A DOUBLE-HEADER weekend of racing lies ahead for Nissan with the final round of the British GT Championship at Donington Park on Sunday and round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship taking place in Bahrain on Saturday.
Jann Mardenborough: The winner takes it all
It’s easy to forget that this is Jann Mardenborough’s first full season as a racing driver. The 21 year-old Brit has taken the GT world by storm and made the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 a car to be feared when it appears in the rear view mirror.
Jann’s rise from gamer to racer has been astounding; so much so that he now finds himself challenging for the British GT Championship in what promises to be a winner-takes-all battle at Donington Park this Sunday.
‘You can never be sure how these things will play out but I know that Alex and I are capable of winning in the Nissan GT-R,’ said Jann. ‘It’s going to come down to who makes best use of the hand they’ve been given when it counts. You have to approach a two-hour race differently to the way you approach the one hour sprints.
‘You have to manage tyre wear a lot more, like we did in the Brands Hatch two-hour race. You can’t just go flat out for an hour at a time as the rears just won’t take it. You have to be smart in your approach, and think of the long game.’
‘This time two years ago I dropped out of university wondering what to do with my life, now here I am fighting for a championship in my first season!”
Jordan Tresson: The speed to succeed
After the disappointment of Brazil, Jordan Tresson is hoping for a change of fortune this time out. It’s another new track for the Frenchman but he is confident that he and the Signatech Nissan team have what it takes to succeed in Bahrain.
‘It would be great if the luck was finally on our side this time,’ said Jordan. ‘We hoped it would be in Sao Paulo but I think it is making us wait a little longer. The mood in the team is still good though and we are even more determined to get a great result. We know that we have the speed to succeed and the ability to be competitive.
‘Bahrain will be tough on the brakes as it is a bit stop-start with long straights and hairpins,’ he continued. ‘I think it will be a good fight between the LMP2 teams as it will be a very level playing field again. I hope we can go out there and get a podium finish this time.’
The Six Hours of Bahrain gets the green light this Saturday.