For Nissan, entering the FIA GT1 World Championship marks 20 years since competing in a world championship series. The opening round of the 2010 series was held at the Yas Marina Circuit in the modern city of Abu Dhabi, said to be the best in the Middle East. As its name implies, it is a beautiful circuit set beside a yacht harbour.

The circuit's visibility and name recognition rose with its hosting of the 2009 F1 Grand Prix. The facilities, including the pit building, control tower, and spectator seating areas, are state-of-the-art. The track surface and escape roads are also thoroughly well made, with extremely careful attention paid to design and construction.

Entered in the championship series and campaigning a pair of NISSAN GT-Rs each at the Yas Marina Circuit are the Swiss Racing Team and Sumo Power GT teams. Japan's Seiji Ara, a driver with great things expected of him, was slipped into the GT-R driver lineup at the last moment.

Ara's teammates are first and foremost, Karl Wendlinger (Austria), once also active in F1; followed by Henry Moser, a young 22-year-old Swiss driver, and Max Nilsson of Sweden, who stepped up from Germany's F3 series. The team's cars are easily recognisable with their signature red lines on the sides.

As the championship started, Nissan announced it would be providing the vehicles to be used as the series' Official Cars. Nissan will be providing GT-R Safety Cars and emergency medical vehicles for the GT1 world championship races to be held this year in various countries around the world.

This is a commemorative photo of all the teams and all drivers. A new Nissan partner team, the English SUMO POWER GT squad is pictured in the middle of the second row from the top. From the left are: Warren Hughes, Jamie Campbell-Walter, Peter Dumbreck (British), and German Michael Krumm.

Before starting Free Practice, Othmar Welti of the Swiss Racing Team and Nigel Stepney, Technical Director of SUMO POWER GT, are seen openly checking data together. They are comrades in arms, as it were, as well as rivals - who hold each other in the highest regard.

Before the official schedule for the opening round got underway, it was decided that handicap weight would be added to the four NISSAN GT-Rs in order to adjust their performance. Because of this, the GT-Rs' ability to fight was diminished right from the opening round.

Wendlinger, who won the German F3 championship in 1989 at the age of 18, joined the Mercedes works' team in 1990. Thereafter, he drove in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in Formula One. He won the FIA GT championship in 1999. 'I am excited by new challenges,' he says, at age 41. He is consistently as fast as ever.

In order to avoid the hot sun of the Arabian Peninsula, the race start time was 19:45 on Saturday, when the air temperature had cooled and the track surface temperature was relatively constant. The starting grid was crowded mainly with teams from various European countries, the press, and local guests.

The race was a one-hour sprint race. Race rules require a driver change at around the halfway point of the event. The #3 GT-R, driven by Wendlinger, went off track. Krumm's #23 GT-R also spun out, pitted, and changed tyres. This event was dramatic right from the start.

Furthermore, two laps after the start, Ara, at the wheel of the #4 GT-R, stopped after being involved in a separate accident, and was then forced to retire early. Ara's face, which had shown such fighting spirit during his run in the qualifying race, looked vexed.

Wendlinger ran in eighth place and had a chance to move up, but the timing did not work out. He then fell behind when he pitted to change drivers. Moser got the car for the second half, finishing the race in 14th place.

Last year, an entire year was devoted to developing the GT-R to GT1 specification, and the #23 GT-R of Michael Krumm, who has spent the most time with this machine, finished in 16th place. Krumm commented, 'This does not represent our real strength. I have confidence that we will deliver a good performance in the next race.'

The GT-R that finished highest in the debut race was the #22 car, in the hands of Hughes/Campbell-Walter. The two drivers said in unison, 'We had absolutely no trouble with the GT-R. The team has just started running. We will fight and endure to record better results from now on.'