Nissan equipped Sumo Power and JRG Motorsport to not-so-quietly surprise the rest of the world with their track monsters. The planet was stunned when 4 GT-Rs took top ten finishes two races ago, and last week, they proved to everyone once again that great driving and an excellent pit crew along with one of the best cars on the planet makes for an unstoppable force. Throughout the race, the tension was spectacular—an excellent display of skill from all drivers, and a fiercely competitive line up set the stage with high stakes as the RAC Trophy was on the line.

The #22 JRM GT-R piloted by Richard Westbrook and the #8 Young Driver Aston Martin piloted by Stefan Mucke had a collision early on in the race where the Nissan was attempting to pass the Aston Martin yet the Aston Martin closed the door on the turn too late forcing the Nissan to collide with the Aston Martin (rules are, if a competing driver passes your B-pillar, you are obligated to let him pass). This collision sent the Aston Martin into a spin, off of the track, yet was easily recovered and the Aston Martin began to resume the race… or so we all thought. It was at this point—after he regained control of the car and safely made his way back onto the track with no apparent damage, that he made his way straight into the rear quarter of the Nissan and proceeded to slam his car into the side of the Nissan. This caused both cars to wreck and totaled the Aston Martin, prematurely ending the race for both cars. The video can be found here of the wreck, and you can clearly see that Mucke is frantically (angrily?) waving his left hand/arm maybe in an attempt to make a gesture at Westbrook, but either a. loses control driving with one hand and makes contact; or b. intentionally rams the cars together in retaliation. I'll let you decide on the video. Not the most sportsmanlike conduct to be seen in an international race. This however was only the beginning of some of the most intense racing to be seen for the day. After the safety car cleared the track, the real racing began.

During the pit stop, there was a driver change for the JRM car, Michael Krumm started the race and Lucas Luhr finished it, and between the two, they netted a first place finish. This came after a perfect pit stop from their crew and got the two drivers switched out and all tasks completed first. After arriving fresh on the track, and first out of the pits, Luhr snatched the lead from the #7 Aston Martin driven by

Tomas Enge. This was not to last however as the two switched position a number of times throughout the last half of the race. The intensity built all the way to the last lap in which the Aston Martin snuck by the #23 Nissan and grabbed first until Luhr wrestled the spot of first back to the hands of Nissan and managed to hold it- although just barely and not without immense amounts of pressure from Enge. The end result is obviously astounding, and we're excited to see how the next race- round #6 at Navarra, Spain shapes up on July 2^nd and 3^rd.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32 (commonly shortened to R32) was originally intended and purpose built to dominate Group A racing (which the FIA homologated in 1982) back in the late 80's which is how the 2.6L twin turbo powerplant (RB26DETT) coupled with an All-Wheel Drive drivetrain decision was made. This secured an intimidating competitive platform for production car racing. This was technically the 3^rd generation of Nissan Skyline, but the first to arrive with forced induction and the first generation to move from solely RWD platforms to an available AWD platform. This marked the beginning of an era of total track domination by Nissan and the newly minted R32 GT-R which was soon to be dubbed "Godzilla" for its monstrous performance on the track.

Fast forward 20 years, and we have replaced the Skyline GT-R (which succeeded in BNR33, and BNR34 platforms) with just the GT-R. Confusing, I know—but the GT-R is here to replace the want and desire some of us North Americans had for the Skyline. The GT-R has been released in the USDM since 2008 and after its 2007 debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon it has made enormous waves in the racing community worldwide. Today and more recently the GT-R is becoming an easily hated heavyweight contender in the FIA GT1 class. I should explain when I say easily hated: this is a series dominated by manufacturers and cars like the Lamborghini Murcielago 670 RS, Aston Martin DB9, Ford GT and now the Nissan GT-R. Not your just average homeboy in the company of giants. A little over a week and a half ago, on May 13, the Nissan GT-R made the boldest statement yet in the GT1 series placing 4^th, 5^th, 7^th and 9^th in the championship race at Sachsenring in Saxony, Germany. That's no typo—the GT-R took 4 spots out of the top ten meaning that every GT-R in the grid finished in the top ten. Pretty spectacular stuff considering the competition, and a rude awakening to a lot of thoroughbred companies. It's almost like a bad dream coming back- Godzilla returns!

