Two Nissan Z NISMO GT500 cars on podium at round 7 of SUPER GT

The 7th round of the 2024 SUPER GT series was held at Autopolis International Racing Course in Oita, Japan, on October 20.

After taking 1st and 2nd in qualifying and starting from the front row for the 3-hour race, the Nissan Z NISMO GT500 team led in a 1-2-3 formation into the middle stages of the race.

However, disruption resulting from the introduction of the safety car four times, saw the #23 Motul Autech Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Ronnie Quintarelli) finish 2nd, and the #3 Niterra Motul Z (Mitsunori Takaboshi/Atsushi Miyake) take 3rd. The #12 Marelli Impul Z (Kazuki Hiramine/Bertrand Baguette), which started from 12th place, finished 5th.

Detailed race report

Matsuda in the #24 Z, started from pole position, maintaining his position and pulling away from the pack in the early stages of the race. Chiyo in the #23 Z, started from 2nd, dropped to 3rd right after the race got underway. However, by the second lap in sector 3, once the tires warmed up, he fought back to 2nd place, establishing a 1-2 formation for the Z cars early in the race. Takaboshi, in the #3 Z, started from 5th, losing one position to fall to 6th, while Baguette in the #12 Z, started 12th, managed to move up to 10th by the third lap.

Driving at a faster pace, the #23 Z passed the #24 Z at the second hairpin on lap 12 to take the lead. #23 continued to lap at a rapid pace, pulling away from the field and establishing a lead of more than 20 seconds by lap 21. However, on lap 23, a full-course yellow (FCY) was followed by the entry of the safety car to recover a stopped vehicle, erasing the #23 Z’s margin. The #24 Z remained in 2nd place, maintaining a 1-2 formation for the Z cars. The #3 Z, which had lost position in the race’s early commotion, was in 9th, and the #12 Z was in 11th.

By lap 37, with all the GT500 cars having completed their first pit stop, the #23 Z was in 1st, the #3 Z in 2nd, and the #12 Z in 3rd, establishing a 1-2-3 formation for the Z cars as the race entered its middle stage.

Chiyo in the #23 Z maintained rapid pace after the pit stop, setting the fastest lap and widening the gap from the pack. The Z team’s 1-2-3 formation continued until the second round of pit stops, with the #23 Z securing a 20-second gap from the second-placed #3 Z.

Around lap 61, a crash saw the safety car return to the track, providing an opportunity for competitors and resulting in the Z team falling back positions. After the safety car left the track and the race restarted on lap 68, Quintarelli in the #23 Z was in 2nd, Miyake in the #3 Z was in 4th, and Hiramine in the #12 Z was in 6th, with all drivers increasing their pace to reclaim positions. On lap 73, the #12 Z overtook a competitor to move up to 5th. On lap 86, the #3 Z executed an overtake at the first corner, reclaiming 3rd position.

As the race entered its final stage, the Z cars aimed for higher positions, however on lap 87, another crash led to the safety car’s return. While the safety car was on the track, the #24 Z stopped due to mechanical trouble and the safety car remained until race concluded at 92 laps.

The #23 Z finished 2nd, the #3 Z finished 3rd, putting both cars on the podium, and the #12 Z finished in 5th place.

The results see the #3 Niterra Motul Z move up to 4th position in the 2024 championship rankings. The Nissan/NISMO teams will continue striving for the title as they prepare for the 8th round at Mobility Resort Motegi in two weeks.

Katsumasa Chiyo (#23 Motul Autech Z)
"As a team and individually, we gave it everything we had. Despite the difficult conditions from the qualifying onward, I was able to stay calm and trust the car, team, tires, and engine. What was missing was luck (laughs). But that's racing, and there's nothing we could do about it. Next time, I’ll do my best to have luck on our side and win. It was great to see two NISMO cars on the podium this time. Ideally, we would have finished 1st and 2nd. I believe our only goal now is to win the next race, so we’ll all work together to go for victory."

Ronnie Quintarelli (#23 Motul Autech Z)
"There were too many safety cars in today's race. It was especially frustrating during Chiyo’s first stint, where he had built up a large margin that got reset. I also lost ground to competitors during my stint. The car had the potential, and if there hadn’t been so many safety cars, we might have been able to overtake and win. Unfortunately, the timing of the safety cars didn’t work in our favor this time. In just two weeks, we will have the 8th round at Motegi. I felt confident in the car's condition this time, so we’ll carry this momentum into Motegi and push hard for the podium and victory."

GT300 class
In the GT300 class, four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3’s and one GTA GT300 regulation Fairlady Z competed. The #11 Gainer Tanax Z (Ryuichiro Tomita/Keishi Ishikawa), starting in the 25th spot, made a strong climb to finish in 7th place.