Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Mitsubishi: all successful in motorsport in their own right. But Nissan had arguably the greatest success on the track. Here are five examples of Nissan’s racing success across rallying and circuit racing.

Silvia 200SX A 200SX, or Silvia was driven by Mike Kirkland in the 36th Safari Rally of 1988; it came 2nd overall and also won the A4 class (over 2,000cc, 2WD). That year’s Safari Rally was very hazardous due to heavy rain preceding the event and only 14 cars completed the course, but the Nissan March won in the A3 class (1,600cc-2,000cc), making Nissan a winner in two of the classes.

Skyline H/T 2000GT-R With the introduction of the hardtop Skyline in October 1970, the 2000 GT-R became a hardtop as well. A short wheelbase improved cornering performance. Its 250bhp engine and 950kg kerb weight gave it excellent racing handling for a saloon car. Debuting in 1969, it racked up consecutive wins to a record of 49. The memorable and significant 50th victory occurred on March 20, 1972 at Fuji. It is currently on display at the “Racing Palace” in Oyama Town, Shizuoka Pref.

Datsun Fairlady 1500 The history of Japan’s modern motor sports began with the 1st Japan GP Race (1963, Suzuka) and this machine was the winner of the B-II race. The driver was G. Tahara, who later became Sports Car Club of Nissan Chairman. Although it was based on a road car, its success gave it kudos as a sports car. With only 59kW available the driver had to work hard to win.

1967 Nissan R380-II In 1965 and 1967 speed records tumbled at the wheel of the R380. A huge 5 world records were set on October 6, 1965, followed by a staggering 7 international records on October 8, 1967. Yukio Sugita of Prince’s Driving Test Section got into the cockpit and proceeded to set new international speed records, one after another, in four categories over distances ranging from 50 to 200km. However, at that time the Yatabe course had not obtained FIA approval, so the 6 new records were valid as Japanese records but not world records.

1968 Nissan R381 After the 4th tournament (1967), the year was included in the Japan GP title. Nissan produced the R381, equipped with a Chevrolet 5.5-liter V8 engine, for the 1968 Japan GP. Its unique “aero stabilizers” – the left and right portions of the wing moving independently – earned it the nickname “Monster Bird”. Kitano drove the number 20 car to victory. This marked a significant point in the history of Japanese motor racing. From the beginning of the Japan Grand Prix in 1963, foreign sports cars had featured strongly in the results. From then on, the Japan Grand Prix was held every year on May 3 (except for 1965, when it was not held). After 1968 the GP was split into two events: the JAF Grand Prix and the Japan Grand Prix.

The rich motorsport history has lead to a large bank of Nissan pictures in many disciplines such as rallying, drifting and circuit racing.

Scott Tucker together with his Level 5 Motorsports teammates recently began the end quarter of a racing year which has included numerous podium appearances, multiple car changes, incredible accomplishments but without doubt still room for improvement. Tucker, owner and driver for Level 5, has been a leader to the team inspite of the rookie status he maintained just months ago. His tight, balanced driving has earned him top honors in the American Le Mans Series as Rookie of the Year and Champion Driver in 2010. His races often end with stints on the podium, and his career has only just begun.

As Tucker, his co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz and team manager David Stone prepare to shut the season with the all-important Petit Le Mans and the Ferrari International Finals, the stakes are high-the team has woven itself a reputation of excellence that is best understood by looking back at what has made 2011 a stupendous year for Level 5 Motorsports.

In January, the Level 5 team began its 2011 race schedule with the GRAND-AM The Roar before the 24 test sessions, in Daytona, Florida. Its two Microsoft Office-sponsored entries proved themselves powerful vehicles for their drivers’ talents. In the final test session the No. 055 Microsoft Office BMW Riley and the No. 95 Microsoft Office BMW Riley finished 2-3. Tucker, Bouchut, Diaz and Mark Wilkins drove the No. 55 and sped through a 127.533 mph lap, just a half-second behind Starworks Motorsports Ford Riley, No. 8. Tucker also drove the No. 95, along with Ryan Hunter-Reay, Raphael Matos and Richard Westbrook. The drivers completed a lap of 127.465 mph, a time less than one-tenth of a second off of the No. 55 BMW Riley.

The Level 5 team proved its versatility since the season opened up with rule changes and a freshly paved racetrack at Daytona International Speedway. The three-day test session for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series was an indicator of things to come for the team. In the practiced sessions, the team gradually built momentum by making small changes with every run, eventually building up to the point that the drivers were barely off the top speed by weekend’s end.

