Photo : Nissan

 

Mark Blundell (R90CK) scored the pole position in 3:27:020 while Masahiro Hasemi (R90CP), Geoff Brabham (R90CK) and Kenny Acheson (R90CK) were in third, fourth and fifth positions on the starting grid! Despite the incontestable speed of the Anglo-Japanese prototypes, Blundell was clocked at 366km/h in the Mulsanne Straight, a level of speed that carried with it unknown variables. Such as the reliability of these powerful Nissans whose V8 engine was capable of providing more than 1,000 hp when the turbos got going. Tom Walkinshaw (Jaguar) and Reinhold Joest (Porsche) knew it better than anyone, Le Mans is an endurance race that is unforgiving to machines that are too arrogant. The XJR-12 and 962C drivers announced before the start that they intended to play a waiting game with these kamikazes aiming to make their marks in history. The story? The magic of Le Mans took care of that...

And the story started with a bang for the Nissan clan. The R90CK of the Acheson/Donnelly/Grouillard driver line-up was forced to retire in the warm-up lap due to transmission failure. This mechanical break would remain the symbol of a curse at the level of resources provided by the Japanese manufacturer. Of the five prototypes on the entry list, only two would see the checkered flag, the R90CP of Hasemi/Hoshino/Suzuki in seventh place and the R90CK of Millen/Roe/Earl in 17th, far behind the winning Jaguar!

A forerunner during the first hours of the race, little by little the Nissan armada would begin to crack consistently with dust-ups, fuel leaks and gearbox failures. Too fast not to be too fragile, the Le Mans adventure of this emblematic car was a paradox. The best race lap, achieved by the American Bob Earl in 3:40:030, was no consolation for the terrible disappointment that would go on to confirm the decision to stop Nissan's official sports program in the Endurance World Championship at the end of the 1990 season. With frustration and disillusionment, entry in the World Championship continued nonetheless for Ray Mallock's men. The two driver line-ups were modified as of the race at Dijon-Prenois. At the hilly Burgundy circuit, Julian Bailey rejoined Blundell while Acheson joined Gianfranco Brancatelli. Solidifying the let-down that was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bailey/Blundell achieved third place one lap from the winning Sauber-Mercedes, proving once again the R90CK's sprint speed.

Ironically, there were no additional retirements at any of the four remaining rounds, the Julian Bailey/Mark Blundell driver line-up directly threatening, with two second place finishes, the untouchable Mercedes at the Montreal and Mexico races. No victory was won in the World Sportscar Championship in the 1990 season, and one had to turn to Japan to see an R90CP reach the highest step on the podium. The Hasemi/Olofsson driver line-up won twice at Sugo then Mt. Fuji while Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki won at Suzuka. Though the successes were not on an international scale, these three victories gave Masahiro Hasemi and Nissan the one-two Driver and Constructor Championships, against a historic adversary, Toyota!

Return to Part 1 of the Nissan R90 CK.

Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO