02.07.2012
, FRANKLIN, Tenn
NISSAN ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN MOTORSPORTS PARTICIPATION FOR 2012
– Key U.S. off-road truck and sports car series participation highlighted –
Nissan Motorsports will extend its North American motorsports reach in 2012 by expanding participation to the Grand-Am road racing series and the Pirelli World Challenge Series for sports cars and the TRAXXAS TORC series and the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series for trucks. Additionally, Nissan has finalized formation of the previously-announced Spec Z racing series within the National Auto Sport Association (NASA).
“Nissan Motorsports is looking forward to 2012 with a blend of some new partnerships combined with some teams that have already elevated the Nissan brand with their performances,” said Ron Stukenberg, Senior Manager for Nissan Motorsports. “We are extending our support to several professional teams in both cars and trucks, as well as maintaining our support levels of the contingency program for grassroots teams.”
Nissan will support the following series this season:
- TRAXXAS TORC Off-Road Series
– Three-time series champion Chad Hord will pilot a Nissan Titan in the PRO 2WD Truck Class after placing third in points last year.
– Brad Lovell will race a Frontier in PRO-Lite after a fifth place series finish in 2011. - Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series
– Eight-time series champion Carl Renezeder returns to Nissan to compete in both the Pro 2wd and Pro 4wd classes in a Titan. He won the 2006 Pro 2 championship for Nissan.
– Casey Currie will race a Frontier in the PRO-Lite class. Currie was the TORC PRO-Lite series champion in 2010.
- Pirelli World Challenge
– CRP Racing will campaign two Nissan GT-Rs in the GT class of the Pirelli World Challenge series. The final driver lineup will be announced at a later date.
– Ric Bushey will race a 370Z in the GTS class of the World Challenge. Bushey won an SCCA National Championship driving a Nissan 350Z in 2009.
– Brian Kleeman will race a DWW Motorsports Nissan 370Z in the GTS class.
– The 100% Electric Nissan LEAF is the official safety car of Pirelli World Challenge.
- Grand Am Continental Tire Challenge Series
– Doran Racing will race a 370Z in the GTS class in 2012. The final driver lineup will be announced at a later date.
– Lara Tallman will campaign a pair of CA Sport Nissan Altima Coupes in the ST class.
- National Auto Sport Association (NASA)
– Inaugural Spec Z series will feature Nissan 350Z vehicles competing in an affordable racing series.
- Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
– Nissan will again support SCCA amateur racing with a generous contingency award prize money fund and a parts support program.
“This year’s teams will compete in locations from coast-to-coast, and we have a great set of teams running six different models under the Nissan Motorsports flag.” said Stukenberg. “Nissan’s racing history in the U.S. covers almost 50 years, with numerous professional championships and over 90 SCCA amateur national championships, far surpassing the next closest manufacturer.”
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information about Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infiniti.com.
Visit the NISMO performance parts and accessories site: http://www.nissanusa.com/nismo/
Check out the Nissan Performance Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/nissanperformance
Contact Information:
Steve Yaeger
Corporate Communications
Nissan North America, Inc.
615-725-4443
steve.yaeger@nissan-usa.com
www.nissannews.com