In the fourth test session, the No. 95 rose to 5th on the speed chart with a lap of 125.898 mph. Its counterpart, the No. 55, earned its way to a second-place position by the sixth session with a lap of 126.9189 mph.

Not simply did Tucker drive both cars for the Roar before the 24, he was also a participant in the Sports Car Club of America’s Double National event at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. He finished second both days of the race. “I want as much time on the track as possible,” he said at the time. “Getting in tune with the car is paramount to setting up for a successful season.”

The Roar before the 24 is much like preseason games in other sports; it gives drivers a chance to shake off any lingering problems from the previous year and preview the type of year that is to come. Many big motorsports names are on hand at the Roar before the 24, and many of the stars who test at the Roar are enrolled in the Rolex 24 at Daytona during subsequent weekends.

The results of the Roar prior to the 24 set Level 5 Motorsports in a perfect position for season’s start: beating the competition, but with some room for improvement. By exhibiting talent, control and skill on the raceway, Tucker and his teammates immediately established Level 5 Motorsports as a frontrunner for the coming races. Next up: the Rolex 24.

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The Level 5 Motorsports team’s 2011 season has shown it a versatile, prominent team stocked with skills, skill and perseverance. Commanding the podium in the majority of the competitions it entered-including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and podium at Imola and Sebring, among others-is evidence that the Scott Tucker-owned, Microsoft Office-sponsored team found a winning method in its schedule, race strategy and drivers, including Tucker, Luis Diaz and Christophe Bouchut. When they began the last quarter of an already mind-blowing season with the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey provided by Patron mid-September, all their ducks appeared to be in a row: their formula had been proven consistantly as dependable for an effective winning effort. But this race comprised one wild card, or wild car, as the case might be-the team would finally debut the HPD ARX-01g they had announced they were switching to mid-season.

The Level 5 team estimated the automobile to be a beneficial multiplier for their already winning equation, but as is the situation in racing, they also knew always to expect the unanticipated. For another team, the possibility and risk of getting into a completely new car so near to the season’s largest races could screw up drivers and the team’s flow, but Level 5 is made up of drivers who have knowledge not just adapting to automobile changes but also in motor racing alone.

“Experience counts,” said Christophe Bouchut before the ModSpace race. “We’ve worked hard to prepare for this race, but it’s still brand new and there are still things to check.” The team opened up the gearbox for assessment, sitting out of a final practice session to familiarise themselves with the brand new automobile as much as possible before its 1st run. Still, Bouchut was right: A car can be looked over again and again, and the race strategy can be cemented into the drivers’ minds, but there comes a time for drivers when lessons from earlier race knowledge gets control with a sort of gut instinct and sensibility that can’t be taught.

Tucker may be the least experienced driver on the Level 5 team, but what he lacks in years in the driver’s seat he makes up for with a superb learning curve that barely existed to start with. A rookie in 2006 at 44, Tucker displayed natural skill and surprising skill in the Ferrari Challenge Series before he created Level 5 Motorsports and began creating a dream team of motorists. As the seasons progressed, Tucker began seeing his first major success. In 2009, he won the Sports Car Club of America National Championship. Later on, he was the 1st American to drive one of Audi’s V-12 turbodiesels in a competition, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The love for motorsports coupled with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence-which has caused him to keep up an ultra-disciplined training regimen and a intense, three-series race schedule-have catapulted his short career into the territory of his counterparts, whose initial races weren’t too long after their first birthdays.

Christophe Bouchut, part of the Level 5 dream team, is probably the most successful endurance drivers known to man. His wins have included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He has also won about three Porsche Carrera Cup France championships, three FIA GT titles and a FFSA GT championship. He is the only triple FIA GT champion in history. Bouchut has been driving with Tucker’s Level 5 team since 2008, adding his experience to Tucker’s burgeoning motorsports empire and becoming an integral part of the team’s success.

Luis Diaz drove in the Toyota Atlantic and Indy Lights Series from 1999 to 2003 before moving to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series in 2004 when he co-drove the No. 01 car with former Champ Car competitor Scott Pruett for Chip Ganassi Racing. A few years later, Diaz moved again, this time into the American Le Mans Series, driving an LMP2 Lola B06/43-Acura for Fernandez Racing, and won the class championship in 2009. Diaz was also branded Most Popular Driver that year. Diaz’s experience with Level 5 Motorsports is limited to only this year’s season, but his familiarity with the LMP2 cars has without doubt been crucial to the ever-changing team.

Level 5 Motorsports continues to operate on a near-perfect mix of skills, passion, skill and experience. The cohesive mixture of the drivers’ experience has established the team as dominant frontrunners in multiple series and allowed the 2011 momentum to go on with the brand-new HPD ARX-01g car.

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