IMSA 2017 Prototype Tech Profile: Nissan Onroak DPi

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01-26-2017, 04:23 AM

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IMSA 2017 Prototype Tech Profile: Nissan Onroak DPi

IMSA 2017 Prototype Tech Profile: Nissan Onroak DPi

Thursday, 26 January 2017
Marshall Pruett (words and images)

ORIGINS AND PERFORMANCE:

Led by the Florida-based Tequila Patron ESM team and its co-owners Ed Brown and Scott Sharp, the Japanese Nissan brand was introduced as the third Daytona Prototype international manufacturer to partake in IMSA’s new formula.

The engagement of Nissan, through its NISMO competition arm, is unique among the three DPi manufacturers as it’s the only arrangement where an automotive company is involved as a service provider, rather than as a full-factory effort like those facilitated by Cadillac and Mazda.

With the dynamics of the three-party union in mind, ESM brought NISMO together with its preferred P2 vendor, France’s Onroak Automotive, and as a team, they have produced the Nissan Onroak DPi. Built upon Onroak’s 2017 WEC-spec Ligier JS P217, the fascinating Nissan version has also earned the honors of being the first DPi model to adopt the use of a GT3-based engine.
Taken from Nissan’s halo car, the beloved twin-turbo V6-powered GT-R, the JS P217 was fitted with the NISMO-built 3.8-liter mill with great precision. For all of the installation issues that could have come from bolting a road-based engine into a spec WEC chassis, the clean and tidy job carried out by Onroak deserves praise.

The custom bodywork carried by the Nissan Onroak DPi is a far cry from the visuals presented by the JS P217. With the Ligier already topping the list of radical lines and shapes in the Prototype class, the funky Nissan has taken the bar and moved it beyond reach.
And to think that accomplishment almost didn’t happen. Nissan’s first DPi bodywork submission to IMSA was little more than a light massage of the JS P217, and with some help from the series – including a visit to Nissan’s website to borrow a few styling cues from its road cars – a sketch was returned with strong suggestions of what was expected from the next submission.
With some creative license applied to IMSA’s suggestions, the end result is what we see today.
Although the Nissan Onroak DPi is loaded with potential, it is destined to use the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the month-plus that follows (leading into Sebring) as learning opportunities. The late commissioning of the project has conspired against its immediate success, and with the first car arriving at ESM’s base just days before Christmas, the car’s development calendar is months behind the rest of the field.
The recent Roar Before the 24 test, a three-day affair at Daytona, was akin to a public shakedown for ESM, NISMO and Ligier. It presented the first chance to put the pair of Nissans through a proper testing program, and as expected, a litany of new-car blues were experienced.
An engine failure in one chassis led to losing most of one day with that car, and heat issues – specifically with the Nissan’s turbo intercoolers – sapped power and led to some interesting discovery efforts to identify the problem. In the drivetrain, the car’s asymmetrical differential was locking in specific corners, which caused a handling imbalance.
If those issues come across as worrisome, they aren’t; finding and fixing new-car problems is part of the development process. The only difference here is, due to the late start of the program, the team was unable to encounter these items in private and have them resolved before the cars appeared at the Roar.
The greatest issue for the Nissan Onroak DPis is the same one faced by any and every 2017 P2-based model equipped with Cosworth electronics. Where the WEC P2s are required to use Cosworth’s steering wheel, data system and engine control module, IMSA gave its DPi manufacturers the freedom to choose their own providers. Cadillac, for its DPi-V.Rs, retained Cosworth for its dash and data, but moved to Bosch to control its 6.2-liter V8. Mazda, for its RT24-Ps, cut Cosworth out of the picture altogether by using Motec for its dash/data and Life for its ECU. (Predictable sidebar: Mazda is the only brand so far that has avoided major electronic nightmares).
Nissan, from its familiarity with Cosworth’s products in conjunction with its Nissan GT-R GT3 race car, stuck with the brand as its DPi dash/data/ECU vendor, and the outcome has been far from pleasant. Constant problems with the dash – something the Cadillac teams are also familiar with – slowed the Nissans at the Roar while Cosworth support personnel attempted to trace the issues. Being locked out of accessing the dash through an external laptop was another fun experience by the ESM team.

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