Success breeds success. A second team is to run one of Zytek’s championship winning Z011SN LMP2 prototypes in this year’s European Le Mans Series and, entry permitting, at Le Mans itself. Kent-based Jota Sport has announced this week that it will join Greaves Motorsport to race 2011’s most successful LMP2 car.

The move recreates Zytek and Jota’s close partnership of the mid-2000s. Jota first ran its own Zytek 04S in the then Le Mans Series of 2004 and 2005, finishing second overall at Monza in 2005. During the second of these years, it was Zytek’s sole representative in the Le Mans 24-hours, running as high as fifth overall towards the end. The following season it scored more podium places running the factory LMP1 06S in the LMS, at Le Mans and in the final rounds of the American Le Mans Series. In 2007 it again partnered with Zytek to enter the final two rounds of the ALMS.

Jota regular drivers Sam Hancock, who raced the team’s Zytek 04S in 2005, and Simon Dolan will pilot the Zytek Z011SN during 2012 with more detailed plans from the team expected in the near future.

Said Zytek Engineering Operations Director John Manchester, “Both Jota and Zytek have enjoyed an excellent relationship over many years and to have the opportunity to be working alongside Jota again on a new LMP2 project is very exciting indeed. Jota has a great pedigree in motor sport and, now with the combination of the Zytek Z011SN chassis, I am sure that it is going to make a big impact in the LMP2 category over the coming seasons.”

The Zytek Z011SN dominated the 2011 European LMP2 season. At Le Mans, the Greaves Motorsport entry scored an emphatic win in the LMP2 class, six laps ahead of its nearest rival. Greaves also took the Le Mans Series team and drivers’ titles, winning the LMP2 category in three out of the five rounds. Now Jota joins Greaves with the two teams looking forward to underlining Zytek’s authority over the class.

The engine has been specifically designed for Renault Sport Technologies using some of the most sophisticated design and manufacturing technology available.  The 3.4-litre V8 power unit, code named the ZRS03, will generate in excess of 530bhp at 9,250 rpm.

In selecting partners for the series, Renault Sport Technologies stated that it had “enlisted the services of the best suppliers around.”

Zytek Engineering is building on its championship winning season with plans unveiled recently showing that it will be busier than ever during 2012. Greaves Motorsport has shown faith in the chassis that took it to an LMP2 class victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours by announcing that it will run two cars, while a record number of enquiries have been received with regard to the Zytek developed and serviced Nissan LMP2 engine. In addition to this, Zytek will be supplying 33 engines for the prestigious Formula Renault 3.5 Series, underlying its undoubted status as the world’s most successful supplier of engines for one-make racing championships.

Greaves Motorsport, which also won the Le Mans Series LMP2 team and drivers’ titles this year, is doubling its number of Zytek chassis for 2012. Renate Ojjeh, whose son Karim was one of this year’s champion drivers, has purchased a new car, which the team will enter for the new World Endurance Championship. Greaves’ second car will compete in the Le Mans Series with both cars being entered for the Le Mans 24 hours. The LMP2 category will be the top class for the LMS in 2012 bringing the promise of outright wins. BBC commentator, 1990 Le Mans winner and former Grand Prix driver Martin Brundle will join his son Alex, a season regular for 2012, at Le Mans itself.

The Greaves-entered Zyteks will again be among the LMP2 cars to make use of the Nissan VK45DE engine that also won the Intercontinental Le Mans Challenge. Such has been the success of this engine (it won seven races in its debut season) that there has been an unprecedented demand for the power unit for 2012. The company will continue to develop the engine and is sure to be extremely busy keeping pace with orders.

In addition to this, Zytek will be supplying the entire grid of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with its 530bhp ZRS03 V8, a contract that extends to 2014. The company has become pre-eminent in this field having been sole engine supplier to Formula 3000 for nine years and the A1GP series for a further three. During this time, Zytek engines have achieved an unparalleled reputation for reliability as well as performance.

