 Hard charger James Thompson, having joined from Vauxhall, and 1994 BTCC champion/ex-F1 driver Gabriele Tarquini would drive for the Japanese marque, who had had a resurgence towards the back end of 1996.Ultimately the season was a disappointment with just a single victory for each driver.After a limited effort in 1996 Nissan re-entered the championship with a full blown manufacturer backed team.