Ordóñez and Buncombe to drive Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign- Nissan GT Sport Cup Season 2 begins
- Motorsport global wrap-up
Nissan aces to drive the GT-R50 by Italdesign at Goodwood
Nissan factory GT3 racers Lucas Ordóñez and Alex Buncombe head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend to take the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign up one of the most famous hills in motorsport.
The first-ever collaboration between Nissan and Italdesign, the GT-R50 prototype shown at Goodwood could become the blueprint for an extremely limited run of hand-built production vehicles. The 720ps vehicle commemorates the 50th anniversaries of both the GT-R, in 2019, and Italdesign, in 2018.
Spaniard Ordóñez and Brit Buncombe will pilot the prototype up the 1.86km (1.16 mile) hill on the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.
The car will be in action twice daily with Ordóñez at the wheel at 9:40 and 16:30 on Thursday, July 12 and 11:40 and 17:20 on Friday, July 13.
Buncombe will take over on the weekend with runs at 10:05 and 13:10 on Saturday, July 14 and 10:40 and 17:05 on Sunday, July 15.
Pending the GT-R50 by Italdesign’s reception at Goodwood and other global appearances in the coming months, a customer version inspired by the prototype may be created. No more than 50 units would be produced by Italdesign – with each car tailored for each customer – with a price estimated to start at about €900,000.
Both drivers this year are driving for GT Sport Motul Team RJN in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup aboard a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Joined by British racer Matt Parry, Ordóñez and Buncombe are scheduled to race next in Belgium at the 24 Hours of Spa on July 28-29.
Season Two of the Nissan GT Sport Cup begins
Gamers – start your PlayStation consoles! Season two of the Nissan GT Sport Cup has begun with gamers competing for the chance to win a trip to the 2018 NISMO Festival at Fuji Speedway.
Separate global and European competitions allow PlayStation Gran Turismo GT Sport gamers to compete to win a trip to Japan to visit the annual NISMO fan celebration and also visit the home of Polyphony Digital – the creators of the Gran Turismo game.
By selecting Nissan as their brand of choice, gamers automatically are entered in the competition by contesting the FIA-certified Manufacturer’s Cup in GT Sport.
Season two has now begun and will run through to July 28.
The top 12 European gamers in June, July and August will head to the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup final at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on September 28-30.
The top European gamer from season one in June – TRL_Fuvaros – has also won a trip to Silverstone for a NISMO track experience.
Kelly scored top 10 result in bruising battle in Townsville
Nissan Motorsport Supercars racer Rick Kelly has continued his strong run of form in Australia with another top 10 finish last weekend in Townsville.
Kelly finished seventh in Sunday’s race after an impressive qualifying performance which put him third on the grid.
“We certainly have proven we have the one lap pace,” Kelly said.
“We did our absolute best to nurse it and ensure the tyre didn’t go off. I believe seventh is the absolute best we could have achieved today.
“We know where the other guys are faster, so we can look at improving our own areas. So we’ve got a clear focus on where we need to get better.”
Sadly for the other members of the Nissan Motorsport squad, the day was not as successful. Michael Caruso finished the day with a badly damaged Altima after two separate incidents.
Caruso’s teammate Simona de Silvestro made contact with him in turn one, spinning him to the back of the pack and he was later taken out by Anton de Pasquale – making hard impact with the tyre wall.
Across the Pacific in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the No.22 ESM team entry failed to make it to the chequered flag after a strong early run at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The Ryan Dalziel/Pipo Derani combination ran as high as fifth early on before a mechanical issue took them out of the race.
Calendar
July 21-22
Blancpain GT Series Asia, Fuji International Speedway, Japan
European Le Mans Series, Red Bull Ring, Austria
Michelin Le Mans Cup, Red Bull Ring, Austria
July 28-29
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hour, Spa, Belgium
Nissan Micra Cup, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
