Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE NISSAN ZEOD RC PROJECT TO NISSAN AND WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT?

A: “To even be involved in any project it has to mirror and be judged against the brand positioning statement that is ‘innovation and excitement for everyone’. The ZEOD project is extremely innovative, the electric side of the power train ticks a lot of boxes as Nissan is the global leader in EV technology. For ‘excitement’, motor racing is always exciting but when you can do something so challenging and push the boundaries of known knowledge – then that obviously is an exciting aspect.

“Then there is the ‘for everyone’. The way we are approaching this project with social media includes showing the development each step of the way and involving our fans and our customers. They are all getting an inside line on how the project is coming together and being able to bring the car here today in Japan was also very important for our huge fan base. It is all about ticking those three boxes. It is important for the brand and important for Nismo. Nismo’s involvement in the project is important as it takes that credibility back to the passenger car. It makes projects like the Juke Nismo that much more credible and that much more relevant.”

Q: HOW ARE THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CAR TRANSFER TO WHAT WE DRIVE ON THE ROAD?

A: “Nissan Motor Company stands on two key principles and goals – zero emissions and zero fatalities. Zero emissions is obviously defined by the electric car and utilising EV technology in racing is obviously is a great way to prove this. With the ZEOD we’re also working hard on developing technologies that will help reduce fatalities. There are no wing mirrors on the car but we’re using our safety shield technology in rear facing cameras and developing a blind spot detection system – fundamentally part of our autonomous driving technology and aimed at helping us reach our target of zero fatalities. It is very relevant and it’s doing what racing is supposed to do – to make it a laboratory for the road.”

Q: WHAT DOES THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS MEAN TO THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN?

A: “It is one of the most famous races in the world and relevant to people all over the globe. Here in Japan we have so many race fans and so many car enthusiasts – for them, Le Mans is one of those aspirational races that Japanese people love to see winners on the podium. We’ve been able to achieve that in the LM P2 class in Le Mans and that builds significant credibility. Now the question is, can we do that in LM P1?”

Q: WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO NISSAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE LM P1 CLASS AND HOW IMPORTANT A STEPPING STONE IS THE ZEOD RC TO ACHIEVE THAT?

A: “The Nissan ZEOD RC is a very important stepping stone and strategically we’d love to compete in the LM P1 class. If the rules constrain us in a way so that we’d just be another Audi or Toyota out there then we won’t come. If we’re allowed to be innovative with new powertrain and chassis technologies and be different then we’re extremely interested. Essentially my request to the team is to ‘be the bad boys’ – both on and off the track. We’re aiming to stretch the boundaries of the rules and the boundaries of physics. If we can do that and its ticks the boxes of ‘innovation and excitement for everyone’, then I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t be here in 2015. But if we come, we come to win.”

Q: WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE NISSAN ZEOD RC NOW YOU HAVE SEEN IT RUN FOR THE FIRST TIME?

A: “We were lucky enough to get a run today which is more that you could say for most of the field in the WEC. I actually had a chance to sit in the ZEOD today and it certainly feels like a finished car ready to race. The point is that it is not a concept, it is real. The fact that it has run down the straight today demonstrates our seriousness. We’re not there yet, we still have a number of powertrain challenges in particular but the car is here and we certainly will be there in Garage 56 in 2014.”

Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR NISSAN FOR THE ZEOD RC TO BRING TOGETHER THE BRIGHTEST MINDS OF THE COMPANY FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE?

A: “That is how Nissan works. Jobs at Nissan are not given by passport they are given by talent. We embrace diversity at all levels, be it cultural diversity, age diversity or gender diversity. This program we’ve tried to pull in the best minds from around the world to demonstrate and show to everybody the innovation that sits within the company. Obviously Nismo provides a wealth of knowledge and when you add to that the guys in the UK and the US – especially our Director of Motorsport Innovation, Ben Bowlby – it is a winning combination.”