Nissan GT-R LM NISMO Debut Delayed Until 24H Le Mans

Photo: Nissan

Nissan announced Tuesday that it has delayed the debut of its new LMP1 challenger until the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

The Japanese manufacturer, which took the wraps off its Nissan GT-R LM NISMO last month, was scheduled to make its public debut in next weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship Prologue test at Paul Ricard.

Instead, the car will miss the pre-season test as well as the opening two rounds of the season at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

The revolutionary front-engined, front-wheel drive prototype has struggled in testing, with it reportedly more than 10 seconds off the pace from the 2015-spec Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Sebring.

Nissan ended its scheduled five-day test early due to an undisclosed broken carbon fiber component.

With the car now set for a Le Mans debut, it will allow the Ben Bowlby-led team to make further developments prior to its homologation.

Per FIA WEC rules, the factory Toyota, Audi and Porsches squads are all due to finalize the homologations and hybrid subclasses this week.

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