Watch a NISMO GT-R Dominate the Track
Photos and video by Andrew Chen
Each year, the Motor Press Guild invites journalists to participate in the ultimate track day where the latest and greatest cars from various manufacturers get put through their paces on the different courses at Willow Springs Raceway. This event is an excellent opportunity for automakers to showcase their performance focused vehicles as well as upcoming models.
Nissan pulled out all the stops and showed up with a 2015 NISMO GT-R, and brought along 2011 GT Academy champion Bryan Heitkotter to pilot this land-rocket around the 2.5 mile Big Willow road course. The heart of the NISMO GT-R is a hand-assembled twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 (VR38DETT) which produces 600 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque, enough to lap the Nurburgring in a blistering 7:08.679.
As I buckled myself into the car, I asked Bryan to drive like I wasn’t there, hopefully quelling any notions that I was a nervous journalist. This is my ride- fly-along:
Grip seemed endless in the NISMO GT-R, with its nitrogen-filled Dunlop Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTT tires that were developed specifically for the car. There were times when I was certain we were going to slide off into the dirt, but the GT-R simply went about its day without so much as a chirp from the tires. And rocketing down the front straight at 145 mph was a walk in the park for the GT3-spec turbochargers. The carbon fiber aero package kept the car planted as the massive brakes slowed us down for turn 1.
Having already driven a few laps in other cars, I was familiar with the braking points and general speeds through turns, but the GT-R showed me an entirely new world of cornering speeds, turn-in and braking ability. 140 mph on the back straight, 120 mph through turn 8—you’d be hard-pressed to find another car that can do that without feeling like you’re dancing on the edge of losing control.
Power delivery in the GT-R is very smooth (and seemingly endless) and hard cornering produced only minimal body roll. The engineers at Nissan have done an amazing job at creating one of the most well-rounded, balanced and best performing supercars to date. I think it’s safe to say that this is the ultimate Nissan GT-R.
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