Nissan expands into Blancpain Sprint

Nissan will expand its Blancpain GT program to encompass the Sprint Cup as well as the Endurance series in 2016.

Katsumasa Chiyo, Wolfgang Reip and Alex Buncombe won the Endurance drivers' title last season with the RJN-run Nissan team, but the marque has not been represented in the Sprint series during the Blancpain-branded era.

Nissan last participated in SRO's sprint race category when it was still running as the FIA GT Series three years ago.

Only Buncombe stays on with the Blancpain program for 2016, with Reip dropped and Chiyo focusing on Super GT in Japan, where he steps up to the GT500 class as partner to Satoshi Motoyama.

Buncombe will instead by joined by 23-year-old NISMO protege Mitsunori Takaboshi – in his first campaign outside Japan – in both Blancpain categories, with Lucas Ordonez returning to the series to complete the line-up for the Endurance races.

Sean Walkinshaw, a development driver with Nissan's partner JRM, gets a seat in the second Nissan entry in both Blancpain series, teaming up with graduates from the firm's GT Academy scheme.

Matt Simmons and Romain Sarazin join Walkinshaw for the Pro Am class car in Endurance, while Ricardo Sanchez will be his partner in Sprint.

Nissan's move is expected to be part of a significant entry increase for Blancpain Sprint, which like its Endurance sister is being rebranded from a "Series" to a "Cup" for 2016.

In a bid to encourage more of the large Endurance field to take part in the previously less popular Sprint races, SRO has adjusted the regulations so that the full prize fund is only available to teams contesting both BEC and BSC races.

Originally on Autosport.com