Here's the Championship Race report for Round 4:

Nissan built upon a satisfying day during yesterday's GT1 World Championship Qualifying Race to do even better today, with all four GT-Rs on the grid finishing the Championship Race in the top 10. As yesterday, the pairing of Enrique Bernoldi and Warren Hughes, in the no.20 Sumo Power GT, finished as top Nissan in fourth, a place ahead of team-mates David Brabham and Jamie Campbell-Walter in the no.21 car. Peter Dumbreck and Richard Westbrook, in the no.22 car, were the top ranking JR Motorsports in seventh place, whilst Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm finished ninth in the no.23.

With the Nissans sitting fourth (no.20), sixth (no.22), eighth (no.21) and 11th (no.23) on the Championship Race grid after yesterday's performances, there were to be scenes in the opening seconds very reminiscent of the chaos at the start of yesterday's Qualifying Race. With all the cars jostling for position on the home straight as the start lights turned green, Westbrook was forced wide into the gravel in the no.22 JRM, and though he was to recover the car well, he found himself losing six positions by the time he came back on track. However, this was nothing compared to the carnage of two separate collisions that ensued seconds later, the second of which brought a premature end to the races of three cars.
Fortunately, all the Nissans were to avoid any fallout from the incidents, with Lucas Luhr, in the no.23 JRM, the main beneficiary as he moved up into seventh - a rise of four places from his start position. As the grid took their places behind the safety car, the GT-Rs found themselves in fourth (no.20), seventh (no.23), eighth (no.21) and twelfth (no.22), and seven laps later Nissans were to benefit further from a competitor's misfortune: a problem sustained by the no.41 Mark VDS Ford allowing the latter three GT-Rs to all move up one place. This - fourth, sixth, seventh and 11th - was how it remained as the all-important pit window opened…

The pit stops saw some particularly great work by the no.22 JRM crew, who helped their car gain three places, as the GT-Rs emerged after the pit stop reshuffle in fourth (no.20), sixth (no.21), eighth (no.22) and ninth (no.23).
Enrique Bernoldi, fresh in for Warren Hughes in the no.20 Sumo Power GT, was to soon find himself under intense pressure from the no.3 Hexis AMR Aston Martin, much more suited to the tight twists and turns of the Sachsenring circuit, but there was relief for the Brazilian when the car hot on his heels for fourth span out and was forced to pit. This also had the knock on effect of lifting the nos.21, 22 and 23 Nissans up into fifth, seventh, and eighth places respectively, and these positions were to be held to the end with the exception of Krumm's no.23 JRM, passed by the no.40 Marc VDS Ford GT with moments remaining.

Speaking afterwards, Warren Hughes, commented: "I'm very happy. Over the course of the weekend, considering how GT-R unfriendly Sachsenring is, we probably got the absolute best result we could have done, short of the top three cars in front of us failing.
"It's probably fair to say that the car wasn't as strong today as yesterday, as the track conditions were a bit different - slightly cooler. The sweet spot of a car is so small that tiny factors like that can make a difference, and as such we lost a little bit of performance. Overall though, I'm delighted with my personal performance as well as that of the team, and once again it feels great to be the top ranked Nissan car, because everyone knows the calibre of our drivers."

Hughes' co-driver in the no.20 Sumo Power GT, Enrique Bernoldi, added: "Fourth is a very positive result here in Germany on this track. As Warren mentioned, the track conditions were different today than yesterday, and in my stint in the car I really felt the effect the circuit was having on tyre wear. I was struggling to maintain position, and was put under severe pressure by the no.3 Aston Martin, but then he ran into trouble, which gave me some breathing space. That's the kind of luck you need in racing sometimes!"

