NISMO's Second Decade

From Group A to A New Series

The Japanese touring car championship for Group A cars concluded in 1993, transitioning into a series of sprint races for mass-produced FF sedans with naturally-aspirated, two-liter engines the following year. Major Japanese carmakers, including NISMO, expressed interest in this series and entered two models already competing in Britain’s BTCC: the P10 Primera and B14 Sunny. The championship featured 14-18 races on a highly competitive calendar, with intense on-track battles among a talented group of drivers. In 1994, Kazuyoshi Hoshino secured one victory in his Primera, while in 1995, Akira Iida and Hoshino both won in their Sunny and Primera respectively. Although Nissan reached the podium, they couldn’t claim the championship title. Nissan’s racing cars brought numerous victories but fell short of the championship. 1997 marked NISMO’s final involvement in the JTCC, and the championship itself concluded in 1998.

GT-car Racing Boom & Success

The All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) began in 1993 after the Group C era. Masahiko Kageyama’s Calsonic GT-R (R32) won the championship in the first year, facing tough competition from foreign cars like Porsche and Ferrari. Kageyama repeated his success the following year. The debut of the R33 Skyline GT-R in 1995 saw Kageyama’s GT-R winning on its first race and securing three consecutive championships. The appearance of the FIA GT-spec McLaren GT1 in 1996 posed challenges for the GT-R. In 1998, NISMO’s Pennzoil NISMO GT-R (driven by Erik Comas/Masami Kageyama) won two races and emerged as champions after battling the Honda NSX. NISMO claimed both the driver and teams’ titles. Battles between manufacturers intensified in the JGTC, with the GT500 category raising the performance level of all the factory teams at the end of the 20th century.

Return to Le Mans with the Fans

In 1995, NISMO entered two cars based on the R33-type GT-R chassis, named NISMO GT-R LM, in the Le Mans race. The team created “Club Le Mans” to involve fans in supporting and participating in the team’s operations. Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Toshio Suzuki, and Masahiko Kageyama drove the #23 car, while Hideo Fukuyama, Masahiko Kondo, and Shunji Kasuya drove the #22 machine. The #23 car experienced gearbox failure and retired, while the #22 car finished 10th overall and 5th in class. They made a similar attempt the following year but couldn’t improve on their previous result.

In 1997, NISMO collaborated with TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) and entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with three Nissan R390 GT1 cars. Although two vehicles retired, the #23 car finished the race, making an impact on the international race industry. The 1998 R390 GT1 showed significant improvement, and the #32 car, driven by Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Aguri Suzuki, and Masahiko Kageyama, secured 3rd place overall. This achievement garnered attention throughout Japan, as all three other NISMO vehicles also finished in the top ten that year.

In 1999, NISMO entered the Le Mans Prototype (LMP) class with their “Nissan R391” car. However, the #23 car crashed during qualifying and was unable to compete in the race. The team’s hopes relied solely on the #22 car, which retired due to electrical failure after reaching 4th place overall at one point. The image of Club Le Mans members waving Japanese and Nissan flags during the race became a recognizable sight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Later that year, Nissan won the Fuji Le Mans 1,000kms race.

Turning to JCTC

In 1999, NISMO entered the JGTC series with two GT500 GT-Rs, featuring the newly released R34 Skyline GT-R. Erik Comas drove the number one Pennzoil NISMO GT-R and claimed the championship. The following year, Ukyo Katayama joined the team, and although they didn’t secure the championship, the Castrol NISMO GT-R (Katayama/Michael Krumm) garnered attention by winning the JGTC’s first overseas race in Malaysia.

In 2001, NISMO dominated both classes at the fourth round held at Fuji, with GT-Rs finishing 1-2 in GT500 and Silvias finishing 1-2 in GT300. Their outstanding performance led to NISMO winning the GT500 Team title. In 2002, the GT-R received an upgraded V6 VQ engine, enhancing its competitiveness, but the championship remained elusive. However, in 2003, during the R34 GT-R’s final year, NISMO achieved remarkable milestones. Car #23 secured pole position in the opening race, and car #22, driven by Richard Lyons and Masami Kageyama, claimed the first win for the VQ engine in the second round at Fuji. In the end, Satoshi Motoyama and Michael Krumm in car #23 clinched the Driver’s championship, celebrating their come-from-behind victory with enthusiastic fans at Suzuka’s final race.