NASHVILLE, Tenn.,
April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan GT Academy U.S.
champions Bryan Heitkotter and
Steve Doherty will team up behind
the wheel of a Nissan Altima for the remainder of the 2014
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) racing season in the
No. 34 Street Touring (ST) class CA Sport/Skullcandy machine.
This weekend, the duo will take on an always crowded field at
the Monterey Grand Prix at historic Laguna Seca Raceway in
California.
Nissan GT Academy is a partnership between Nissan and Sony
Playstation® that brings the best Gran
Turismo® racing gamers together in a competition
to determine which of them can translate their gaming skills into
actual on-track racing results. Heitkotter, 33, won the U.S.
GT Academy rounds in 2011, while Doherty, 30, was the 2012
champion.
The drivers were teammates once previously in the Skullcandy
Altima 3.5 V6 at Sebring in March, where they finished 31st in the
ST class after mechanical difficulties just before the halfway
point. The pair have run separately with the Skullcandy team at
different events – Heitkotter at Daytona in January, where he
qualified fourth, and Doherty at Kansas Speedway last
August.
Doherty raced last season in the Blancpain Endurance Series in
Europe, driving a race prepared
Nissan GT-R and earning two podium finishes.
Heitkotter, the 33-year old has three pole positions, five front
row qualifying runs, a podium finish and four top ten finishes in
six starts in the Grand Sport (GS)-class Doran Racing Nissan 370Z
NISMO in 2012 and 2013.
"I'm thrilled to be racing with Skullcandy Team Nissan for the
rest of the 2014 season," said the Fresno native. "They've got a solid
platform and a real passion for racing which will serve us
well. As a driver, racing regularly in highly competitive
fields will provide many opportunities for growth and
refinement. Partnering with Steve gives us a strong
driver lineup and we will be working hard to get the Nissan Altima
on the podium and further up the points standings in CTSCC."
Team owner Lara Tallman and pro
driver Vesko Kozarov manage the
Salt Lake City-based CA Sport
racing shop. The team finished first at the 2013 Daytona
CTSCC event and grabbed a combined seven top ten finishes en route
to 11th place in season points. The team's No. 33
car, driven by Kozarov and Derek
Jones, finished 4th at Sebring last month.
"It's so great to have Steve and Bryan racing with us in the 34
Altima all season," said Tallman. "They bring a lot of energy and
the interaction between all of drivers, combined with Vesko's
experience is something that I believe will make the whole team
better as we move forward."
First practice for the CTSCC takes place at 12:35 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, May 2, with qualifying the same day at
7:10 p.m. The 2.5-hour race starts at 3:45 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, May 3. Full
event information, as well as timing and scoring, can be located at
www.imsa.com.
Television coverage of the race will be shown on a tape-delayed
basis on FOX Sports 1 at 10 a.m. (EDT)
Sunday, May 11.
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, 2013 and 2014 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 NISMO
Founded in 1984, NISMO is Nissan's Global
Motorsports and performance road car development arm. From
its new headquarters in Yokohama,
Japan, NISMO promotes and manages Nissan's international
racing activities, plans and develops competition engines and parts
for race applications and also designs performance parts and
accessories for Nissan production vehicles. Visit the NISMO
performance parts and accessories site at
http://www.nissanusa.com/nismo/
About GT Academy
Nissan GT Academy returns to
U.S. television for its fourth season this fall, determining once
again which of America's best racers from PlayStation® driving
simulator Gran Turismo®6 have what it takes to make the jump
from the couch to the cockpit to become a professional racing
driver. For more information about Nissan GT Academy, visit
http://www.nissanusa.com/gtacademyshow/
For more NISMO and Nissan Racing information:
www.nissannews.com -- https://www.facebook.com/NISMOUSA --
https://www.facebook.com/GTAcademyNA
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140428/81267
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080506/NISSANBADGELOGO
SOURCE Nissan North America
