Pickett Racing Becomes Nissan Partner Team

Photo: Nissan

Nissan has joined forces with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which will see the 2013 ALMS P1 champions become an official partner team of the Japanese manufacturer.

The Greg Pickett-led squad switches to a Nissan-powered Oreca 03 for the 2014 season, to be driven by Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr in the entire 11-round championship.

They’ll be joined by Alex Brundle for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, as part of the Nissan Global Exchange program.

Nissan drivers will also pilot the car at the Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

“We’re glad to welcome Muscle Milk Pickett Racing to the Nissan family and look forward to having our official drivers learn from such a successful team,” said Nissan Global Motorsport director Darren Cox.

“Greg Pickett and his team has achieved incredible results in recent years and having them as part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange program will be an outstanding opportunity for our drivers.”

The Japanese manufacturer makes a return to top-level U.S. sports car racing for the first time in more than two decades, after dominating the IMSA GTP scene in the late ’80s to early ’90s.

More recently, Nissan has enjoyed success in European and international prototype competition, particularly with its LMP2 powerplant, which won last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series championships.

“Nissan are proven race winners throughout the world and together we want to build a strong relationship that will help us continue the success that we’ve both come to enjoy,” team owner Greg Pickett said. ‘

“We’re excited to not only have our prototype be powered by Nissan but to also be involved with them at a deeper level.”

Revealed by Sportscar365 on Thursday as the team’s third driver for the Rolex 24, Brundle will be following in the footsteps of his father Martin, who won the twice-around-the-clock Florida endurance classic in 1988.

Muscle Milk’s brand-new Oreca 03 Nissan will be turning its first laps in this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John