Andretti Closing in on Pirelli WC Program with Nissan

Andretti Autosport appears close to running a Nissan GT-R effort in Pirelli World Challenge next year, Sportscar365 has learned.

Multiple sources have indicated a customer effort is a more likely course of action, where Andretti would run the car or cars, rather than this being a fully blown Nissan factory effort.

Team principal Michael Andretti confirmed interest in PWC when in New Orleans a couple weeks ago, helping to promote Andretti Sports Marketing’s Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana that will run next April.

“We’re always looking for sure,” Andretti told Sportscar365. “There’s a chance we could be involved in one or two of those (series) still, yet. We’re hoping some things come through.”

A team spokesperson also confirmed the team is open to running in all platforms.

CRP Racing fielded a privateer Nissan GT-R to open the 2014 season at St. Petersburg with driver Mike Skeen, before the team switched to an Audi R8 LMS ultra at Long Beach. That GT-R was not FIA GT3-spec.

As an entity, Andretti Autosport has not fielded a full-time sports car program since the demise of its Acura LMP2 program at the end of 2008. Plans for the team to run a new HPD ARX-04b in 2015 failed to materialize earlier this year.

Andretti Sports Marketing, however, has remained involved in client services in the TUDOR Championship.

A PWC effort would add to an already busy range of programs for 2015.

For 2015, the Indianapolis-based team is expected to have IndyCar, Global Rallycross, Formula E and Pro Mazda platforms, with Indy Lights also anticipated but not publicly confirmed as yet.