Nissan ZEOD RC Hits the Track for Japanese Fans at Fuji

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• Electric prototype runs at Fuji Speedway for the first time.
• Nissan-powered teams take top seven LM P2 positions in rain curtailed FIA WEC race.

FUJI, Japan – The Nissan ZEOD RC was unveiled at NISMO headquarters in Yokohama last Thursday and performed three demonstration runs at Fuji Speedway in conjunction with the Japanese round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The Nissan ZEOD RC will complete an entire 8.5-mile lap of Le Mans next year on pure electric power at speeds in excess of 300km/h (186 mph). When running on its internal combustion engine, the ZEOD RC will recharge its battery using regenerative braking.

Key Nissan executives including Executive Vice-President Andy Palmer were on site at Fuji to see the car's debut.

The car will now head back to the UK this week to continue its testing and development program. The Nissan ZEOD RC will occupy "Garage 56" at Le Mans next year - an entry reserved for cars showcasing new and innovative technology previously not seen at the French endurance classic. Nissan will use the ZEOD RC program to develop technologies for its planned future LM P1 assault.

"This has been a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved to bring the Nissan ZEOD RC to Japan to present the car at NISMO and then show the car at Fuji Speedway for the fans," Nissan Global Motorsports Director, Darren Cox said.

"The reaction from the fans has been amazing - especially the young fans. We had a very poignant moment watching the car on track with Mount Fuji in the background. We know we have a very big mountain to climb to develop this electric vehicle technology for Le Mans, but seeing the reaction from the young fans is a key reason why we are doing this. It was a pity that the weather spoiled the day on Sunday for the FIA WEC race but we were thrilled to be able to bring the car here for loyal Japanese fans."

FIA World Endurance Championship: The Race That Never Was

Nissan-powered cars were classified 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 in the LM P2 class of round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway in Japan on Sunday. The event held the promise of a fantastic race, but it was the weather that proved to be the ultimate victor.

Torrential rain meant that it was the safety car that led away the competitors at the start of the race, and after only five minutes the red flags flew for the first time and the cars lined up on the grid to await a break in the weather and hope for a restart.

The break never came. Despite trying to restart the race two more times, the organizers called it a day just before the four hour mark, awarding half points to the teams for their final positions.

The weather didn’t dampen the spirit of the 41,000 Japanese fans who turned out to see their heroes race in the shadow of Mount Fuji, although "Fuji-san" was hidden by rain clouds throughout the day.

The Oak Racing team has now retaken the LM P2 championship lead from Pecom, but all of the Nissan-powered teams will be back on track in Shanghai in just a few weeks ready for flat out racing, and hopefully next time it will be without the rain.

FIA World Endurance Championship Round 6 - LM P2 class

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