Photo: Nissan
In 1994, Nissan dominated the motorsports world with key endurance-racing victories at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring with legendary racer Steve Millen behind the wheel. To commemorate 20 years since that IMSA GTS Championship season, Nissan’s team and racecar will be racing next month at the 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
That season, Nissan fielded two teams, the No. 75 and No. 76 Nissan 300ZX racecars, but Millen pulled stints in both helping the No. 75 cruise to victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring and in the No. 76 car at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Le Mans-winning racecar ended up winning the GTS class championship that year.
Not only will Millen will be driving his old racecar during the Monterey weekend, but Nissan said that it will be bringing some of the car’s old crew members “out of retirement” to participate in the classic racing event. A total of 550 racecars are invited to participate in the event based on authenticity and provenance, and the Nissan team will be running in Group 6B, which is dedicated to cars from the 1981-1990 FIA Mfg. Championship and IMSA GTP and GTO divisions.
"The past 20 years have flown by like they were 24 hours, so getting back behind the wheel of the No. 75 with the support of many of the original team members will be like stepping into a time machine. People might forget that this car was so dominant in 1994 that IMSA banned its twin-turbo V6 engine. I think we've got a great chance to bring it into Victory Lane one more time against some other amazing race cars at Laguna Seca. I can't wait," said Millen.
While the No. 75 racecar celebrates the past of Nissan and NISMO, the all-new 2015 370Z NISMO and 2015 GT-R NISMO will be on hand to help fans look forward to the next 20 years. The 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion kicks off at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey CA on August 14 and runs through August 17.
Not only will Millen will be driving his old racecar during the Monterey weekend, but Nissan said that it will be bringing some of the car’s old crew members “out of retirement” to participate in the classic racing event. A total of 550 racecars are invited to participate in the event based on authenticity and provenance, and the Nissan team will be running in Group 6B, which is dedicated to cars from the 1981-1990 FIA Mfg. Championship and IMSA GTP and GTO divisions.
"The past 20 years have flown by like they were 24 hours, so getting back behind the wheel of the No. 75 with the support of many of the original team members will be like stepping into a time machine. People might forget that this car was so dominant in 1994 that IMSA banned its twin-turbo V6 engine. I think we've got a great chance to bring it into Victory Lane one more time against some other amazing race cars at Laguna Seca. I can't wait," said Millen.
While the No. 75 racecar celebrates the past of Nissan and NISMO, the all-new 2015 370Z NISMO and 2015 GT-R NISMO will be on hand to help fans look forward to the next 20 years. The 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion kicks off at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey CA on August 14 and runs through August 17.
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