#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z caps season with second-place finish

• Nissan concludes 2025 SUPER GT with a podium for the #23 Z and points for #3 Z and #24 Z.

• #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R takes P2 in the GT300 class standings.

The eighth and final round of the 2025 SUPER GT Series took place at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture on Sunday, November 2. The Nissan Z NISMO GT500 squad wrapped up the season with a podium finish: The #23 MOTUL AUTECH Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) claimed 2nd place, the #3 Niterra MOTUL Z (Daiki Sasaki/Atsushi Miyake) took 9th and the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z (Tsugio Matsuda/Teppei Natori) came in 10th.

Detailed race report

The 300 km race began at 1:00 p.m. under a clear autumn sky. By the end of the first lap, Bertrand Baguette in the #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z had surged from 4th to 2nd, Takaboshi in the #23 Z held 4th and Sasaki in the #3 Z ran 6th. Piloting the #24 Z, Natori had a tough start, dropping from 6th place to 15th. The #23 Z set the fastest lap on lap three and continued to push for the lead. As the race progressed, the #24 Z regained its rhythm and took 10th by lap 20.

The #12 Z and #3 Z pitted after 22 laps, while the #23 Z came in one lap later to swap tires, drivers and refuel. The #24 Z pitted after lap 26.

By lap 37 — after all GT500 cars had completed their pit stops — Kazuki Hiramine in the #12 Z lagged the leader by just one second. Chiyo in the #23 Z ran 3rd — five seconds behind the #12 Z — Miyake in the #3 Z held 7th in a tight six-car battle and Matsuda in the #24 Z was 14th.

While the #12 Z and #23 Z stepped up their pace to try and catch the leader, the #3 Z dropped to 11th following a fierce fight on lap 44. In the final stages, the top three contenders battled for victory, with the #12 Z closing to within a second of the leader and the #23 Z right behind. The fight continued till the end, with the #12 Z finishing second by 0.254 seconds and the #23 Z crossing the finish line just 1.015 seconds later. But following a post-race inspection the #12 Z was disqualified for breaching a technical regulation, moving the #23 Z to second place.

The #3 Z and #24 Z fought hard till the end, managing to take 9th and 10th place respectively. Matsuda — who holds the series’ records for most wins and points — concluded his Super GT career with his solid finish and drew loud cheers from his team and fans.

While the Nissan/NISMO team couldn’t clinch the 2025 championship, it showcased the strength and potential of the Nissan Z NISMO GT500 with back-to-back wins in the second half of the season.

Driver comments

Katsumasa Chiyo (#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z):
“This weekend showed both the areas where we are competitive and those that need improvement. It’s frustrating not to win, but this reflects our current level. Next year, with car updates, we’ll work to strengthen our weaknesses. Compared to early in the season, we’ve regained speed thanks to everyone’s efforts and finishing on the podium in the final round is a plus. I want to thank the entire team.”

Mitsunori Takaboshi (#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z):
“The tire choice didn’t suit today’s track temperature and we lost out at the start. I managed to hold on after that, but the pace was tough. SUPER GT is about consistently scoring points and taking wins when possible. Losing the first four rounds hurt us, but our performance in the second half has given us confidence. Next season, we aim to show our strength from the opening round and challenge our rivals.”

GT300 class

Four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and one GTA GT300-spec Fairlady Z competed in the GT300 class. The #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira/Kohei Hirate), faced challenges after starting in 4th place, but fought hard and managed to finish in fourth, securing 2nd place in the driver standings for Hirate, 4th place for Oliveira and 2nd place in the team standings. The #62 HELM MOTORSPORTS GT-R (Yuya Hiraki/Reiji Hiraki) also scored points with a 15th-place finish.