Nissan will chase outright victory at Le Mans in 2015. Source: Richard Dole / Supplied
LOOK out Audi, Toyota and Porsche; Godzilla is going to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Nissan has announced plans to race an LMP1 sportscar in 2015 and it will carry the revered GT-R nameplate.
Although they are keeping the technical specifications of the GT-R LM NISMO, as it will be called, private for the moment, Nissan are pledging to take a very different approach to their rivals.
And to beat them.
"You don't go to Le Mans to just turn up," Andy Palmer, Nissan's chief planning office and executive vice-president said.
"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."
Watch this year's Le Mans 24 Hours LIVE in HD on SPEED in June. (Foxtel channel 512).
Nissan has had a strong presence in sportscar racing for several years as an engine supplier to LMP2 class teams, and will once again race a prototype electric car at Le Mans this year as the 'Garage 56' entry.
"We can look at this year's race with the Nissan ZEOD RC in its own context as the world's fastest ever electric race car," Palmer said.
"Some of these learnings from the Nissan ZEOD RC will then follow forward into our entry into LM P1 in 2015."
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No drivers have been linked to Nissan's efforts yet, Nissan's global director of motorsport Darren Cox admitting that they have a vast pool of talent to choose from.
"Our goal is to get the best guys we can to drive the cars," Cox said.
"We'll have some drivers who are already within the Nissan 'family', but we'll also have some new additions to the family."
Nissan said sportscar racing's decision to place an emphasis on economy and the use of hybrid technology is what enticed them to make the step up to LMP1.
"What the ACO and the FIA have done in developing the new regulations for LMP1 is to create something that is both technologically innovative and provides a key platform for manufacturers like Nissan to talk about subjects like fuel efficiency in an exciting way," Cox said.
"In terms of timing, the new LM P1 rules for factory entries is perfect for us.
"The new focus on energy efficiency for 2014 and beyond means the engineering challenges have real relevance to the challenges our engineers face on our road car projects."
Nissan knows they are in for an intense battle against the sport's existing marques, and walk into the sport's top class knowing the magnitude of challenge they will face.
"There are a lot of people involved in this program who at the heart of it are very hard core racers," Cox said.
"We know we have a big mountain to climb, but we'll be giving this everything we've got."
The plan is for Nissan to start testing the car in October ahead of a two-year race program, the end of which coincides with the end of the current cycle of LMP1 regulations.
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