Marc Gene named as Nissan's first LMP1 driver - MotorSportsTalk

Former Ferrari test driver, Minardi and Williams F1 racer and 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner Marc Gene has been named as Nissan’s first driver for its LMP1 program. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO has been revealed during Super Bowl XLIX earlier Sunday night.

The Spaniard won the LM24 with Peugeot in 2009, co-driving with David Brabham and Alexander Wurz, and has most recently driven for Audi. He filled in for Loic Duval at last year’s Le Mans when Duval was injured in a race week practice accident.

Gene spoke highly of the car’s look.

“I like the aggressive look of the car, which is a consequence of a well-thought and different design, not seen before at Le Mans,” he said. “From the very first laps I felt very comfortable. I could feel the very powerful engine and high efficiency of the aerodynamics.”

Additional drivers should be named within the next month.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Marc Gene named as Nissan’s first LMP1 driver

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

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