Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

GT Academy winners Wolfgang Reip and Lucas Ordóñez – plus three-time Japanese Super GT champion Satoshi Motoyama – have a totally new set of buttons to learn when they jump behind the wheel of the Nissan ZEOD RC.

 

While Reip and Ordóñez began their racing career pushing buttons on their PlayStation controllers, the talented racers have been learning the control systems on the Nissan ZEOD RC which will make its race debut at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

 

In this exclusive video, fans can now get an insight into what it takes to master the controls of this unique race car which not only features a pair of electric motors producing 300 horsepower, but a separate internal combustion engine which produces 400 horsepower from a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, 40 kilogram (88 pound) powerplant.

 

The electric and gasoline systems drive the car through the same gearbox, which is located between the two. The internal combustion engine is placed right behind the fuel tank and battery at the rear of the tub, while the electric motors are located at the rear of the car.

 

The Nissan ZEOD RC will compete at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours as the "Garage 56" entry, an additional slot on the grid reserved by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for cars showcasing new and innovative technology. Nissan is using the ZEOD RC program as a development platform for its planned LM P1 class debut in 2015.

 

Read the full report here.