ON a day for race car reveals, Japanese car brands Nissan and Mazda have lifted the covers off two very different challengers, set for very different race series on opposite sides of the globe.
For Nissan, the Twin Ring Motegi circuit was the venue for the unveiling of the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500, it’s new car for the 2017 Super GT series, where it will take on rivals Lexus and Honda.
New regulations for 2017 include a 25 percent reduction in total downforce, with Nissan also improving the car’s dynamics through a lowered center of gravity and an optimization of weight distribution.
The car maker has had incredible success in the Super GT Championship in recent years, having won the title, in 2014 and 2015, with five round wins under its belt for 2016.
Over at Mazda, the US IMSA SportsCar Championship series was the
focus of the launch of its new challenger, the R
T24-P, revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show, ushering a new era for the car maker and showcasing the car it will campaign in the DPi Prototype class.
After significant on-track testing, it will make its racing debut at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona in late January.
