Nissan Motorsports Japan Web Site

[John Coffey]

http://www.nissan-motorsports.com/ENN/

Its all cool until you get to the History section. No mention of the US National Championship wins from 1969 through 1980. I can understand that because those efforts were supported by Nissan Motorsports USA and Nissan Marketing USA with very little help from Nissan Motorsports Japan. But then they take credit for the IMSA GTP Championship win in 1988. Now I call bull****.

Those efforts were supported by budget from Nissan marketing USA through a corporation they created called Nissan Performance Technologies, Inc. (the old Electramotive). Nissan Motorsports USA also used what little they had of their budget to help develop some of the parts involved. The bulk of the effort came from private companies (Electramotive, Lola, Tilton Engineering, T-Mag, Bondio Fab, and others.) The body was designed by Nissan in Japan but built here.

Per many of the people involved, NISMO actually got in the way of the effort and tried to kill it for internal Nissan political reasons. A lot of the companies involved financed the effort themselves when Nissan Japan cut the money. After the championship win, Nissan Japan changed their minds and went worldwide with the effort.

Edited October 12, 2011 by John Coffey

[Mike B]

http://www.nissan-motorsports.com/ENN/

Its all cool until you get to the History section. No mention of the US National Championship wins from 1969 through 1980. I can understand that because those efforts were supported by Nissan Motorsports USA and Nissan Marketing USA with very little help from Nissan Motorsports Japan. But then they take credit for the IMSA GTP Championship win in 1988. Now I call bull****.

Maybe you didn't click on the right area or read down far enough? http://www.nissan-motorsports.com/ENN/NISSAN/HISTORY/Z/content01.html

"On the other hand, the Z has also been popular among privateers in America where clubman race is popular. Pete Block the pro-Japanese (a Japanophile) bought a Datsun 240Z immediately upon its release. Bob Sharp who had been enjoying racing in Nissan cars also started entering competitions with a 240Z.

The BRE 240Z, run by Block, overpowered the others with its high power and superior maneuverability. In 1970 and 1971, the car won the SCCA championship C Class 2 years running.

Sharp also became the SCCA champion in 1972 and 1973, and even raced in the IMSA GT series in 1975. In the GTU class, he took 10 victories on his way to becoming champion.

Later in the SCCA, the 260Z of Electramotive, established by the former engineers of BRE and the 280Z of Sharp, won the Production C class title in 1975. Later, the S30 type continued its performance of winning, taking the title until 1978.

This S30 type performed well in Europe as well, and the first car to compete in 'Le Mans 24 Hours' was also the Z. In 1975, a local French team carried an S30 type 260Z to a result of 1st in its class. The car completed its run in 26th overall."

[John Coffey]

My comment was in regards the history of Nissan Motorsports.