Nissan GT-R In North America World Challenge Race Series
Hopefully, this news means more dominance for the Nissan GT-R. The relatively new race group, Brass Monkeys, are teaming up with Nissan North American to bring the GT-R to the World Challenge Race Series this year to compete with Porsches, Corvettes, Vipers, and every other top end performance car under the sun. The Brass Monkey team, who won their first race competing in a Porsche GT3 and finished 3rd overall in the World Challenge Series last year, will be entering the series this year with two GT-Rs. The first will be driven by the veteran racer and two-time series winner Tony Rivera, the second by the wet behind the ears rookie Steve Ott. Here's to hoping the two have a great year with the great car! I can't imagine anyone racing a Nissan GT-R would have too much trouble doing well.
Official announcement below, from autoguide.com:
Brass Monkey Racing has announced plans to campaign a pair of Nissan GT-R cars in the 2010 World Challenge GT Championship with the support of Nissan North America, Inc.
The announcement signals a renewed interest for Nissan, which last participated in World Challenge with a Touring Car effort in 2005. The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R racecars are currently under construction at Brass Monkey Racing’s Texas-based race shop and will make their North American debut March 26-28, in St. Petersburg, Fla., at the hands of two-time series race winner Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, and rookie Steve Ott, of Houston.
“We’re very excited to bring such an iconic car to the North American professional road racing scene,” Brass Monkey Racing Team Owner A.J. Brass said. “After such a successful season in 2009, finishing third in the Championship and winning in our very first race, we look forward to the challenge of bringing an entirely new platform to World Challenge. With Nissan’s assistance and great engineering and driving, we expect to contend for the 2010 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.”
“Nissan is very excited about the new Brass Monkey project,” Nissan North America Senior Manager – Motorsports, Wholesale and Collision Parts Growth Ron Stukenberg said. “This series aligns well with the performance of the GT-R and compliments the production attributes of the car. It’s great to have a Nissan compete in World Challenge after a brief hiatus. We look forward to having Tony and Steve at the front of the field in 2010.”
Brass noted that despite a compressed timeline to finish the new cars, they benefit from an already solid platform with the GT-R.
“Many of the cars in the series have serious modifications to the engines and drivelines from the stock vehicles,” Brass said. “The beauty of the GT-R is that it is an amazing platform to start with and we are able to utilize all of the stock internal components and drivetrain. With the exception of some of the approved series aerodynamic items and an effort to bring the car down to a competitive weight, the car will remain incredibly stock compared to most of our competition.”
Brass Monkey Racing was formed in 2009 with the support of Tax Masters. Its rookie season was a tremendous success, with Rivera, a relative unknown in professional racing, winning in the team’s very first attempt at Sebring in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3. He went on to win at Road America later in the season, finishing third in the Championship standings.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the 2010 season,” Rivera said. “I anticipate the Brass Monkey Nissans will become the most popular cars in the paddock because there is such an unbelievable following worldwide for the GT-R. My first racecar was a Showroom Stock B Nissan NX 2000, so it’s cool to be back in a Nissan – even though this one will be quite a bit different!”
Ott previously raced with Rivera with Brass Mitchell Racing, which later evolved into Brass Monkey Racing, in the 2008 Koni Challenge. Like Rivera, his roots are in SCCA Club Racing, where he finished on the podium at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Running a partial season in the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship, he scored good results with Newman Wachs Racing.
“I’ve always wanted to run World Challenge because of the single-driver format and amazing cars,” Ott said. “To have an opportunity to be a part of the Brass Monkey Nissan team is incredible and I can’t wait to begin testing for St. Petersburg.”
Brass Monkey Racing and its Nissan GT-R World Challenge effort will have support from Nissan, Tax Masters, Stoptech, Penske ShocksSouth Side Performance and Seibon Carbon. For more information about Brass Monkey Racing, please visit www.brassmonkey.com.
