Nissan has confirmed plans to field a sole factory entry for the Bathurst 12 Hour as it looks to successfully defend its Mount Panorama crown.
The Japanese manufacturer emerged as the star of this year’s Bathurst GT classic as Katsumasa Chiyo, Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss guided the GT-R GT3 to a dramatic last gasp victory.
Nissan is yet to confirm its drivers for next February’s title defence but has announced the assault will be supported by its V8 Supercars operation and Blancpain GT Endurance Series PRO Class champions, Team RJN.
Although its driver line up is to be revealed, the news comes shortly after Nissan V8 Supercars driver Michael Caruso tested the GT-R GT3 at the NISMO Festival last month.
NISMO in Japan has built a brand-new 2015 specification Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 for the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour, which will carry the #1 being the defending winners.
The car will remain in Australia permanently following the race.
“Last year’s spectacular win has been celebrated by Nissan and NISMO globally as a truly historic moment in our long and proud motorsport history,” said Richard Emery, Nissan Australia Managing Director and CEO.
“This included the winning car being honoured and celebrated at last weekend’s NISMO Festival at Fuji Speedway in Japan.
“2015 was the first Bathurst win for the legendary Nissan GT-R since the back-to-back Bathurst 1000 wins in 1991 and 1992.
“While we respect the level of competition, it will naturally be our aim to emulate the feats of that era by getting another set of back-to-back wins.
“We have worked closely with NISMO on bringing the strongest possible effort to Bathurst in 2016 and it’s great to confirm that the NISMO Athlete Global Team from Japan will return for the third consecutive year, with support from Nissan GT Academy Team RJN, the 2015 Blancpain GT Endurance Series champions in Europe, and our Nissan Motorsport V8 Supercars race team.”
VIDEO: Nissan’s Bathurst 12 Hour Highlights
VIDEO: Nissan confirms its Bathurst 12 Hour return with new GT-R
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