- Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough to race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO
- 2008 & 2011 Winners of GT Academy to go head-to-head with the best drivers in the world
- Long-standing NISMO racer Michael Krumm joins Nissan NISMO LM P1 team
- Ordonez also steps up to top class in Super GT Championship
NISMO TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZke23dw1E
CHICAGO, USA & YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: GP3 race winner, Jann Mardenborough (GB) was revealed as one of the drivers of Nissan's innovative LM P1 racing car at the Chicago Motor Show today. At the same time in Yokohama, Japan, it was announced that fellow GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordonez (ESP), had also been selected to race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, along with NISMO racer Michael Krumm (GER).
Three years ago, 23 year-old Mardenborough was a gap year student, wondering what to do with his life. He spent his time watching his hero Lewis Hamilton racing in F1 and playing on his PlayStation. Then he entered Nissan GT Academy and his life changed forever when he landed his dream job.
Fast-forward to 2015 and Jann has become a race winner in F1 feeder series, GP3, competing against the best single-seater talent in the world. His performance at last year's Le Mans 24 Hours made the establishment sit up and take notice of the young man from Cardiff, UK, who has made the transition from gamer to racer, blowing apart the traditional route into racing. In 2015 Jann will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship with Nissan.
Mardenborough gets his competitive DNA from his father, Steve, an ex-professional footballer. He doesn't like losing and it is this competitive spirit that has seen him get to the top of the sports car ladder with Nissan.
"I want to show that there is a different route to the top of motorsport, than just years and years of expensive go karting, by winning at Le Mans," said Mardenborough. "It's an honour for me to be chosen to compete in LM P1 for Nissan. I have raced at Le Mans twice in LM P2 so I have seen the current LM P1 cars at very close quarters out on the track. To think I will be racing one this year is very exciting. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO looks set to be an historic race car and I get to drive it!"
Lucas Ordonez is the first-ever winner of GT Academy, the pioneer of Nissan's virtual-to-reality story. He was the first GT Academy winner to race at Le Mans, capturing the headlines when he finished the great race on the podium. It is fitting therefore that Lucas should race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO at Le Mans.
The Spaniard will join fellow Nissan Super GT racer, Tsugio Matsuda, in the third GT-R that will join the fight at Le Mans in June. Before he gets to Le Mans though Nissan has given him a new challenge. After completing his debut season in the Japanese Super GT GT300 Championship, Nissan is demonstrating the faith it has in Ordonez by placing him into the top category of Super GT where he will race the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500.
"When I received the call telling me I would race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO and the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 it was like winning GT Academy all over again," said Ordonez. "Last year was incredible, racing in Japan and learning all about the unique racing culture over there. Now I get to race in the top class in Japan and at Le Mans I will jump into the ultimate GT-R! I know it sounds like a cliché but GT Academy really does turn dreams into reality, giving people a real chance to get their dream job, just like I did. For sure you have to work hard but when you do the rewards are there. I have never been so excited about the start of a new season."
Joining Mardenborough and Ordonez in Nissan's LM P1 line-up is NISMO regular Michael Krumm, who was the first man to drive the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. Well-known for his car development capabilities Krumm brings a great deal of experience to the team. The final squad of nine drivers will provide the perfect mix of youth and experience as Nissan enters the LM P1 battlefield.
"Jann and Lucas have proved their merit as professional racing drivers time and time again, not least with their Le Mans podium finishes," said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. "What looks like an overnight success is years of incredibly hard work by Jann, Lucas and the Nissan NISMO team that develop all of the winners of Nissan GT Academy. These guys are proof that if you want something badly enough and are prepared to give it everything you've got, you will succeed. We have the same ethos with our LM P1 programme. Drivers like Krumm add that extra layer of experience that is vital in a programme like this.
"We are here to compete at the highest level and we are not here to make up the numbers," he continued. "It's no accident that people like Mark Webber are racing at Le Mans. This is where you will find the most competitive racing in the world. It is a tough battlefield but we can't wait to join the fight."
FIVE MINUTES WITH JANN MARDENBOROUGH
February 2015
What was your reaction when you heard you had landed a Nissan LM P1 race seat?
Darren (Cox) told me when we were in the GP3 hospitality area at Monza last year and I was pretty taken aback as I wasn't expecting him to say that, mainly because I never take anything for granted. Once the news had sunk in I was massively happy and very proud to have been chosen to represent Nissan at the highest level in sports cars. It's a big honour and I'm delighted to be part of the new team.
You are the first GT Academy winner to compete in single-seater racing (Formula 3 and GP3). Will this experience help you in LM P1?
