Nissan has finalised its driver lineup for the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with the confirmation of a second GTR-NISMO GT3 Pro-class entry.
The #22 RJN-prepared car will be shared by 2015 GT Academy champion Matt Simmons, former McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner Matt Parry, and rising British sportscar talent Struan Moore.
Moore is the only driver with Pro category experience, having completed a full-season with McLaren outfit Garage 59 last year.
The 21-year-old recently competed in the Asian Le Mans Series, winning the 4 Hours of Fuji overall.
Simmons, a former postal worker from Australia, graduates from a debut run in the Pro/Am GT3 ranks last season following his victory in Nissan's gamer-to-racer competition.
"I am so excited about my racing journey continuing into 2017," said Simmons.
"This off-season was a little different to last year as I wasn't sure what I would be doing and was happy to race anything with Nissan," Simmons said.
"I feel extremely privileged to go to race tracks that I have raced at before. It will definitely be an advantage for me."
"That doesn't mean it will be easier though, as we are stepping up to the Pro Class so I am going to have my work cut out for me. I am looking forward to the challenge that this year will bring."
Parry, meanwhile, is set to make his sportscar debut following two seasons in GP3 with Korainen.
The 23-year-old from Wales won the Hungary feature race on his way to ninth in the standings last year, but is now switching his focus to sportscar racing.
“After racing in GP3 for two years, we evaluated our options over the winter and, while there were opportunities to continue in single-seaters, the chance to link up with a team like RJN and run in a championship-winning car like the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 was too good to pass up,” said Parry.
“I already had a taste for GTs following the McLaren Autosport BRDC assessment, and getting the chance to test different cars in the last few months convinced me that it was the right time to make the step over to sportscars – and endurance racing in particular."
The #22 trio join the previously announced #23 GTR-NISMO GT3 lineup of Alex Buncombe, Lucas Ordoñez and Katsumasa Chiyo.
Both RJN-run Nissans will be present at the offical pre-season test weekend held at Paul Ricard on March 23-24.
The first event of the five-round 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup takes place at Monza in April.
Discussion about this post