The #23 MOTUL Niterra Z of Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi climbed from ninth on the grid to third in Round 7 of the 2026 SUPER GT series at Autopolis on October 18. It was Nissan’s first GT500 podium since Round 2 at Fuji Speedway. Chiyo was back in the car after missing the previous round through injury.

Nissan had two Z NISMO GT500 cars in the top five at Autopolis in Oita Prefecture. The #23 MOTUL Niterra Z took the final podium place, and the #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z of Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette finished fifth after leading for part of the three-hour race.

In the GT300 class, the #360 RUNUP × SOL GT-R started 28th and finished second. The #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R scored points in 14th and kept its lead in the GT300 championship.

Two Safety Car periods shape the strategy

Two Safety Car periods decided much of the race. Baguette got the #12 Z away well and was fourth by the first corner. Teppei Natori also gained several places early on in the #24 Realize Corporation Z. The #12 car took the lead on lap 23, shortly before the first Safety Car came out.

Racing resumed on lap 29. The #12 and #24 cars then made their first scheduled stops without changing drivers. The #23 team ran a different strategy and left Takaboshi out until the end of lap 36 before handing over to Chiyo. After the first round of stops, the #12 Z was fifth, the #24 Z sixth and the #23 Z ninth.

Chiyo holds on for the podium

The second Safety Car came out on lap 50, and racing resumed on lap 56. The #12 Z went back into the lead as rivals made their second stops. Miyake took over the #24 car from Natori at the end of that lap, and Hiramine replaced Baguette in the #12 car on lap 62. Chiyo stayed in the #23 Z after its second stop at the end of lap 64.

By lap 72 every GT500 car had made both of its mandatory stops. The #23 Z was third, the #12 Z fourth and the #24 Z 12th. Chiyo got to within a second of second place before traffic slowed him, then fended off late attacks to keep third. The #12 Z fell to fifth on lap 92. The #24 Z finished 11th, one place outside the points.

“Starting from where we qualified, a podium wasn’t going to come easily. But we wanted to put together a performance that would lift the whole team, and thanks to great teamwork, strong strategy and maximum effort from both drivers, we were able to achieve that.” — Katsumasa Chiyo

Chiyo said he had extra motivation after a fracture kept him out of the previous round: “I felt I owed something to everyone who supported me and to the team for everything they had to deal with.”

Takaboshi said the team struggled with the setup from the first session on Saturday, “but extending the opening stint proved to be a key strategic decision.” He added: “At Motegi, many of our rivals will be carrying less success weight, so the competition will become even tougher.”

Four Nissan cars score in GT300

Nissan had six cars in GT300: four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and two Fairlady Zs built to GTA GT300 regulations. The #360 GT-R of Rin Arakawa, Yu Kanamaru and Atsushi Tanaka finished second. The #62 HELM MOTORSPORTS GT-R was eighth, the #26 ANEST IWATA GAINER Z ninth and the #56 GT-R 14th, so four Nissan cars scored points in the class.

What comes next

With success weight being reduced for the last two rounds, Chiyo expects the races to depend more on outright pace. Nissan and NISMO say they aim to build on this result and challenge for victory.

The season ends at Mobility Resort Motegi with the rescheduled Round 3 on November 7 and Round 8 on November 8.

Source: global.nissannews.com