2019.02.09

Nissan's 2019 plan revealed! No.3 car will have Hirate/Makowiecki duo. Satoshi Motoyama assuming Executive Adviser.

On February 9, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. (NISMO) announced their 2019 motorsports program. Two companies will continue to field NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500 in the SUPER GT GT500 class this season. The group will aim to bring back the GT500 class champion crown that has been away from them since 2015 with the same four-car squad as last year.

 

By setting their goal to improve competitiveness and recapture the series championship in the GT500 class this season, the group revealed that they went through fundamental reformation in terms of hardware and organization.
In their new 2019-model NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500, they worked on improving the balance of aerodynamics performance, reviewing the weight distribution, increasing engine output, and optimizing the power curve.

 

Significant transition is also seen in the management of Nissan/NISMO. NISMO's Chief Operating Officer Motohiro Matsumura has become the Executive director overseeing all Nissan teams. Executive director Matsumura will enjoy support from three-time GT500 class champion with 16 career wins in the class, Satoshi Motoyama, who drove No.3 car last year and is assuming the role of Executive advisor this year. Masahiro Hasemi who led No.3 NDDP RACING with B-MAX as team manager last year has been named as an honorary member of NISMO.

 

Organizational changes are also seen at many Nissan teams, but No.23 NISMO will challenge to reclaim the crown with the same organization since 2014 with Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli in their driver lineup, Team Manager Yutaka Suzuki, and Michelin as their tire supplier.

Entering into their second year in the GT500 class, No.3 NDDP RACING with B-MAX will have a completely new driver lineup. The team has acquired Kohei Hirate, two-time GT500 champion who won the title in 2013 and 2016 and competed in the GT300 class last year, and invited Frederic Makowiecki, a French driver who raced in the GT500 class in 2013 and 2014 and who has won the confidence of Michelin, to partner with Hirate. Tire supplier will continue to be Michelin for the team, but the team manager will be taken up by Toshikazu Tanaka, who led all Nissan teams as Executive director until last year.
Daiki Sasaki will continue to drive for No.12 TEAM IMPUL, but the team has added James Rossiter, who has been competing in the GT500 class since 2013, as his partner for their endeavor to take the top spot with Team Manager Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Bridgestone.
No.24 KONDO RACING has changed the partner of Mitsunori Takaboshi to Jann Mardenborough, who had shown his proven performance in No.12 car. The team will aim for their first title with Yokohama tire under the leadership of Team Manager Masahiko Kondo.

 

 

   　　　   

 

 

   　　　  

 

GT500
No.	Team	Team principal	Car name	Drivers	Tire
23	NISMO	Yutaka Suzuki	MOTUL AUTECH GT-R	Tsugio Matsuda (JPN) Ronnie Quintarelli (ITA)	MI
3	NDDP RACING with B-MAX	Toshikazu Tanaka	CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R	Kohei Hirate (JPN) Frederic Makowiecki (FRA)	MI
12	TEAM IMPUL	Kazuyoshi Hoshino	Calsonic Impul GT-R	Daiki Sasaki (JPN) James Rossiter (GBR)	BS
24	KONDO RACING	Masahiko Kondo	TBA	Mitsunori Takaboshi (JPN) Jann Mardenborough (GBR)	YH

 

 

In the GT300 class, KONDO RACING is expanding to the class as a new GT3 official partner team, which GAINER was the only such team until last year, making it three NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3 (2018 model) competing in the class by these two teams.

KONDO RACING will have Kazuki Hiramine, who has moved from JLOC where he captured a pole position last year, and Sacha Fenestraz, who finished Macau GP (F3) at third place last year, in their driver lineup and use Yokohama tires. Human resource development project which KONDO RACING ran in the Super Taikyu series until last year, where students of Nissan Automobile Technical College were given opportunities to experience race activities, is now moving to the GT300 class as a new human resource development program of entire Nissan, NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE, where technical staff of dealers will also be involved.
GAINER will continue to field two cars as in last year and is adding 24 year-old Keishi Ishikawa, who is entering into his third year of full-season entry to the GT300 class, as a partner of Kazuki Hoshino to take the wheel of No.10 car, which will be fitted with Yokohama tires. No.11 car will continue to be driven by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda and fitted with Dunlop tires.

Looking at other Nissan teams, No.360 TOMEI SPORTS and newcomer No.33 X Works will be competing with 2018-model GT-R NISMO GT3, and No.48 NIZZL Racing (former DIJON Racing from last year) will field 2015-model GT-R NISMO GT3.

 

 

   　　　    　　　

 

 

GT300
No.	Team	Team principal	Car name	Drivers	Tire
10	GAINER	Kazumi Fujii	GAINER TANAX triple a GT-R	Kazuki Hoshino Keishi Ishikawa	YH
11			GAINER TANAX GT-R	Katsuyuki Hiranaka Hironobu Yasuda	DL
56	KONDO RACING	Masahiko Kondo	Realize Nissan Automobile Technical College GT-R	Kazuki Hiramine Sacha Fenestraz (FRA)	YH

 

 

Through his comment in the press release, NISMO's President and Chief Executive Officer Takao Katagiri promised the fans for Nissan's strong performance in upcoming season, “Nissan and NISMO hope to share the joy of motorsports with fans through the pillars of Formula E and Super GT. In Super GT, in order to move on from last year’s disappointments and retake the crown, I hope our four teams will come together to meet the expectations of our fans under our new executive director and showcase strong race perfect to celebrate 50 year anniversary of GT-R.”

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