Nissan Skyline GT-R Debut in SPEED GT

[my 1 88 u]

http://www.scca.com/News/News.asp?Ref=521

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (Feb. 15, 2006) – Bringing the Nissan Skyline GT-R to a North American road racing series for the first time ever, AutomotiveForums.com has announced its entry into the 2006 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship.

The team, based in the Los Angeles area, is preparing to make its debut March 15-17 at Sebring International Raceway, in Sebring, Fla., where SPEED World Challenge will begin its 17th season.

The Skyline GT-R is a front-engine, all-wheel drive, two-door coupe, and with deep technical support from Skyline GT-R teams from both Japan and around the world, the AutomotiveForums.com team expects to be competitive right out of the box.

“We are excited to have an opportunity to finally campaign the GT-R, a car with rich Japanese motorsports history, stateside against the likes of the Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911,” Crew Chief Sean Morris said. “We have been working toward this goal for quite some time.”

Making his SPEED World Challenge GT debut along with the car, Igor Sushko, 20, will pilot the GT-R.

And though another driver has not yet been announced, the AutomotiveForums.com team has reserved two numbers, 69 and 70, with plans of adding a second GT-R to the roster later in the season.

The 2006 SPEED World Challenge GT schedule could not be more perfect, giving the team an opportunity to contend at a variety of circuits and street course venues across the country alongside the American Le Mans Series, Indy Racing League, Champ Car, and NASCAR Nextel Cup.

“As the product planner of the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, this car and its heritage have a paramount place in my heart,” Hiroshi Tamura said. “I am very excited to finally see the GT-R compete in a United States championship series.

“I am fully confident in Igor and his team's ability to make the GT-R community around the world proud and we wish them good luck.”

Associate and technical sponsors for this effort include Rays Engineering, Mackin Industries, Tilton Engineering and Brembo, with further support to be announced shortly.

Launched in November of 2000, AutomotiveForums.com is today a leader in connecting the auto enthusiasts via the Internet. Currently, more than 435,000 members enjoy AutomotiveForums, with 500 new users signing up daily.

[hatebbobbarker]

i<3sean
he so sexy

[geekmonster]

wow! should be interesting to see what th gtr does and if it will dominate the circuit here as it has done in other areas across the globe.

[Hubert Young]

Can I sign up to be the second driver? hehe

[hatebbobbarker]

Can I sign up to be the second driver? hehe

if only you still had that sexy v-spec II

[Tsunami]

If the rumors are true, then Speed GT is going to rock this year. S197 Mustang GT, more Porsche factory support, the return of the factory Audi's, perhaps the Ford GT, and the Skyline GTR. The hottest JDM, USDM, and DTM GT's going at it, what can I say, I LOVE this stuf

How competitive the GTR is depends on the team, good driving, and of course, lots of the green stuff. They're using a not-so-new car to face off with the latest-and-and-greatest DC, GM, Porsche, and the all-conquering Audi factory efforts, but I hope it does well. I'm glad to see the GTR in competition on American shores.

I also wonder: 1) How long is it until they rename SWC GT to Transam? 2.) Is the new FIA GT3 designed to take some wind out of SWC's sails, or to at least get a piece of the pie. Also, +2 USDM points to anyone who can name the other Turbo AWD car in SWC besides the Audi.

and now, your host for the eveing.......Octagon.

[hatebbobbarker]

the r34 is still awd i believe, its a former super taikyu car and i think only the jgtc r34s were RWD.

[UNITEDMASTER]

Hello ,I think the skyline should do well,especially on the longer more flowing tracks is where this car will feally shine.The tight and technical tracks will need to be sorted out,but the 4WD should help there as long as you can get it to hook up and not roast the tires,I beleive tire wear will become a possible issue towards the end of the races.Also what kind of weight restrictions are they going to slap you guys with? That will be interesting .Anyhow I wish you guys the best of luck,PEACE

[raijstyle]

Rays Engineering, Mackin Industries, Tilton Engineering, Brembo and more to come. No doubt that this machine will be top notch and a work of art. Does anyone know if it will be at GTlive in Arizona? This reminds me of the classic well-respected film…King Kong vs. Godzilla . Good luck to those on the project.

