A time close to 58 seconds set by a production car!
On 10 January 2024, the 2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO model (hereafter referred to as MY24) broke the fastest time set by a production car on the Tsukuba Circuit four years earlier than the 2020 model (hereafter referred to as MY20). The time was 59.078 seconds, which is an astonishing feat for a fully-stocked mass-production car to come so close to the 58-second mark at Tsukuba, where the benchmark is under one minute. So how did they manage to shave off the time? Let us reveal the secrets behind the speed of the GT-R NISMO, which has once again set a new milestone.
A challenge to beat the time set by GT-R itself
11 years have passed since Hiroshi Tamura gave the R35 GT-R, which was developed by Kazutoshi Mizuno based on an all-in-one concept, a drastic change of direction with different flavours for the ‘GT’ and ‘R’. The baton of responsibility for development has been passed to Takashi Kawaguchi, but the idea of clearly separating the different characters has not changed.
The standard car, which takes on the grand touring domain, was highly acclaimed with the introduction of the T-Spec set for 2021, which as a road car has acquired a gentleness that is close to that of premium European sports cars.
While the standard cars, including the T-Spec, are allowed to talk about evolution in terms of their worldview, the NISMO has to demonstrate its speed in terms of numbers. After all, it is Japan’s highest-performance car that can compete with the world’s super sports.
In addition, the MY24 features new aero parts and a front LSD as standard equipment to improve traction performance. The Atesa E-TS programme was also announced as having been changed to improve performance. What are the effects of these changes? It is NISMO’s fate that every time a new model is launched, it is full of topics with speed as the keyword.
The time attack, which should be called the graduation test for the MY24, was held at Tsukuba Circuit in Ibaraki Prefecture over two days on 9 and 10 January 2024.
The Tsukuba Circuit was chosen primarily because of its benchmark figures. The fastest time set by a production car so far is 59.361 seconds, set by the GT-R NISMO MY20 in December 2019 challenge not only to prove the evolution of the car, but also to rewrite its own time.
The same conditions apply to the challenge with a completely stock car, with only alignment adjustments and tyre pressure changes within the range of genuine parts, which the owner can reproduce.
On the day, almost the same development team members who set the fastest mass production car record were assembled. They were reassured by their knowledge of the know-how required to shave time at the Tsukuba Circuit. Dunlop tyres also provided full support. The pressure on driver Tsugio Matsuda must have been considerable, as there were no excuses for this system.
As a result, he recorded a Super Lap time of 59.078 seconds, 283 tenths faster than his previous time with only one set of tyres remaining. Although he fell just short of his target of reaching the 58-second mark, Matsuda took the best result by the arm. This was a true testament to his status as a top driver.
283 tenths of a second may sound like a fraction of a second, but at the Tsukuba Circuit, the difference is approximately 9.8m, which is the equivalent of two R35s in total length. Even with the naked eye, the distance is quite wide.
The front LSD contributed to his speed! 59.2s consistently recorded
Now, where did the GT-R NISMO MY24 have room to grow? And we would like to find out why it was able to break the record.
First, the times. This time, we made 12-time attacks over the two days. Looking at the figures, all times were in the low to mid 59s.
In the time attacks for the 2019 season, I had difficulty breaking a minute at first, and even when I got the set-up right, it was all in the low 59s. This time, however, we have been able to set times more consistently at the high level of 59.2 seconds. Even taking into account conditions such as track surface and temperature, the MY24 was consistently faster.
Next, where were you able to shave off time against MY20? We asked Tsugio Matsuda
“The basic characteristic of the GT-R is that it is difficult to turn, so to make it go faster, you need to make a bending motion anyway. Especially when the track surface/temperature is low, the front tyres get cold on the straights, causing understeer. Therefore, both front and rear are set slightly to toe-out to provide resistance and heat generation. The camber was set at 2 degrees for 2 minutes, which is the limit of the stock adjustment. Again, we tried many things, but in the end, we settled on the same values as the MY20.”
Next, the evolution of the vehicle; where were the differences compared to the MY20?
“There is not much difference in my impression up to the turn-in, but from there onwards, the mechanical LSD pulls me forward, and I can feel its effect at the first corner, the second hairpin and the final corner. In particular, I was able to get out of the final corner in 4th gear last time, but this time the understeer was a little stronger in 4th gear, so I was able to drive faster by actively applying traction to the front in 3rd gear.”
What about the aero parts?
“The amount of downforce has increased with the shape changes. In particular, the stability of the rear has increased. I think the difference will be more obvious on high-speed tracks such as Fuji and Suzuka than on these mini circuits. The balance is a little more towards the rear, so we had to change the way we drive. I think that if the balance can be achieved by adjusting the ride height, etc., the performance can be utilised even more, so I would like those who tune the car to give it a try.”
The maximum speed is the same for both the MY20 and MY24 at 205 km/h. There is no change in tyre specifications, so the reason for the record-breaking time is probably that they gained traction on the exits of corners and shaved time off the record.
“I think someone with good skills can get under one minute under the same conditions, even with the tyres at the specified inflation pressure. From there, to further improve the time, the air pressure needs to be adjusted according to the air temperature and track surface temperature. However, even with a set-up that has a strong understeer when the car is cold, as the temperature rises, the front-rear balance improves and the car turns more easily, so I would like you to pay attention to that when setting up your car.”
Overall commenting on this time attack, Mr Kawaguchi, who is in charge of R35 development,
said.
“In our in-house simulations, we had a figure of three-tenths of a second for the MY24’s stretch. However, it is usually less likely to be as expected, but the development team members were able to derive a set that matched Matsuda-san’s and finally aligned it without any mistakes. I am honestly happy with the result. However, some things become visible through such extreme driving, and we received a lot of homework this time as well. That’s the fun of building a car, and it motivates us even more. If I am allowed to do so, I want to continue refining the best material that the GT-R has to offer. I felt that way all over again.”
Continuing to take on challenges and proving evolution (deepening) through time attacks. Development to surpass the present has already begun!
translated by DeepL