Without a doubt. The racing in single-seaters is very cut throat. The first few laps of those races are where it matters; you need pure speed and perfect awareness to make the most of the opening laps. You are constantly on the limit in single-seaters and that, tied with the experience I've had in LM P2, will stand me in good stead for LM P1.
Nissan put me into single-seaters to develop my skills as quickly as possible and the fact that I got this LM P1 drive proves that was the right thing to do.
How do you feel about going head-to-head with the established LM P1 manufacturers?
Right now LM P1 is one of the most competitive series in the world. To enter now and join the fight with three very strong manufacturers is very exciting. For me it goes back to the 90s when sports cars had many manufacturers – the racing was amazing! I'm really looking forward to being part of this exciting new era of sports car racing.
The FIA World Endurance Championship is new to you. How well do you know all of the circuits?
All of the European tracks are very familiar to me but COTA and Bahrain are totally new. I've never even been to China so Shanghai is another new one. I've tested a Super GT car at Fuji before so I know which way the track goes there. Just to go to all of those countries is totally cool but to go there and race in the top sports car category is hugely exciting.
Since winning GT Academy in 2011, what has been your favourite race so far?
That has to be the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. I was in Oak Racing's Ligier-Nissan and the part I will never forget is the quadruple stint I did during the night. I love racing in the dark – it's unique to sports car racing – especially going down the Mulsanne Straight at 300kph, just you and the track, it's so cool. You can't really see where you are going but you just know. It's like a sixth sense.
That night stint went by so quickly. The only way I can explain it is to say that I was in this metronomic trance, fully on the limit and pushing 100%. I think people call it being 'in the zone' but for me it was just a very special moment in time.
Are you treated differently by your peers because of your gaming background?
I don't really notice it but I do get referred to as 'the gamer' in GP3. I like that though; it's a great tag to have. If I had done the whole 'karting since the age of eight' thing then I would be really annoyed to then be beaten by someone who got here via a PlayStation game!
What do your friends in Cardiff think about you being a racing driver? How do you explain to them what 'LM P1' is?
My best mates are more jealous of the countries I visit, rather than the amazing cars I get to race. This year is going to drive them mad! I've told them what LM P1 is. I said it's basically a car with a roof that's not an F1 car but it's as fast as one!
Is this an end to the F1 dream?
It's not, no. Sports cars are still relevant. It has been proved in the past by the likes of Mika Hakkinen, Mark Webber, Michael Schumacher that you can have a career in sports cars and make it in F1. This is just a different route. You learn a lot along the way and it's all relevant.
What is your ultimate ambition?
I have two and it's hard to choose between them. I want to compete in Formula 1; you show me a racing driver who doesn't want to do that. I also have this burning desire to win outright at the Le Mans 24 Hours. I can't imagine anything more fulfilling than that.
Since the beginning of 2014 you have been on a driver development programme with Infiniti Red Bull Racing. What have you learnt so far?
The main thing I have been learning is to focus on the minute details of preparing for a race weekend and the race weekend itself. By that I mean detailed examination of data, looking at past performances, focusing on any trends we can see, the real nitty gritty of racing. The more experienced you get the smaller the available gains so we have to practically go looking under rocks for small pieces of information. I think the British Cycling team call it 'Marginal Gains'. Infiniti Red Bull Racing are great at getting right into the details of performance.
You mentioned cycling. You've mentored Sir Chris Hoy who shares your dream of racing at Le Mans. We know you have taught him a lot about racing but has he taught you anything?
Not in a car but he has shown me that you can jump from one sport to an entirely different sport and if you work hard enough and apply yourself you can succeed. That idea has really inspired me. For him to switch from cycling to motor racing and win a race at Spa of all places so early on is an incredible achievement.
Do you still play on your PlayStation?
I do when I get the time. I usually go for Gran Turismo and I like the shooting games too, like Battlefield 4. I'm very competitive by nature so I like to compete online - it's still a hobby of mine.
What would you say to anyone who was thinking about entering GT Academy?
If you've always wanted to be a racing driver; if you watch F1 on the TV and think you could do better than do it. You just never know. You may have a secret hidden talent you didn't know about and look where it could take you!
JANN MARDENBOROUGH
Date of birth: 9 September 1991
Place of birth: Darlington, UK
Nationality: British
Lives: Cardiff, UK
Languages: English
Twitter: @jannthaman
Nissan's revolutionary driver discovery and development programme, GT Academy, struck gold in 2011 when it unearthed the raw talent of Jann Mardenborough.
Jann was a student on a gap year when he heard about GT Academy. He knew he was pretty handy with his PS3 but could his skills in the virtual world be transferred just as successfully onto the race track? You bet they could.
Since winning Season Three of GT Academy in June 2011 Jann has proved to be every inch the professional racing driver and one of the most exciting young racing talents to appear in recent years.
