Now this is something worth mentioning. Nissan didn’t win this year’s Le Mans, but they used the opportunity to raise money for charity, and as corny as it may sound, that’s the real victory! They donated £1 for every mile covered by the 14 Nissan-powered cars in 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, which resulted in a total £31,732, to benefit to three worthy British forces charities – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help, Afghanistan Trust and Mission Motorsport.

Nissan-powered racing car Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN was also sporting SSAFA Forces Help logo. In the hands of Martin Brundle, alongside his son Alex and Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez, this car completed 2,879.34 miles over 340 laps. And if it wasn’t for that imbecile Toyota LMP1 driver who crashed the Nissan Deltawing out of the race after just 635.15 miles, they could have raised even more money.

“It is a fantastic achievement that nine of the 13 Nissan-powered LMP2 cars completed one of the toughest races in the world,” explained Nissan Motor (GB) Managing Director Jim Wright. “It was a shame that the popular Nissan DeltaWing’s time on track was cut short given that it was running so well, but we are very proud that the speed and reliability of our engines has helped raise a significant donation for three wonderful charities.”