AUSTIN, Tex. (March 9, 2015) — The Always Evolving NISMO GT Academy Nissan GT-Rs made their North American debut in rounds one and two of the Pirelli World Challenge this weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Tex., and the team’s managers were happy with the results.

Team drivers James Davison and Bryan Heitkotter netted a sixth and 14th overall respectively in Saturday’s race on a dry track, and they placed 16th and 23rd in a rain-soaked Sunday second round contest.

“This program officially started just 30 days ago. Given the fact we had zero time to test or bring the drivers up to speed in the platform, we went out there and I think did a tremendous job under the circumstances,” said Always Evolving team owner Erik Davis in a private meeting with the team post-weekend. “We have some testing and development to do before the next race, but we should all be proud of how the team performed this weekend. The cars looked great and we represented the Nissan brand well. I look forward to a season of good things to come.”

Heitkotter qualified fifth fastest in a strong field of 39 GT cars and he was top qualifier in the GTA, a category for drivers classified as amateurs in GT cars. His finish in Saturday’s race was sixth best in GTA. The race on Sunday proved to be more of a challenge for both drivers in the new cars, but especially frustrating for the 2011 Nissan GT Academy champion from Fresno.

“I was really looking forward to a wet racetrack after this morning’s warm-up,” said Heitkotter. “It was sprinkling and the car felt good. I was passing people. But early on in the race I got hit in the back, which I think knocked alignment out and I was struggling for grip. It’s disappointing from a results perspective, but the car is in one piece. It’s been reliable, and we have a good team that’s just getting started. We want to win, of course, but we have to be realistic this early on.”

Melbourne native James Davison has more racing experience, including IndyCar rides, but the big GT3 Nissan is new experience for him as well. He qualified and finished in sixth place, a result that impressed everyone given the depth of the World Challenge GT field. Sunday’s race was a different challenge for Davison, who now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. The windshield of the teal and black Always Evolving GT-R was fogging up, presenting him with a variable he wasn’t expecting.

“Today visibility was really bad for everyone, but down the back straight I couldn’t see anything. They were the worst weather conditions I’ve ever raced in,” said the 28-year old Australian. “I think we did the best we could this weekend with new cars and a newborn team. We just need to get a little test time to develop the cars for U.S. tracks and get Bryan and me more seat time in these incredibly capable cars.”

The brightly covered GT3 cars were a fan favorite in the garages, with a steady stream of race fans snapping pictures throughout the weekend. A preview video of the cars during their initial shakedown evaluation in Texas can be seen below: http://youtu.be/mGC4_y8KlaU

Next round of the Pirelli World Challenge is March 27-29 on the street circuit at St. Petersburg, Florida for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Live online streaming available at www.world-challengetv.com. Broadcast on CBS Sports Network will air Sunday April 5 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern/4:00 p.m. Central.

For more information on Nissan GT Academy North America, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GTAcademyNA. NISMO Performance page on Facebook is www.facebook.com/NISMO.us

Always Evolving team page is www.facebook.com/aeperformance. AIM Autosport is
https://www.facebook.com/AIMautosport

About Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Always Evolving

Always Evolving is an integrated media and technology company with a diversified portfolio of software and hardware assets. The company recently acquired the Replay XD action camera system and is hard at work making sure more consumers, athletes and video producers love its cameras and video-based experiences. Based in San Francisco, California, Always Evolving’s products and services are quickly becoming the only choice for action camera, drone and POV camera buyers and video producers everywhere.

About AIM Autosport

Established in 1995, AIM Autosport is a Canadian sports team operating multi-car teams in professional sportscar racing. AIM’s success has been achieved through the dedication of its employees and the continuous support of the team’s commercial and technical partners. Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario. For more information visit www.aimautosport.com or follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/AIMautosport and twitter @aimautosport.

About Nissan GT Academy

GT Academy is a competition created by Nissan and PlayStation^® that unites the worlds of virtual and real-life racing to make the dreams of aspiring race drivers become a reality. The competition, which originally launched in Europe in 2008, finds the best Gran Turismo^® players from across the participating countries by testing their skills in an online gaming qualification process. They will then compete against each other in live National Finals before the winners from each final switch to driving real Nissan cars at the now-famous Silverstone ‘Race Camp’.

The overall winner of GT Academy is then trained in the multiple areas required to become a professional racing driver, if the winner makes the grade they will compete in the Dubai 24 Hour race for Nissan and have the chance to be considered for a future career with Nissan as a ‘NISMO Athlete.’

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Contact Information:
Steve Yaeger
Motorsports PR
Nissan North America, Inc.
615-725-4443
steve.yaeger@nissan-usa.com