Of all motorsport, Endurance Racing reigns supreme on the immense physical and mental toll it takes on its participants. Man and machine are pushed to their limits as they blast around a track, day and night, to accumulate the most laps possible. The cars used in endurance races face a multitude of challenges unique to this category of racing. Not only do they have to be designed for maximizing speed and handling through complicated circuits, they must also be durable and reliable enough to last through the duration of the event.

However, at the Spa 24 Hours event this year, NISMO (Nissan’s motorsports wing) was handed a seemingly insurmountable hurdle. On Thursday, during the events qualifying rounds, the number 22 GT-R NISMO GT3 received a catastrophic tire puncture leading up to the legendary Eau Rouge corner resulting in a complete loss of control and a terrifying 100mph crash straight into a barrier. Luckily, the driver was able to walk away from the crash unscathed, but the damage to the car was severe. Nearly the entire front end of the car was destroyed, but the NISMO team never threw in the towel.

NISMO working through the night to rebuild the number 22 GT3 GT-R

Pit teams rarely receive the acclaim and recognition that drivers do, but they play a vital role in every corner and every straight of every track. The NISMO team knows this, and they decided to accomplish the impossible. With sheer perseverance and willpower, they were able to rebuild the mangled race car in an amazing 12 hours, well in time to make the start of the race.