My Money's on the World Performance Car of the Year to also be the World Challenge Series Car of the Year
Another GT-R versuses Luxury Sport Super-Car Video
Well, today is just a good day for videos of the GTR smoking super expensive European supercars, if you ask me. First we got it out dueling the Bentley Continental, and now here's a great video from Germany pitting its home-country superhero the 5.2L Lambourghini V10 Supercharged R8 versus the good ole' Nissan GTR. Well, the Audi R8 is an absolute machine with class and precision, but really, the results here should surprise no one. The GT-R's dominance just can not be questioned. A fun video (subtitled in English) and worth a watch!
More on the FIA GT1 R35
Last week I wrote up a small article on the FIA GT1 GT-R r35, which had some good response. The vehicle is undeniably incredible, and as such, warranted a lot more internet searching on this end. I'm sure some of you did that as well. I came across some really great videos giving a better look and listen to the vehicle, and a chance to see just how incredible it is. Figured I'd link them up here to share with all of you. Seriously though, what do you think of the FIA GT1 R35? I think it looks pretty awesome, myself.
FIA GT1-Spec Nissan GT-R
Some news has been coming out recently about the 2010 racing year for the Nissan GT-R. Some changes are being made, and they're interesting ones to say the least. For GT1 the GT-R wont be powered by its standard turbo V6, but instead by a naturally aspirated V8 producing 600HP and 480 LBs/Torque. To increase just how much power that is, the vehicle has also been lightened down to a curb weight of 2,756 lbs. They achieved this lightened weight with a stripped out-interior and the use of a carbon fiber aerodynamics. The FIA GT1-spec GT-R also gets 18-inch RAYS wheels and carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers, to help bring that beast to a quick stop when necessary. In all, it sounds and looks like an absolutely awesome vehicle, and we'll see how it fairs starting April 17th with the first race of the season in the UAE. The GT-R will be up against Porsches, Corvettes, Lambos, Ferraris, and every other super performance car worth mentioning, and may have the credentials to beat them all.
Click gallery thumbs for larger images:
Source:AutoGuide
National Geo’s Special on the GT-R R35
Don't know if you ever got a chance to see the National Geographic special on the GT-R, because I didn't, but I did just find it in HD on the internet! I thought you might enjoy watching this (especially now, since hindsight is 20/20) if you hadn't seen it, or revisiting it now that you've seen and felt just what Godzilla can accomplish! It's in 5 parts, all in full HD, so enjoy.
More Info on Hybrid R36
From Insideline:
There has been no end to the rumors of what the Nissan GT-R will become next, but the most credible rumor circulating in Japan right now is that a Nissan GT-R Hybrid is in development. The hybrid Godzilla would be part of the R36 generation of the GT-R. Sources close to the project tell us would likely debut in 2012 as a 2013 model with a pricetag around $100K.
The drivetrain for the 2013 Nissan GT-R Hybrid is expected to be a version of the hybrid system in the upcoming Nissan M35 Hybrid, but with a dramatic power increase and an all-wheel-drive layout. However, instead of a normally aspirated V6, the GT-R Hybrid would use a twin-turbocharged V6 just as the R35-derived Infiniti Essence concept did. It would be the same twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 (VR38DETT) the GT-R uses today.
The target would be 440 horsepower for the hybrid application (versus 485 on today's GT-R), with an additional 160 hp coming from the electric motor -- the same one used on the Essence.
With 600 hp to go around, the hybrid GT-R would be just as quick as today's production GT-R, sources tell us. We also hear, though, that serious weight will need to be cut out of the car to offset the addition of the battery pack. And even with that dieting, the GT-R Hybrid is still expected to be heavier than today's car (3,800 pounds).
Fuel economy, though, is expected to be 25-30 mpg, which of course is the very point of building a Nissan GT-R Hybrid. If achievable in the real world, Nissan would have a convenient rebuttal to pundits who argue that supercars (and more generally, fun cars) will lose their relevance in the coming green era. -- Mak Tokuyama, reporting from Japan
Short Film, “Inheritance”, Featuring GT-R
I consider myself, among many things, a film buff. When this hobby of mine finds a way to mesh itself with my real passion for great, powerful cars and the thrill of going fast (You can see why I love the GT-R, right?), I can't help but get a little giddy. This short film is reminiscent to me of my earlier days of shooting student films (although, admittedly, these people are better filmmakers than I ever was) and it highlights a gorgeous Nissan GT-R. So, let's see, Nissan GT-R, good short film, and a very attractive actress in the lead role. I think this is something we can all get behind. I enjoyed it thoroughly, I hope you do too.
from www.dylanosborn.com
Also, did anyone have any doubt that the GT-R would dominate those others vehicles? I didn't think so. I also love that Datsun Z she drives in the beginning. An oldie, but definitely a goodie.
