#12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z scores 6th and 5th place finishes in Round 4 of SUPER GT

• #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z achieves back-to-back point finishes

• Four Nissan Z cars overcome intense battles to finish inside top 10 for Race 2

• GT300 racers earns points amid tough competition

Round 4 of the 2025 SUPER GT Series took place August 2–3 at Fuji Speedway and featured a sprint race format for the first time. Two races took place for the GT500 class. In Race 1, the #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z piloted by Bertrand Baguette climbed from 8th place to 6th by running an aggressive, consistent pace. In Race 2, teammate Kazuki Hiramine finished in 5th place, marking back-to-back point finishes for #12, and in total four Nissan Z NISMO GT500 cars scored top 10 finishes.

Detailed race report

Both Saturday and Sunday featured an official practice, qualifying and a sprint race. All cars ran with zero success ballast and the drivers of the top-ranked finishing cars were awarded half points. The Nissan/NISMO lineup included four cars and eight drivers: the #3 Niterra MOTUL Z (Daiki Sasaki/Atsushi Miyake), the #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z (Kazuki Hiramine/Bertrand Baguette), the #23 MOTUL AUTECH Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) and the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z (Tsugio Matsuda/Teppei Natori).

Race 1 (Saturday, August 2) - #12 Z takes 6th place

Drama ensued from the opening lap as two cars collided, with #23 Z, piloted by Takaboshi, managing to narrowly avoid the carnage, at the cost of several positions. The safety car was deployed and the race continued with speed and passing restrictions in place.

When the race resumed on lap 6 with all restrictions lifted, the #3 Z struggled to maintain a competitive pace and dropped back, allowing the #12 Z to move into 5th place. By lap 7, the #3 Z had fallen to 7th place. On lap 13, the #12 Z was passed, relegating it to 6th place. Rain began to fall mid-race, but not enough to significantly impact conditions.

The race concluded with the #12 Z in 6th place and the #3 Z in 7th, but the latter dropped to 8th place due to a 5-second penalty for its conduct toward a rival car, which also was penalized. The #23 Z finished 11th and the #24 Z, unable to maintain a competitive pace, ended in 12th.

Bertrand Baguette (#12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z):
“It was a tough race. I had a good start and the tires were consistent, but the car’s balance wasn’t perfect so 6th was the best we could do. Tonight, we’ll work with the team to improve the car for Hiramine’s race tomorrow. Suzuka suits us well, so we’ll aim for the podium and hopefully a win.”

Race 2 (Sunday, August 3) - #12 Z finishes 5th

Race 2 kicked off under cloudy skies and cooler temperatures for a duration of 50 minutes. The Z cars battled fiercely for position early on. Starting in 7th place, the #12 Z’s Hiramine attacked aggressively and climbed to 5th within two laps. Natori in the #24 Z started in 8th place and then dropped back to 11th before clawing his way to 9th place on lap 4. The #3 Z’s Miyake fell to 10th place before rising to 9th only to be pushed back to 10th by the #24 Z. Chiyo in the #23 Z was bumped by another car and slipped to 13th.

Natori pushed forward, rising to 8th place by lap 8 and 7th by lap 12. Miyake followed suit, climbing to 8th place by lap 14. Both passed slower rivals, taking 6th and 7th place as they jockeyed for position. In a side-by-side duel, the #24 Z forced the #3 Z off track at the Coca-Cola corner, earning a 5-second penalty.

The #12 Z pushed hard till the end and finished 5th. The #24 Z and #3 Z crossed the finish line in 6th and 7th place, respectively. Fighting hard from 12th place and making a daring pass on the final lap, the #23 Z managed to finish in 10th before being bumped to 9th by the #24 Z’s penalty. The #3 Z also benefitted from the penalty, moving from 7th to 6th. All four Nissan/NISMO cars finished in the top 10, scoring points.

The two-day sprint format was a first for SUPER GT. Despite the challenges, Nissan/NISMO achieved solid results in Race 2 and is now preparing to fight for victory in Round 5 at Suzuka.

Kazuki Hiramine (#12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z):
“The sprint format was a fun experiment. I always give my best no matter the conditions and I enjoyed the race. The competition was tough and overtaking wasn’t easy, but the team improved the car a lot after Race 1. I’ll go all out at Suzuka!”

GT300 Class

Four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and one Fairlady Z under GTA GT300 regulations competed. In Race 1, the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R’s Joao Paulo de Oliveira finished 11th.n Race 2, teammate Kohei Hirate secured 10th, earning points.