The raw talent that caught the eye of the GT Academy judges soon attracted a lot of attention from the motorsport industry. Jann's speed was such in the British GT Championship that he was given a penalty for being "too fast". When EVO magazine presented its Emerging Talent award to Jann they said that he was: "blessed with star quality without the swagger, abundant aptitude without the attitude, and the kind of blistering pace that makes you want to weep."
Jann is the first GT Academy winner to race in single-seaters and in 2014 he became a GP3 race winner with Arden Motorsport, while on the Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver development programme. Away from single-seaters, Jann's performance in the Ligier-Nissan LM P2 car at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was incredible.
Such is Jann's talent the motorsport establishment became convinced that he had done a lot of karting as a child. The bad news for them is that he didn't, in fact he went to his local kart track a total of six times over the course of a year when he was 10 years old.
In 2015 Jann completes the transition from PS3 to P1, becoming one of the first GT Academy winners to race in LM P1 for Nissan.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2014
- GP3 with Arden Motorsport – Took his first win at Hockenheim in July and followed it up with a podium in Hungary
- On intensive driver development programme with Infiniti Red Bull Racing
- Le Mans 24 Hours with OAK Racing, alongside Mark Shulzhitskiy and Alex Brundle.
- Competed in the Sebring 12 Hours in the Nissan-powered Pickett Racing LM P2 car.
- Runner up in the New Zealand-based TRS single-seater series
2013
- Raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the British F3 International Series with Carlin Motorsport. Two podium finishes.
- Raced to a podium finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours in the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan with Michael Krumm and Lucas Ordonez. Jann travelled to the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours with his fellow GT Academy finalists, before he won the competition a week after the 2011 race.
- Competed in an all-gamer line-up at the Spa 24 Hours in the No.32 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 and scored a Pro-Am podium along with Lucas Ordonez, Wolfgang Reip and Peter Pyzera.
2012
- British GT Championship with Alex Buncombe in the RJN Motorsport Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Jann took his first British GT pole position at the Nurburgring in May and he and Alex took the first big win for the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 at Brands Hatch in the summer. At the final round at Donington Park Jann was leading the race and heading for championship glory when a technical problem dropped him down the order.
- Blancpain Endurance Championship part-season
- Podium finish at Dubai 24 Hours in 'All-Gamer' Nissan 370Z
- Awarded Rising Star status by the British Racing Driver's Club (BRDC)
- Invited to join the MSA Academy
- Winner of EVO magazine's Emerging Talent award
- Nominated for Club Driver of the Year in Autosport Awards
2011
- Nissan PlayStation GT Academy Winner (Season 3, Europe, 2011)
LUCAS ORDONEZ
Date of birth: 1 May 1985
Place of birth: Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Lives: Madrid, Spain
Languages: Spanish, English and French
Twitter: @lucas_ordonez
In 2008 Lucas Ordonez was studying for an MBA when he saw an advertisement for a new competition called 'GT Academy'. Lucas had long held dreams of being a racing driver and saw this collaboration between Nissan and PlayStation as his last opportunity.
The rest, as they say, is history. His journey from virtual to reality became one of the major stories of the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours, where Lucas fulfilled his dream of competing in the toughest endurance race of them all. The fact that he finished the race on the podium with his Signatech Nissan team-mates is testament to the strength of the GT Academy driver development programme.
As the inaugural winner of GT Academy Lucas has become the statesman that the new winners look up to. Since his 2008 win, GT Academy has gone global with competitions in Europe, USA, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, India and South Africa, finding and nurturing new talent every season but Lucas will always be the pioneer.
In recent years Lucas has truly came of age as a professional racing driver, rising to every challenge that comes his way.
Lucas epitomises what GT Academy is all about. Take raw talent, nurture it, challenge it and watch it shine.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2014
- Racing in Japanese Super GT where he partnered Kazuki Hoshino in the NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in the GT300 class. He took his first Super GT victory at Buriram in Thailand.
- First driver signed up to race the Nissan ZEOD RC at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
- Won the SP2 class at the Dubai 24 Hours in an 'All-Gamer' Nissan 370Z NISMO, which he shared with Miguel Faisca, Stanislav Aksenov, Florian Strauss and Nick McMillen.
2013
- Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am Driver's Champion! Lucas also competed in the FIA GT Series in the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.
- First driver to take advantage of the NISMO Global Driver Exchange, competing in Super GT in Japan, testing the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar in Australia and racing a Nissan 370Z in the USA.
- Racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan with Michael Krumm and Jann Mardenborough. Took his second podium finish at Le Mans with third place in LM P2.
- Took second place in the SP3 class at the Dubai 24 Hours, sharing a Nissan 370Z NISMO GT4 with Roman Rusinov, Mark Shulzhitskiy and Wolfgang Reip.
