IMSA: Nissan P1 staff searching for opportunities

Although Nissan's 2015 LMP1 car won't be remembered for its excellence, the same cannot be said for the men and women who built and ran the program from its base in Indianapolis.

From a staff of approximately 30 mechanics, engineers, managers, and coordinators, less than half of the team behind Nissan's FIA World Endurance Championship effort have gone on to find new jobs since the manufacturer pulled the plug days before the holidays. The timing of the exit has been the greatest hurdle; most IMSA teams had its vacancies filled with the first test of 2016 right around the corner.

According to Nissan LMP1 team manager Chris Mower (LEFT), who has stayed on to try and find work for the 17 or 18 sports car veterans on short notice, a lot of talent is available to IMSA teams in need of additional help for next week's Rolex 24 at Daytona, and for the rest of the season.

"I can't think of a group of people that worked harder and gave more of themselves than the crew we had for this program," Mower told RACER. "There are still a lot of people ready to go back to work immediately; mechanics, gearbox technicians, damper engineers, PR staff, fabricators, machinists, data and electronics people... The group was formed from IndyCar, IMSA, Formula 1, WEC, and is of the highest caliber."

Mower, who came to the Nissan team after two decades of managing F3000, F1, Champ Car, and IndyCar teams, will also be among the job seekers.

"I have my feelers out, too, but that's secondary," he added. "The task right now is to place a great group of racers with new teams."