Nissan will miss the opening two round of this years World Endurance Championship at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps in order to focus on a continued testing program. The team have also announced their withdrawal from the pre-season test at Paul Ricard, meaning that the team will make their debut at Le Mans in June with their full three car effort as planed.
It has been reported that the durability and performance of the car are major concerns, although Nissan have not yet given an official reason for their late entry to the championship.
This news comes after the Japanese manufacture’s test at Sebring was cut short after a component to do with engine mounting failed, although the exact component was never specified. Nissan were also running at the circuit in Florida without their rear hybrid system.
Nissan’s Darren Cox stated “We’re continuing taking the time to do more testing mileage instead of racing.” he added, “We failed the monocoque crash test; the front roll hoop missed by a small margin, but we’re fixing it and will have an updated chassis for [crash testing] next week.”
Photo – Nissan