CRP Racing to Campaign Nissan GT-R's in World Challenge

CRP Racing have just announced that they are going to be racing a pair of Nissan GT-R's in World Challenge for 2012. Brass Monkey Racing tried racing a couple of GT-R's in 2010, and 2011, but they never got too far with the cars.  Brass Monkey had some issues with cooling, and the transmission. Now a few years along, hopefully CRP will be able to work out those issues.  The car is going to be sponsored by Hawk brakes, and Cragar Wheels. Hawk already produces brake pads for the Nissan GT-R, but I haven't seen anything in Cragars lineup that will fit on a GT-R. Maybe soon. 

World Challenge GT is a tough series, with a number of well established teams, with very fast cars. Coming from the Corvette, a lightweight V8, rear wheel drive car, the GT-R will be a new experience for the team. 

See the full press release after the break.

HARRISBURG, NORTH CAROLINA, February 1, 2012 – Hot on the heels of asuccessful 2011 season for Hawk Performance® and Cragar Wheel®Corvettes, CRP Racing is announcing exciting changes for the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GT series.  A new partnership between CRP Racing and Nissan North America will see the debut of two Hawk Performance Nissan GT-Rs this season.

Both CRP Racing and Nissan are excited to be entering a new era with the Nissan GT-Rs in World Challenge. “Nissan is looking forward to partnering with CRP Racing to campaign the Nissan GT-Rs in the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GT class,” said Ron Stukenberg, Senior Mgr., Motorsports Marketing Communications at Nissan. “Both CRP Racing and the Nissan GT-R have a long history of winning races and we anticipate that success will carry over to the Pirelli World Challenge series.”

Nicholas Short, owner of CRP Racing, agrees. “We’re very happy with this new collaboration between CRP Racing and Nissan North America to develop the Nissan GT-Rs into a race winning package. We now have two great partners in the Hawk Performance Group and Nissan, which will allow CRP Racing to show its true potential as a car builder and a race team.” The Nissan GT-Rs are currently being built at CRP’s Harrisburg, NC, race shop. 

Hawk Performance Products and Cragar Wheels are owned by Carlisle Companies Inc., a diversified manufacturing company headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Carlisle’s Chairman, President and CEO, Dave Roberts, recently spoke of the CRP/Nissan partnership. “Nicholas Short approached me about teaming with Nissan to run the GT-Rs in World Challenge for the 2012 season. After two successful seasons, with Ron Fellows, Mike Skeen and Patrick Lindsey driving the CRP Racing prepared Hawk and Cragar Corvettes, I told Nick that if he thought the Nissan GT-Rs would provide our drivers the opportunity to compete for a series championship, we would support the change. While we enjoyed competing with the Corvettes, the Nissan GT-Rs provide us the opportunity to attract Performance Sports Import owners to our new and expanding line of Hawk wheels and brakes. Everyone at Carlisle, and especially everyone within our Hawk Performance Products Group, looks forward to the season opener in St. Petersburg on March 24^thand 25^th.”

Back for the 2012 season is Mike Skeen, who will pilot the #2 Hawk Performance Nissan GT-R.  Skeen had an impressive debut in World Challenge, having already scored four wins in the series and finishing third in the Driver’s Championship in his first full season of competition. “I am excited to be back with CRP in World Challenge for 2012,” says Skeen. “Our performance with the Cragar Wheels Corvette was always strong, and hopefully gave the fans something to look forward to at each event.  The move to the Hawk Performance Nissan GT-R is an exciting challenge, and I am looking forward to it and have no doubt that we will be successful.” A second driver for the CRP Team will be announced in the near future.

CRP Racing is a leading edge race car engineering company with a winning pedigree that offers full service race car prep, full track set-up, restoration and custom fabrication, and shock, dyno and design services. Owner Nicholas Short has made a career out of motorsports with experience in IndyCar, NASCAR, Trans-Am, Group C Endurance Racing, Baja desert racing, Vintage SVRA and HSR and the World Challenge series.

CRP Racing plans to not only have a winning team, but one that is fan-oriented as well. Updates from the track, videos (including exciting in-car footage), and photos will be posted each race weekend at www.CompetitionRaceParts.com and the CRP Racing Facebook page. The team invites fans to stop by the transporter at all World Challenge races to meet the team and to check out the Hawk Performance Nissan GT-Rs up close.

Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing and managed by WC Vision, the World Challenge Championship will offer four categories this year - GT, GTS, Touring Car and Touring Car Spec-B. The series will feature 12 races at eight different venues, beginning with the doubleheader weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 23-25, 2012. It promises to be an exciting, fun-filled weekend for all race fans. 

Source: World Challenge and CRP