Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette gave the Nissan Z NISMO GT500 its first win of the 2026 Super GT season. They won the rescheduled Round 3 at Mobility Resort Motegi by more than 20 seconds, then took third in the Round 8 finale a day later. In GT300, the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R won the championship, Nissan’s first title in the class since 2022.

The 2026 Super GT season ended with a double-header at Mobility Resort Motegi on November 7–8. The weekend combined the rescheduled Round 3, which replaced the postponed Malaysian round, with the Round 8 season finale. Both races ran over 53 laps.

For Nissan, it was the best weekend of the GT500 season. The #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z won one race and finished on the podium in the other. Hiramine and Baguette ended the year fourth in the GT500 drivers’ championship, the highest-placed Nissan Z NISMO GT500 crew. Nissan notes that the Round 3 GT500 result, and the championship standings that depend on it, still await official confirmation.

A charge from sixth to a dominant Round 3 win

Baguette started sixth and passed the #24 Realize Corporation Z straight away. The formation lap began at 2:00 p.m. in cool conditions. A multi-car GT300 crash on the opening lap brought out the safety car, and racing restarted on lap eight.

Katsumasa Chiyo took ninth in the #23 MOTUL Niterra Z at the 90 Degree Corner on lap nine, then briefly dropped to 10th. Atsushi Miyake set the fastest laps of the race in the #24 Z. Baguette passed cars on consecutive laps, 16 and 17, to move the #12 Z up to third.

The #23, #24 and #12 Z pitted on laps 19, 20 and 21 for fuel, new tyres and driver changes. Once the stops had played out, Hiramine was effectively running third. Mitsunori Takaboshi was seventh in the #23 Z and Teppei Natori 10th in the #24 Z.

Hiramine then made two decisive passes. He took second at the 90 Degree Corner on lap 36 and the lead at Turn 1 on lap 39, then pulled away to win by more than 20 seconds. After a post-race disqualification, the revised provisional classification lists the #23 Z seventh and the #24 Z ninth, so all three Nissan GT500 cars scored points.

“It feels incredible. After some difficult races, I wanted to show TEAM IMPUL’s attacking spirit. Bertrand’s opening stint gave me extra motivation. The balance was excellent, and our warm-up changes worked well. I was determined to catch the cars ahead and could push flat out to the finish. Thank you to our sponsors, Bridgestone and the team. My family has supported me through the difficult moments, so it means a lot to reward them with this result.” — Kazuki Hiramine

A recovery drive to third in the finale

In the finale, the #12 Z had to fight its way forward again. Baguette started ninth, with Takaboshi seventh and Miyake 13th. Conditions were clear and cool, and the race began after two formation laps. All three Nissans avoided another opening-lap GT300 incident, and racing resumed on lap five after the safety car came in.

Baguette was eighth by lap 13, and the #12 and #23 cars each gained another place soon after. The #24 Z moved up as rivals served penalties. The #24 Z was the first Nissan to pit once the minimum first-stint distance had been completed. The other two pitted a lap later, but congestion in the pit lane held up the #12 Z and dropped Hiramine further down the order.

Chiyo had reached fifth by lap 38, while Hiramine climbed from ninth to sixth. Hiramine passed the #23 Z on lap 46 and closed to within a second of third place by the finish. He crossed the line fourth, with Chiyo fifth and Natori 10th.

Post-race decisions then changed the result. The car that finished third was disqualified, which moved the #12 Z up to third. The #23 Z received a 40-second penalty for a pit work area infringement and dropped to 11th. The #24 Z was classified eighth.

Baguette gave this view of the race before the reclassification was announced:

“Qualifying didn’t go as we wanted. I locked up at Turn 10 and flat-spotted a tire, so we had to fight back from ninth. Overtaking is difficult here, and I focused on saving fuel and handing Kazuki the best possible position. Without a few issues, we could have fought for second, but we showed again that we have the pace to compete at the front.”

GT300 championship for the #56 GT-R

Nissan had six cars in GT300: four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and two Fairlady Zs built to GTA GT300 regulations. Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura finished 14th in Round 3 in the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R, which was enough to keep their points lead. Fourth place in the finale then secured the title, Nissan’s first GT300 championship since 2022.

Ryuichiro Tomita and Kazuki Oki finished third in the #11 GAINER TANAX Z. According to Nissan, it was the first GT300 podium for a Fairlady Z built to GTA GT300 regulations.

Facts: Nissan at the Super GT Motegi double-header

  • Venue and dates: Mobility Resort Motegi, November 7–8, 2026
  • Races: Rescheduled Round 3 and the Round 8 finale, 53 laps each
  • GT500 Round 3: #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z (Hiramine/Baguette) wins by more than 20 seconds (provisional)
  • GT500 Round 8: #12 Z classified third after a post-race disqualification
  • GT500 drivers’ standings: Hiramine/Baguette fourth, the best-placed Nissan crew (subject to confirmation)
  • GT300 champions: De Oliveira/Kimura, #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R
  • GT300 podium: #11 GAINER TANAX Z (Tomita/Oki) third

The Motegi double-header was the last event of the 2026 Super GT season.

Source: global.nissannews.com