"It's been a great weekend for Sumo Power and Nissan - we've picked up some valuable points that perhaps we weren't expecting. The car is also feeling good and we seem to have ironed out some of the reliability issues that were affecting us in the first couple of races. Hopefully we can really push on now in the remainder of the season."
Round five of the GT1 World Championship, at Silverstone, will take place on the weekend of the 4th - 5th June, 2011

Here are some excellent race pictures found on nagtroc.org:

Externally, the vehicle looks very very similar to its 2011 brother. Some minor changes have been made visually (slight variations on the wheels, colors available, and under-chassis options) but its the engine output performance numbers that are generating the most buzz. The GT-R is already among the most impressively fast and powerfully quick cars in production today, and Nissan has retooled its brilliant Twin-Turbo V6 to deliver even more power. The HP and Torque numbers are being bumped up from their current 485HP/434 Torque to an even more impressive (reported) 523HP/452Torque. Combining that newfound power with a bevy of suspension alterations to improve the GT-R's already world-class handling only works to ensure that this vehicle will continue to break time records on tracks all around the world. Nissan has something very very special with their GT-R, and it's nice to see that they're very committed to keeping it that way.

Their full ESTA suspension kits offer some of the very best components available in one solid, well-tuned package, and the numbers on the Mine's Titanium VX II Pro Exhaust system for the Nissan GT-R are absolutely incredible. While the Mine's equipment is expensive, it is not like this for no particular reason. The reviews across the board on the Mine's products have been exceptional, and most people claim that the pieces themselves are more than worth the money spent on them.

I'm looking at purchasing one of the VX II Pro Titanium exhausts for myself now, after having seen and heard just how incredible a system it is.

The aerodynamic body pieces designed by Mine's are certain to cut down on track times as well. Coupled with their VX-Rom, VX II Exhaust, Super Catalyzer, and Improved Intake system, you're looking at getting 60+ HP on the GTR. Add to that some 200+ pounds weight reduction from all of their weight reducing products, and you're looking at making one of the most incredible cars ever produced a nearly unstoppable racing force. Mine's is certainly a good company to go with also, as their experience and name guarantee you're getting the very best of the best. Their GT-R R35 line was just finished, and is being carried in America by very few places. I found the Mines Nissan GTR Parts at Southern Car Parts for what appears to be less than any other competitor out there. The SCP guys also seem to have the entire Mine's product line available, as well as a number of other GT-R products, making them a certain go-to for future GT-R performance part purchases.

Mine's and the Nissan GT-R R35, a match made in heaven it would seem!

Click gallery thumbs for larger images:

Source:AutoGuide

The problem was that some owners of this $77,840 screamer were assassinating their $20,000 gearboxes, and the GT-R’s warranty states that shutting off the VDC voids the warranty. Break your transmission after a few launch-control starts and you’ll pay, not Nissan. The alternative, to leave the VDC on, resulted in a wimpy, 1800-rpm launch. So, for 2010, Nissan is offering a single launch-control feature that works whether or not the VDC is engaged.

The new setup is a compromise that provides owners with launch control that won’t potentially void the warranty. With the new program, engine revs build to 3000 to launch the GT-R. The result is far less distressing to the transmission than the 4400-rpm launch and quicker than the 1800-rpm launch.

Everything has a price: The new model is slower by 0.5 second to 30 mph and 0.6 second to 60. Don’t sweat it, though—by 150 mph, the two models are tied."

I don't know how much I like the performance losses here, although I do see the necessity in doing it for posterity's sake with the vehicle. I hope that in 2011 they can do another tweak and give us GT-R drivers back those lost numbers while maintaining the durability of the new system. This does seem like a major issue with a car that has seemed to me to be otherwise perfect.

I'm glad I know about this issue now, because I would surely cry if I destroyed the insides of my Godzilla! Be aware GT-R owners, your vehicle is only 99% perfect! I know, I was as surprised as you to hear this.

Source: Car and Driver