stage. NISMO isn't just a big building in Yokohama full of top-level motorsport talent. NISMO stands for everything we love about racing. This year we have four gamers racing at Le Mans (graduates of Nissan's GT Academy, which takes PlayStation racers and turns them into top flight drivers) and, now that Sir Chris Hoy is racing with us in British GT and learning the ropes, we will be taking an Olympian to Le Mans in the future."
The new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO gives Nissan the opportunity to return to Le Mans where the company has some unfinished business.
"The design and build of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is a global project with its DNA firmly rooted in Japan," explained NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani. "The team comprises engineers and technical crew from Japan, the US and Europe. We know that LMP1 competition is very tough and with serious manufacturer competition, but we are absolutely determined to make our cars competitive and to operate strongly against those competitors.
"We have chosen to take the GT-R name to Le Mans as the GT-R symbolizes the ultimate in Nissan's performance. It is a true aspirational brand; a car our fans, our customers love to drive, and love to own. We have been using GT-R in motorsport for many years now, in Super GT and GT3. For us LM P1 is the ultimate test. We have unfinished business at Le Mans and now we have our chance to target victory with the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO."
The race is now on to get Nissan's LM P1 car on the grid in 2015. Announcements will be made in due course concerning the drivers of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, who will come from both inside and outside of the Nissan family. The date the new car will first take to the track and the full technical specifications will also be revealed in due course but the intentions of Nissan are clear.
"You don't go to Le Mans to just turn up," said Palmer. "The brief to the team is to go with something different, go with something that brings new technology which is transferable to the road car technology and an approach that is innovative and exciting and of course, go to win.
"Believe me, I think this is the car that will go down in the annals of time and be one of those cars which will be long remembered, not only for the fact that it will have won Le Mans but also that it reset the real meaning of NISMO as a link between success on the track and success on the road."
Anything else?
Nissan last competed in the top class in Le Mans with the R390 GT1 car of 1997 and 1998. They were fast enough to take pole position in '97, but succumbed to gearbox failures in the race. In '98 things were a bit better - all four cars finished, with the highest-placed R390 in third, behind the all-conquering Porsches.