#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z secures dominant win at Suzuka

The #23 MOTUL AUTECH Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) delivered an outstanding performance at Suzuka Circuit claiming the NISMO team’s first victory of the 2025 SUPER GT season. The #3 Niterra MOTUL Z (Daiki Sasaki/Atsushi Miyake) clinched 3rd place, securing a thrilling double podium for NISMO.

Detailed race report

The 300-kilometer final race took place on Sunday, Aug. 24, under a blazing sun and sweltering heat. The four Z cars, which started the race in 2nd through 5th places, maintained their positions in the early laps. On lap 2 at the 130R corner, Tsugio Matsuda in the #24 Z went off track and dropped back. Meanwhile, Mitsunori Takaboshi in the #23 Z (2nd), Daiki Sasaki in the #3 Z (3rd) and Bertrand Baguette in the #12 Z (4th) held their positions. The #23 Z then surged, posting the fastest lap of the entire race to close in on the leader.

After 18 laps, the #23 Z and #12 Z pitted to change drivers, tires and refuel. Though the leading rival pitted simultaneously, the #23 Z outpaced it at the pit, allowing Katsumasa Chiyo to rejoin the race in the lead. After 19 laps, the #3 Z pitted and nailed a swift overcut to place Atsushi Miyake second behind the #23 Z. On lap 21, however, a rival executed an overcut, dropping the #3 Z to third. But the gap remained narrow as the #3 Z charged aggressively to reclaim the position.

By lap 32, with all GT500 cars having swapped tire changes and the race past its midpoint, two NISMO cars had their sights firmly set on podium finishes: the #23 Z in 1st place and the #3 Z in 3rd.

In the race’s final stages, the #12 Z was unable to maintain a competitive place and dropped from 5th place to 8th. The #23 Z and the #3 Z held 1st and 3rd to the end of the 52-lap race, clinching a double podium finish and the Nissan/NISMO team’s first win of the season.

This victory demonstrates the high potential of the Nissan Z NISMO GT500. With three rounds remaining, the team will push hard to target top championship standings.

Katsumasa Chiyo (#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z)
“One of the key factors in this race was securing a front-row start in qualifying. Mitsunori Takaboshi's driving in the first stint was excellent and he handed over the car with only a slight gap behind the leader. We were able to turn the tables with NISMO's signature pit work, and I think we ran a very NISMO-like race. The second stint was long, so I had to manage the tires carefully. The pressure from behind was intense and it wasn’t an easy race. There were some nerve-wracking moments, but we managed to hold on. This victory was earned by the entire team.”

Mitsunori Takaboshi (#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z)
“I’m very happy we won. We struggled in the early part of the season, and although our success weight was light this win gives us motivation for the upcoming rounds. Our warm-up session today showed we had speed, and once the tires heated up our pace was strong. I wanted to overtake the car ahead, but I also knew forcing the pass wouldn’t help and I believed we could succeed through our pit strategy and the second stint. We won’t let our success in this race make us complacent. We’ll prepare rigorously with the team to aim for another podium finish in the next round at Sportsland SUGO.”

GT300 Class

Four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 cars and one Fairlady Z under GTA GT300 regulation competed in the GT300 class. Starting from 20th place in qualifying, the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira/Kohei Hirate) made a strong comeback to finish 8th. Three Nissan cars finished in the points.