Buncombe and Ordoñez set to leave Nissan

Part of the success that Nissan achieved around the World in recent years, especially in the GT3 scene, is due to the GT Academy program that was established with Sony and Polyphony Digital, and two pillars of this success are set to leave the Japanese manufacturer, being them Alex Buncombe and Lucas Ordoñez.

The news that both the Spaniard and the Englishman will not be retained by Nissan from 2019 came with statements released by both drivers, with both citing the search for new challenges in their careers after so much time spent with a single manufacturer, but Buncombe explained that due to the lack of factory support to the GT3 programs in Europe, he decided it was time to look after other possibilities.

Ordoñez was the first GT Academy winner back in 2007, jumping from the Gran Turismo game to the real cockpits, doing a spectacular jump from GT4 to LMP2 machinery, then adding the GT-R GT3 commitments to his schedule, eventually being third in the LMP2 class at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans and a Pro-Am Cup champion in the Blancpain Endurance Series in the same year. Add to it a GT300 win in Super GT, podium in both Sprint and Endurance Cups of Blancpain GT and even podiums in the Japanese F3 championship and here is a nice career that started by beating gamers from around the World.

Buncombe was not only Ordoñez’ main team mate, he watched closely the development of the Nissan GT-R GT3 and was the mentor of all newcomers that came from the GT Academy, be it in GT4 or in the GT3 class. He also holds an impressive record of having raced all Blancpain Endurance races bar one, is a Blancpain Endurance champion in two different car specs (GT3 and GT4) and was part of the first Pro Cup effort in the Blancpain Endurance Series, which resulted in a title for RJN Motorsport in 2015. His fast pace is always welcome, but Buncombe made a fame for himself by being a restart specialist, having no problem overtaking cars in sequence through heavy traffic.

Proving that his mentor role was successful, these titles always had the participation of at least a GT Academy driver, like Jordan Tresson, currently with Lexus, and Wolfgang Reip, former Bentley boy and now with Aston Martin Brussels. Buncombe was set to add a Bathurst 12 Hour win in 2015, but personal circumstances brought Florian Strauss to replace him, getting the race win with Wolfgang Reip and Katsumasa Chiyo.

Ordoñez departure from Nissan adds to a list of GT Academy winners that left the manufacturer, with some of them capturing opportunities elsewhere, though some gamers-turned-racers are still with it, like Jann Mardenborough and Ricardo Sanchez.

PHOTO: NISMO