Nissan GT-R: A Question Of Character
by Angus MacKenzie
I hate flying in this country. I hate the whole experience. I hate being herded like cattle through airport security and shoehorned into shabby old planes at the mercy of underpaid pilots who sometimes forget to land. I hate how they sting me 15 bucks for checking a bag (if it's about offsetting fuel costs, surely it would be fairer to charge passengers weight). I hate how they charge me six bucks for a cardboard box of processed pap they have the gall to describe as a meal. Flying used to be fun, glamorous, exciting. Now it's just tedious in the extreme.
I live 10 minutes from LAX, and 300 miles from Las Vegas. So when it came to heading across the Mojave to the SEMA Show, I did the obvious thing: I drove.
My ride was our long term Nissan GT-R. I've done a bit of commuting around L.A. in the 2009 COTY winner over the past few months, but this was to be the first long road trip, and to be honest I wasn't sure whether I'd made the right call. Don't get me wrong. I like fast, exhilarating, extreme cars as much as anyone, but I know from experience that something capable of getting the adrenalin pumping hard on a 20-mile blast along a canyon road can quickly lose its sparkle droning along the interstate. And no matter which way you go, there's plenty of interstate between L.A. and Vegas.
I needn't have worried. The GT-R's a surprisingly civilized freeway cruiser. Sure, the ride's on the firm side, and there's some tire noise on poor surfaces, but it's no worse than a Porsche 911. Just leave the dual clutch tranny in auto mode, dial up 75-80 mph on the cruise control, crank up your favorite satellite radio station, and go with the flow.
And for something that's fast enough to frighten a Ferrari, it's remarkably fuel efficient. According to the trip computer the GT-R averaged 20.9 mpg for the 128 miles from LA to Barstow, and 22.3 mpg for the 67 miles from Barstow to Baker. I forgot about the fuel consumption after Baker, because that's where I turned off the freeway and onto the two lane Route 127 that heads north towards Death Valley, bound for the township of Shoshone, and the junction with Route 178 which would bring me into Pahrump, then into Vegas from the west on Route 160.
The cruise and control and the radio were switched off, the shifter flicked into manual mode, and the GT-R and I got down to business as the road swept across the desert, past Dumont Dunes and into the mountains. I reveled in the relentless, urgent, seamless surge of power from the twin-turbo V-6 as I fanned the paddle shifter, and delighted at the marvelously planted feel of the chassis as we chased the horizon. The massive Brembos shrugged off the speed with easy assurance whenever the road suddenly jinked left or right, and only a gentle squirming of the steering wheel betrayed the furious calculations constantly routing and rerouting the torque to all four wheels as we punched past their apexes.
It was a satisfyingly rapid run to Shoshone, and accomplished with neither of us breaking a sweat. In fact, it was almost too easy.
The Nissan GT-R is a supremely competent supercar. But is it too competent? Is the GT-R - whisper it - a sanitized supercar for a video-game generation; a digitized speed experience that lacks grit and soul and character?
I'll take competence over character every time when it comes to driving truly fast machinery. Character does not excuse the psychotic Ferrari 348 that once tried to kill me; that cold knot in the pit of my stomach every time I hustled a pre-993 Porsche 911 hard on a wet road; having to take fast corners in old big-banger Lamborghinis like I was riding alongside a Mafia hitman with a bad temper and a hair trigger. Character is cool when you're noodling down to the local car show in your DeTomaso Mangusta, not when you chasing tenths of a second on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
The coolly calculated Nissan GT-R may not have the rosso romance of a Ferrari Daytona, the charming idiosyncrasy of a Porsche 911, or the aw-shucks muscle of a Corvette ZR1. But in form and function it is a supercar that deftly defines both its era and its origin. All gigabytes and manga, GT-R is a supercar like no other; a supercar that only Japan could have created. I'd call that character.