Nissan teams finish best Pirelli World Challenge season ever despite challenges at Laguna Seca

• Two Nissan PWC teams combine for 14 wins, 28 podiums in three classes
• Davison finishes fourth in driver championship with three overall wins
• Heitkotter dominates GTA before promotion to GT
• AIM Autosport named top crew in GTA
• Kozarov powers Altima to five TC wins; first-ever podium for Nissan in GTS
• Skullcandy Team Nissan named top team in Touring Car

LAGUNA SECA, Calif. – Nissan North American Racing teams capped off their best-ever season in Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) with mixed results after a challenging weekend at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca finale.

James Davison, driver of the #33 Always Evolving RePlay XD/GT Academy Nissan GT-R GT3, came into the final race third in driver's championship points. Davison struggled with the pace of the Ferraris and Porsches at a track that's better suited to quick acceleration out of low speed turns. He finished seventh, giving up the third spot in the Driver's Championship to former points leader Ryan Dalziel. Despite finishing fourth, Davison had a shot at the championship had he been allowed to keep the points taken away for a technical infraction after a race win at barber Motorsports Park earlier in the year.

It was a stellar year for a first-year team that got a late start with new cars and new drivers coming together for the first time in March. Davison's teammate, 2011 GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter, was impressive in his first full professional season driving the team's #05 GT-R NISMO GT3. Starting the season in GTA class for drivers who are not internationally ranked, Heitkotter notched five class wins and two overall podiums, forcing his promotion to the pro ranks and out of GTA just past mid-season. Heitkotter finished 10th in the overall Driver's Championship in his rookie year.

AIM Autosport, the Toronto-based operation that provides day-to-day engineering and car set up for Always Evolving, was named by Pirelli World Challenge as "Best Crew in GTA" for their outstanding preparation of Heitkotter's #05 Nissan NISMO GT-R GT3 in 2015.

"Bringing both of the Nissans home in the top 10 was a fitting way to cap off our first season in Pirelli World Challenge's top class," said Always Evolving co-founder Erik Davis. "Laguna Seca may have suited some of the other cars better than ours, but James and Bryan both rose to the challenge and did an incredible job. I'm so proud of these guys for the way they have performed and represented our brand all year and can't say enough of our partners at AIM Autosport. To have scored as many victories and podiums we did this year is really incredible, and we are very excited for the 2016 season! We will be back bigger and better than ever next year. AE is about continued growth and continually evolving. Look out for more from AE and AerNow in the coming weeks and months."

As impressive and unexpected as the performance of the Always Evolving team was in the PWC GT ranks was, the biggest surprise for Nissan Motorsports may just have been the CA Sports Skullcandy Team Nissan Altima in Touring Car (TC) class with team manager and driver Vesko Kozarov taking an Altima 3.5 to the front of the field on a regular basis.

The Salt Lake City-based Kozarov didn't compete in every TC race, yet he notched seven wins – including five straight – over Porsches, Mazdas and Volkswagens in the competitive class. Kozarov was a consistent threat to win in every race entered.

At Laguna Seca, Kozarov had some tough breaks. In race one, Kozarov put the Skullcandy Altima out front for much of the race before being collected in a three car accident in turn one during a late restart. In race two, Kozarov battled throughout, eventually taking third. In Sunday's finale, Kozarov was running a strong second for most of the race, but the third place MX-5 of Adam Poland drove too deep into a corner attempting a pass and ran the Altima off track, damaging the front end. Poland was later penalized for avoidable contact, but it cost Kozarov what would have been his ninth podium of the year in Touring Car.

For their excellent performance, CA Sport/Skullcandy Team Nissan was awarded "Touring Car Team of the Year" for 2015 by Pirelli World Challenge.

"This past weekend at Laguna Seca was a rough few days for us, but the business of motorsports is never an easy thing," said CA Sport team owner Lara Tallman. "It's a good feeling to have had a successful year overall, and it wouldn't have been possible without the support and partnership that Nissan and NISMO provide. Thanks to Nissan North America. We look forward to many more exciting events and wins together."

Kozarov switched into the Skullcandy Nissan 370Z for two GTS races, hoping to add to his two podiums his previous time out at Miller Motorsports Park. Not one to disappoint, Kozarov put on another driving clinic, qualifying the Nissan fourth ahead of V8 and turbo-powered competition and passing the Kia turbo of Ben Clucas late in the race to take third spot. It was his third podium in just three races entered in GTS for 2015.

The final race Sunday featured a standing start, which often adds to early race drama in PWC. Unfortunately for Kozarov, the drama was the bad kind, as the Kia of fourth place qualifier Mark Wilkins stalled out on the grid and was drilled from behind by the Maserati GT of Freddie Hunt in a violent collision. Coming up from behind, Kozarov took what appeared to be the only opening through the wreckage, but the Maserati rolled forward, pinching Kozarov's Nissan between himself and the damaged Kia at the guardrail. The cars collided, and the front end damage on the 370Z was too severe to rejoin the race. Kozarov's hopes to go four-for-four in podiums in the 370Z vanished at the start of the final race.

The unprecedented Pirelli World Challenge success for Nissan in 2015, when combined with Doran Racing's strong showing in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, represents Nissan's best year in North American motorsports in 20 years.

"The tremendous performance of Always Evolving and CA Sport, in addition to Doran Racing in IMSA has showcased both NISMO performance and GT Academy talent incredibly well in 2015," said Rick Kulach of Nissan North America Motorsports. "The GT-Rs and 370Zs look good, are fast and have been driven in a way that demonstrates Nissan's V6 engines and the balance of our sports cars. I can't say enough good things about the teams, the drivers and their performances this year. We haven't had a year like this in North America in two decades, and there are a host of professionals I am very proud of who made it happen."

The Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Rounds of the GT class of Pirelli World Challenge will air on CBS Sports Network Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Touring Car class races will air Wednesday, September 23, 10 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network.

For more information on Pirelli World Challenge, visit http://www.world-challenge.com.   

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Contact

Steve Yaeger
615-725-4443
steve.yaeger@nissan-usa.com