“We are delighted that Greaves Motorsport will continue its winning ways with two Zytek chassis next year and we are looking forward to continuing our close and successful partnership with the team,” said Zytek Engineering Operations Director John Manchester. “This, and the demand for our engines in both the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and in LMP2 endurance racing, is fantastic news for our company and this further establishes Zytek as a world leading race car and race engine manufacturer.”

The Nissan VK45DE engine has powered to a second major LMP2 team championship in as many weeks. After Greaves Motorsport’s Le Mans Series victory last week at Estoril, the Signatech Nissan outfit has, this weekend, picked up the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title. Following the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Signatech Nissan has now scored 79 points, more than enough to give it the ILMC LMP2 team championship with one round still to be held.

Unlike the LMS, there is no driver’s title in the ILMC. Nevertheless, Signatech Nissan’s drivers Franck Mailleux, Jean-Karl Vernay, Soheil Ayari and Lucas Ordonez (winner of the inaugural PlayStation GT Academy) are undoubted champions for their performance this year with the 4.5-litre, Zytek prepared engine. In practice for Petit Le Mans, Jean-Karl was quickest of the ILMC LMP2 runners. During the race the team posted the fastest LMP2 lap but technical issues with the power steering dropped its Oreca-Nissan down to third place. Repairs made, it returned to finish the race and score enough points to secure the championship.

Victory in the ILMC crowns a peerless first season for the new engine. In addition to a drivers’ and two team titles, it has powered Zytek’s own Z11SN chassis and the Oreca 03 to six LMP2 class victories including that at the prestigious Le Mans 24-hours. At Paul Ricard and Estoril, Zytek Nissan engined cars finished third overall.

The naturally aspirated, 90-degree V8 Nissan VK45DE is based on the Japanese manufacturer’s Super GT engine with production cylinder block and heads. Repton-based Zytek, which has manufactured various external and internal components, has the rights to supply and service the unit in Europe and North America for the ILMC, LMS, ALMS and Le Mans itself.

There now remains just one race on the ILMC calendar, the Six Hours of Zhuhai, China on November 13. Signatech Nissan will be looking to underline the VK45DE’s great debut season with a seventh LMP2 class win for the engine.

Zytek Nissan-engined cars finished first and second in the LMP2 class at yesterday’s Six Hours of Estoril. The result capped a superb Le Mans Series season in which the 4.5-litre VK45DE power unit won its category at every round and in which the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan Z11SN claimed the team and driver’s championships with three victories from five races.

Said Team Principal Tim Greaves, “It has been an incredible season for the team. We started not really knowing how the opposition would perform, with new cars and new rules in place for 2011. We were confident in the engine programme with Nissan and they have proved to be faultless. We stayed with the Zytek chassis, which is well known and well developed; this combination along with our Dunlop tyres has given us the platform for success. The drivers, Karim Ojjeh, Olivier Lombard and, of course, Tom Kimber-Smith, have driven almost without mistake, the performance at Silverstone in particular being key to our overall success. Saturday (when Tom secured the championships by taking a point for pole position) has seen the culmination of six years of hard work and is a proper reward for all the effort put in.”

Added Team Manager, Jacob Greaves, “It’s been a great season, one to dream of.”

In the early stages of the Estoril encounter, Olivier pulled away from the rest of the LMP2 field, driving at a pace that matched the LMP1s. Karim took over and continued in a way that belied his gentleman amateur status but various minor tribulations conspired to drop the car back. Tom then underlined why he has been one of the stars of this year’s LMS and by the end of the six hours the Zytek-Nissan was up to a fighting second place in class and fourth overall. Tom and Karim had secured the drivers’ championship the day before but this result added to Greaves’ success by giving Olivier, who had missed the first couple of races, second place behind his teammates.

The only LMP2 car ahead of the champions at the finish was the TDS Racing Oreca-Nissan 03 of Matthias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Jody Firth, which finished in third place overall. It was the Languedoc-based team’s second victory of the season giving the Zytek Nissan VK45DE a clean sweep. Honourable mention should also be made of the Boutsen Energy Oreca-Nissan 03 of Dominik Kraihamer and Thor-Christian Ebbesvik, which had taken over the LMP2 class lead only to lose out in the final minutes with brake problems.