Nissan becomes Official Car Supplier of FIA GT1

Nissan has announced that it has reached an agreement with SRO Motorsports Group (SRO), promoters of the new FIA GT1 World Championship, to become the Official Car Supplier for its inaugural 2010 season. The deal might be extended to 2011.

Besides supplying four cars by event to SRO, Nissan will also have one of its high perfomance cars as the Official Safety Car at each event.

In its debut season, after being given full world championship status the FIA World Motor Sport Council, the FIA GT1 World Championship will travel to 10 different countries on four continents. Its paddock will feature iconic brands such as Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Maserati and Nissan.

On April 7 the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi will mark the start of the 2010 season, with the season finale scheduled for December 5 in San Luis, Argentina, in a circuit built around a volcanic lake.

Sumo Power and Swiss Racing Team will be the two teams that will be driving the Nissan GT-R, marking the brand’s return to an official FIA World Championship more than 20 years later.

CEO of SRO, Stephane Ratel said: "From the very first time we discussed the proposals for a GT1 World Championship, Nissan was right behind the idea and has been a very enthusiastic supporter ever since. We are therefore extremely pleased that we have reached this agreement, which will give Nissan a great global platform to showcase their range of cars alongside the full GT1 spec racing GT-R's. The Nissan GT-R is an iconic car all over the world and we are thrilled to see it competing at world championship level."

Soichi Miyatani, NISMO President and Nissan CVP adds: "At Nissan the idea of the FIA GT1 World Championship is a very exciting one, seeing the GT-R on track in competition with these other world famous brands will be spectacular. With the strong global Television exposure in place we are sure that this agreement will be a key to us further enhancing the reputation and stature of Nissan's high-performance cars. It also gives us added exposure away from the on-track action as we look to reinforce the Nissan brand within this core car-loving audience on a global basis."