Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. announced an outline of their motorsports activities for 2015. Nissan GT Academy Team RJN will enter a Nissan GT-R Nismo in the Pro Class of the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series, with Alex Buncombe, Katsumasa Chiyo and Wolfgang Reip at the wheel.
In 2014 the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN Nismo GT-R was one of the frontrunners in the highly competitive Pro-Am category of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The car even led races overall. With those strong performances in mind, the British team run by Bob Neville decided to tackle the Pro Cup this year, with three experienced drivers at the wheel of the GT-R.
Alex Buncombe has long been one of the stalwarts of the team and is looking forward to the opportunity to go for the outright win. Katsumasa Chiyo made his Blancpain Endurance Series debut last year, and immediately impressed by his speed and racing skills. Wolfgang Reip might have the smallest racing experience of the trio – Reip’s career only started when he won the 2012 edition of the PlayStation GT Academy – but a Pro-Am podium finish in the 2013 Total 24 Hours of Spa proved immediately that the 28-year old Belgian is made out of the right stuff. A win in the recent Bathurst 12 Hour, together with Katsumasa Chiyo and Florian Strauss, confirmed Reip’s talent yet again.
The Blancpain Endurance Series season starts with the official test days at Paul Ricard on March 17th-18th.