Nissan will make its debut in the International GT Open, as two of its GT-R GT3 will campaign the entire 2014 season under the banner of Italian squad Black Team.

Black Team owner Giancristiano Cavalleri, from the UK where he signed (on Wednesday) the deal with JRM, the European motorsports arm of the Japanese maker, confirmed the news: “We have worked very hard to get to this deal and I am thrilled to be back to the International GT Open, which will be the core of our 2014 racing programme, with such great cars. For us, who had always been linked to the Prancing Horse, it will be a big change, but we are thrilled and determined to do well.”

The cars (in 2014-specs) will be prepared in Black Team’s headquarters in Seriate, near Bergamo, under the supervision of Gianfranco Bielli, and with official support from JRM. They will hit the track for the first time at the Barcelona Winter Series event in Barcelona mid-March. Conversations with a number of top drivers are well advanced.

Black Team has been a regular GT Open contender since the series’ inception in 2006, mostly under its previous denomination (EdilCris Racing Team), clinching 5 race wins.

Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport, welcomed the news: “It’s great to have a new manufacturer represented in the GT Open, and such a great car as the Nissan GT-R in this year’s grids. It’s also great to see Black Team back with such an ambitious project and I am sure they will be very competitive.”