[Octagon]

Thanks for volunteering me, Tsunami. Allow me to prep the soapbox for a few comments.

Firstly, the Trans Am is dead, may it rest in the peace it denied so many of the more "civilized" road racing sanctions. There was nothing, and shall never be anything, in sports car racing that will provide the raucous spectacle of a full-boat Trans Am car on a road course.

Say what you will about its tube frame construction or four/five link rear end (which remains the best way to get sick lateral grip), but Trans Am was REAL. Honestly, I see a bit of the Trans Am spirit in Formula Drift and hope that the FD teams realize that they're holding the position at Long Beach held by the likes of Kendall, Bell, Said, Gentilozzi, Fellows, Schroeder, and Sharp.

When a Trans Am car took to the track, you KNEW it. The Jerico whined, the carb belched, the V8 bellowed and the exhaust spit flames. The cars would come out of the corners on opposite lock as the drivers fought to put power down and shoot down the straights, usually two or three wide. Fenders crumpled, tempers flared, and no race was over until the last lap. It was racing at its finest, and nothing in the JGTC, the DTM, the BTCC, or even SCCA's own Speed World Challenge is so visceral.

The cars are still racing, too. SCCA Club Racing's GT1 class is comprised of Trans Am hardware (as well as some high dollar track day equipment and a few ex-ASA Latemodels). These cars - which Paul F*cking Gentilozzi chased off with his Jaguar-biased rules package - are the backbone of the series and will come back when they're given the chance.

Ruhlman, Derhaag, AER, Huffaker, Newman, all of these men are diehards of the Trans Am elite who toured to all the races for the fun of it. The competition was fierce, but the attitude was casual. It's all for a lark, a trophy, and bragging rights.

The talk that the Speed World Challenge would inherit the Trans Am name is just that, talk. The SCCA knows that the Trans Am is the Trans Am, and that the cars of SWC just don't have the luster or the same appeal as a Trans Am car.

To truly explain the difference in appeal of a Trans Am car to a SWC GT car, I have to go back in the archives to the late-70's when Tom Walkinshaw Racing and Bob Tullius's infamous Group 44 were both racing Jaguar XJS-12 coupes. TWR in British Touring. Group 44 in Trans Am.


TWR


Group 44.

That really is the best way to sum it up.

Now, on to GT3.

The FIA GT series has been suffering the same set of car count struggles that every other high-profile/dollar sports car series has been suffering. While the supercar teams are becoming more involved (Saleen S7R, Maserati MC12, Lamborghini Murcielago) the GT2 class cars are defecting to LMES and fields are suffering as a result. In fact, the GT2 fields at an FIA GT event comprise mainly of teams that don't/can't compete in the LMES or cars that aren't homologated by the ACO (Mosler MT900, Gillet Vertigo).

FIA GT3 was created in order to gather up some of the playboy club racers and regional series teams who play with trackday cars like the Noble M12 GTO, Porsche 911GT3 Clubsport, Ferrari Challenge Stradale, and Lotus Exige.

It's not a play against the Speed World Challenge. Honestly, Europe has no view on the SWC whatsoever. It's just a regional series, same as Super Taikyu, Belcar, BTCC, or any other regional touring/sports car series.

[UNITEDMASTER]

Hello OCTAGON spot on my friend its a shame what has happened to TRANS - AM my thoughts exactly

[my 1 88 u]

well it finished 24th at Sebring

[Octagon]

About where I expected. Off the pace the whole weekend, mentioned in the broadcast as a curiousity because it's a different car and right hand drive, and ended up in the pits at the end.

This is about how the season will go for the AutomotiveForums.com Skyline GTR provided the car never gets racked up AND Igor has the money to keep the car on the grid from here out.

[Mike Peters]

octagon is that 2nd pic you posted at texas world speedway? looks kiiiiiiiinda like it

[Mike Peters]

i also do agree FD has become the modern trans am type of racing. streetcars that you can still recognize off the showroom floor out there giving it hell. i do however think if there was a modern rebirth of transam it would be speed gt. those cars are about as production based as you can get, and the racing is pretty good.