Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Nissan sets sights on Blancpain enduro in Monza after challenging Misano sprint
aprile 15, 2016 - Nissan Motorsport

Nissan sets sights on Blancpain enduro in Monza after challenging Misano sprint

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Nissan GT Academy Team RJN endured a challenging return to the #blancpaingt Series Sprint Cup as the 2015 Endurance Series champions launched the 2016 campaign in Misano, Italy last weekend.

While the #nissan #gtrnismogt3 wasn't suited to the tight confines of the Misano layout, both the No.22 and No.23 machines made strong progress in the qualifying race on Saturday night.

Alex Buncombe and Mitsunori Takaboshi moved up from 27th on the grid to 17th at the checkered flag in the cool, damp conditions while GT Academy winner Ricardo Sanchez and Sean Walkinshaw made similar progress and was in contention for a podium in the Silver Cup category until suffering contact at the final corner.

"It's was obviously amazing to be back in the car and to be able to finally work with RJN however it was a very tough weekend for all of us," Walkinshaw said. "We struggled in qualifying to be able to get a quick lap out of the car but in the qualifying race with the cooler conditions the car was flying and race pace was very strong. We kept gaining pace, which is why it made the main race so tough because both Ricardo and myself really struggled for grip. However we did our best and got the best result we could considering the circumstances and have to push really hard to try and get a better result at Monza in a couple of weeks time."

The set-up balance in both cars suffered in the dry and warmer conditions. Buncombe and European debutante Takaboshi finished 14th with Walkinshaw and Sanchez taking 28th place.

"I had a good start and was able to make up some positions at the start," Buncombe said. "As expected it was all pretty hectic and crazy close #racing amongst the pack so it was a balance between attacking and defending at the same time. With the increase in track temperature today I felt we lost some of the balance we had yesterday and in warm up which was frustrating. It was a tough weekend for us in Misano but I'm now looking forward to Monza which we know is a track more suited to the GT-R."

The team returns to Italy in two weeks for the opening endurance race. The long straights and flowing turns of Monza are expected to better suit the GT-R. Buncombe and Takaboshi will be joined in the No.23 by former GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez while Walkinshaw will welcome 2015 GT Academy winners Matt Simmons (International) and Romain Sarazin (Europe) in the No.22.

NISMO Calendar

April 16-17:
FIA WEC, Silverstone, England
ELMS, Silverstone, England
V8 Supercar, Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia
Pirelli World Challenge, Long Beach, California, USA

April 23-24
Blancpain GT Endurance, Monza, Italy
Pirelli World Challenge, Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama, USA

May 3-4
Super GT, Fuji Speedway, Japan

May 7-8
FIA WEC, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Blancpain GT Sprint, Brands Hatch, England
V8 Supercar, Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia, Australia