June 17, 2012
Staying Up for Le Mans
June 16 – Yokohama – Over 200 fans gathered at the Nissan Gallery in Yokohama Saturday to watch the start of the live broadcast of Le Mans 24.
For the first time, Nissan will keep open its showroom at its global headquarters through the night, until 6 a.m. on Sunday for the public to watch the legendary 24-hour endurance race on the big screen.
The gallery will then resume the public viewing event at 6 p.m. on Sunday for the final hours of the race, ending at 11 p.m. in Japan.
Despite the long hours and race start of 10 p.m., the crowd in Yokohama gathered early for seats and to listen to Super GT Nissan Teams General Director Kunihiko Kakimoto share his expectations for the race.
Kakimoto will be back Sunday for a similar program and public viewing.
On top of the live broadcast, fans at the gallery are also able to view the live stream by the Nissan Global Media Center from the Nissan DeltaWing garage.
Judging by the cheers from the crowd when the revolutionary car pulled out of the garage after its first pit stop, there’s quite a few here (including myself) rooting for the unique prototype to go the distance in the endurance test.
While the cars in Circuit de la Sarthe are being tested for their endurance, the crowd here in Yokohama will go through a different kind of endurance test – the ability to stay up through the night to watch the race. To give some respite, there’s also pizzas and drinks available if munching on something helps to keep you awake.
If you’re in Yokohama or Tokyo, there’s still Sunday night to watch Le Mans 24 live on the Nissan big screen. I know where I will be.
Camille Lim
Producer, Nissan Global Media Center