TWO-TIME Le Mans 24 Hours LM P2 podium finisher and inaugural Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez has been confirmed as the first race driver for Nissan’s revolutionary ZEOD RC prototype.
The Nissan ZEOD RC will become the first car to complete an entire 13.6-kilometer (8.5 mile) lap of Le Mans on nothing but electrical power when it competes in this year’s Le Mans 24 hours on June 15.
The car will occupy the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s “Garage 56” at this year’s Le Mans – a spot reserved for new and innovative technologies not previously seen in the French endurance classic.
Ordóñez won the inaugural Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in 2008 and made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut in 2011. In three attempts at the famous French enduro he has twice finished on the LM P2 podium.
He also took championship wins in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in LM P2 in 2011 and last year’s Blancpain Endurance Series.
Speaking about the forthcoming event, Ordóñez said: “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a very challenging project for Nissan and for me as a racing driver. I can’t wait to begin testing and get in the car at Le Mans, and do those special laps under electric power.”
Most recently he took a class victory along with four new GT Academy graduates at the Dubai 24 Hours, and was previously confirmed as the test driver for the ZEOD RC project but has now been promoted into a race seat.
Nissan Global Motorsport Director, Darren Cox, added: “Since becoming our first GT Academy winner, Lucas has demonstrated his speed and talent in a wide variety of Nissan machinery – LM P2, GT3 , GT4, Super GT and even V8 Supercar.
“It will be very different, but they will have the opportunity to be a part of something very special. It will not only be an extremely important project for Nissan, but for the automotive industry as a whole.”