Nissan GT-R LM NISMO Launches in Florida December 8th.

Nissan is stepping up to the big leagues with a new LMP1 car, set to debut in Florida December 8th. Check out the press release below.  They didn't disclose the location, but since 12 Hours of Sebring is a huge event, and most likely a race debut for the car, we expect it to be turning laps there.

The team will be based in Indianapolis, central for the US, home of lots of race teams, that aren't NASCAR.

Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

Nissan’s new GT-R LM NISMO will be launched and make its public debut in Florida, the Japanese manufacturer has revealed.

Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO, confirmed to Sportscar365 that its LMP1-H entry is scheduled to be launched on Dec. 8 at a to-be-announced location in Florida, with its first laps in public likely to follow the next day.

Cox would not confirm the location for the public rollout, although it’s understood Sebring International Raceway is the likely venue.

All of the car’s initial testing and development prior to the start of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season will be conducted in the U.S., with testing to begin behind closed doors at an undisclosed Nissan test facility.

Cox confirmed the existence of the team’s Indianapolis base and revealed there will be a further workshop in the U.K. at Nissan’s technical center in Cranfield.

Additional announcements are scheduled for NISMO Festival and the FIA WEC race at Fuji, while Cox said the identity of the first driver for the LMP1 program will be confirmed shortly after the Japanese round.

Cox said at least one of the ten drivers will be a GT Academy driver, as well as expressing a desire to utilize some of Nissan’s Super GT pilots.

“Obviously we’ve got J.P. Oliveira who races in Japan and there’s some other fast Brazilian drivers around, so why not?” Cox said.

“There’s a lot of drivers knocking on my door. There’s some interesting ones that you wouldn’t expect to be talking to us, that you would have thought they’d be happy where they are. Maybe they’re not.”

Additionally, Cox said each of the ten drivers (nine race and one test/reserve) will be announced separately. A two-car program is still planned for the entire FIA WEC, with a third car for Le Mans.

Source: Sportscar 365