This year’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) LMP2 champion Franck Mailleux is set for a New Year showdown in the desert as he joins a plethora of Nissan champions in the Dubai 24 Hours race.

The event will be the culmination of a fantastic season for Nissan in which Franck played an integral part thanks to his championship-winning performances with Signatech-Nissan in the LMP2 category, which included a class podium in the Le Mans 24 Hours and victory in the season finale at Zhuhai.

Franck will take to the wheel of a Nissan NISMO GT-R GT3 in his first ever 24 hour race alongside two of Nissan’s champions from Le Mans Series and the Blancpain Endurance Series, namely Tom Kimber-Smith and Alex Buncombe.

Franck Mailleux said: “What a fantastic opportunity it will be for me to line up against other Nissan champions from 2011 in the Dubai 24 Hours race in January. It is the perfect Christmas present for me and a great reward for the hard work and dedication we have put into this championship winning year with Signatech Nissan. I’d like to say thanks to Nissan for the faith they have shown in me and I cannot wait to represent them in Dubai in a few weeks’ time. In the meantime, though, we have some days off over Christmas and New Year, which I am looking forward to and to reflect on what has been a tremendous season for me.”

The GT3-specification Nissan GT-R will be run by JRM Racing, the team that recently claimed victory in the FIA GT1 World Drivers’ Championship.

“We’re pleased to reward our champions with the opportunity to race Nissan’s exciting new Nissan GT-R GT3 in the Dubai 24 Hours,” said Darren Cox, Chief Marketing Manager Crossover and Sportscars, Nissan Europe. “Dubai will be the culmination of a fantastic year for Nissan Motorsport. The champions are representing their teams that took the successes in 2011. RJN Motorsport, Signatech Nissan and Greaves Motorsport have been great partners for us this year. Despite this professional driver line-up, this is more of an end of season celebration and a chance to showcase the Nissan GT-R during its ongoing development than a full tilt at victory.”

Source : Franck Mailleux