2012
- Dubai 24 Hours in the 'All Gamer' Nissan 370Z. Team mates: Jordan Tresson, Jann Mardenborough and Bryan Heitkotter. Finished third in class taking first ever podium for all-gamer entry.
- European Le Mans Series with Greaves Motorsport. Team mates Tom Kimber-Smith and Alex Brundle.
- Nurburgring 24 Hours, racing alongside Gran Turismo creator, Kazunori Yamauchi. Lucas won his class and finished in 30th place overall in a production class Nissan GT-R on the notoriously difficult 25km Nordschleife.
- Le Mans 24 Hours in the Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan LM P2. Team mates: Martin Brundle and Alex Brundle. This line-up also competed in the Silverstone round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, finishing fifth.
- Petit Le Mans in the Nissan DeltaWing. After making it's debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, the Nissan DeltaWing returned to the track at Road Atlanta in the Autumn. Lucas and his team-mate Gunnar Jeanette took fifth place, the car's first finish, in the tough 10-hour race.
2011
- Winner of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LM P2 with Signatech Nissan, alongside Franck Mailleux and Soheil Ayari. Two class victories and three further podium finishes secured the LM P2 title. • Le Mans 24 Hours debut. Lucas became the first GT Academy winner to race at Le Mans when he joined Signatech Nissan in the LM P2 class and finished in an incredible second place in class.
- Voted 2011 LMP2 Rookie of the Year by SPEED.com and Dailysportscar.com
2010
- FIA GT4 European Championship with RJN Motorsport. Finished in fourth place.
2009
- FIA GT4 European Championship in 350Z. Runner-Up with Alex Buncombe. Won teams' title.
- Dubai 24 Hours in Nissan 350Z. Team-mate Johnny Herbert.
2008
- Nissan Playstation GT Academy Winner (Season 1, Europe, 2008)
MICHAEL KRUMM
Date of birth: 19 March 1970
Place of birth: Reutlingen, Germany
Nationality: German
Lives: Monaco
Languages: German, English, Japanese and some French.
Twitter: @MichaelKrumm
Michael Krumm is one of NISMO's greatest ambassadors and has competed in Nissan cars throughout his racing career.
In recent years he has focused on the Super GT Championship but two seasons in the FIA GT1 World Championship led to Michael winning the driver's title in 2011.
He also drove the Nissan GT-R NISMO 'Time Attack' car that took the Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record for a volume production car in September 2013, with a time of just 7 minutes 8.679 seconds.
Michael's career has taken him all over the world but the focus of his racing has been in Japan where he is a NISMO-contracted driver. He is married to professional tennis player, Kimiko Date-Krumm.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2014
- Racing for Kondo Racing in Super GT Championship (GT500 class) – 10th in driver rankings
2013
- NISMO Global Driver Exchange – Testing Nissan Altima V8 Supercar
- Racing for NISMO in Super GT Championship (GT500 class) – 13th in driver rankings
- Competing at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the Greaves Zytek-Nissan alongside Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough. Podium finish (third place) in LM P2 class.
2012
- Racing for NISMO in Super GT Championship (GT500 class) – 8th in driver rankings
- Nissan 'Garage 56' race driver
2011
- 1st place (driver's championship) FIA GT1 World Championship (GT1 GT-R)
2010
- 9th place (driver's championship) FIA GT1 World Championship (GT1 GT-R)
2009
- Development programme for Nissan GT-R GT1
2008
- Super GT (Nissan GT-R)
2007
- 2nd place (team championship) Super GT (350Z)
2006
- 2nd place (team championship) Super GT (350Z)
2005
- 1st place (team championship) Super GT (350Z)
2004
- 1st place (team championship) JGTC (350Z)
2003
- 1st places (driver and team championship) JGTC (Skyline GT-R)
2002
- JGTC (Skyline GT-R)
- 3rd place Le Mans 24 Hours (Audi)
2001
- 1st place (team championship) JGTC (Skyline GT-R)
2000
- 2nd place (team championship) JGTC (Skyline GT-R)
- 2nd place Formula Nippon Championship
1999
- 2nd place (team championship) JGTC (Skyline GT-R)
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Nissan R391)
1998
- 5th place Le Mans 24 Hours (Nissan R390 GT1)
- German Touring Car Championship: Nissan Primera
1997
- 3rd place JTCC (Toyota)
- 1st place JGTC (Toyota)
1996
- 3rd place JTCC (Japan Touring Car Championship)
1995
- JGTC (Japan GT Championship) (Toyota)
1994
- 1st place Japan F3 Championship
1990
- 1st place German Formula Opel-Lotus Championship
1989
- 1st place German Formula Ford Championship
About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
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