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YOKOHAMA, Japan – The #23 MOTUL Niterra Z of Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi climbed from ninth on the grid to finish third in Round 7 of the 2026 SUPER GT series at Autopolis in Oita Prefecture on October 18. The result marked Nissan’s first GT500 podium since Round 2 at Fuji Speedway.
The #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z, driven by Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette, finished fifth after leading during the three-hour race, giving Nissan two Z NISMO GT500s in the top five. Chiyo returned to the #23 Z after missing the previous round through injury.
In GT300, the #360 RUNUP × SOL GT‑R recovered from 28th on the grid to finish second, while the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT‑R scored points in 14th and retained its championship lead.
Detailed race report
Two Safety Car periods shaped the race strategy. Baguette made a strong start in the #12 Z, moving into fourth at the first corner, while Teppei Natori gained several positions in the #24 Realize Corporation Z. The #12 Z took the lead on lap 23, shortly before the first Safety Car period.
When racing resumed on lap 29, the #12 and #24 Zs completed their first scheduled pit stops without changing drivers. Takaboshi extended the #23 Z’s opening stint to the end of lap 36 before handing over to Chiyo. Once the first pit-stop cycle was complete, the #12 Z was fifth, the #24 Z sixth and the #23 Z ninth.
A second Safety Car period on lap 50 brought further changes to the order. Racing resumed on lap 56, and the #12 Z returned to the lead as rivals made their second stops. The #24 Z stopped at the end of that lap, with Atsushi Miyake taking over from Natori. Hiramine subsequently took over the #12 Z on lap 62, while Chiyo remained in the #23 Z after its second stop at the end of lap 64.
By lap 72, all GT500 cars had completed their two mandatory stops. The #23 Z was third, the #12 Z fourth and the #24 Z 12th. Chiyo closed to within a second of second place before traffic slowed his progress, then defended against late challenges to secure the podium. The #12 Z dropped to fifth on lap 92, while the #24 Z finished 11th, just outside the points.
Nissan and NISMO now turn their attention to the final two races at Mobility Resort Motegi: the rescheduled Round 3 on November 7 and Round 8 on November 8, with the aim of building on this result and challenging for victory.
Driver comments:
Katsumasa Chiyo (#23 MOTUL Niterra Z)
"After suffering a fracture in the previous round, I felt I owed something to everyone who supported me and to the team for everything they had to deal with. That gave me extra motivation today, and I poured all of my energy into this race.
"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.
"There are still areas we need to improve, but I believe we extracted everything possible this weekend. With success weight reduced over the final two rounds, the races will become more about outright pace. We'll focus on addressing our remaining weaknesses and finding even more speed."
Mitsunori Takaboshi (#23 MOTUL Niterra Z)
"From the first session on Saturday, we struggled to find the right setup, but extending the opening stint proved to be a key strategic decision. Chiyo did an outstanding job in the final two stints, especially in situations where it felt like all we could do was defend and hang on.
"That effort ultimately earned us the podium. This is one of those results that feels especially rewarding because we know we gave absolutely everything we had.
"At Motegi, many of our rivals will be carrying less success weight, so the competition will become even tougher. We'll need to keep pushing and continue searching for every bit of performance available to us."
GT300 class
Six Nissan entries competed in GT300 class: four Nissan GT‑R NISMO GT3s and two Fairlady Zs built to GTA GT300 regulations.
The #360 RUNUP × SOL GT‑R of Rin Arakawa, Yu Kanamaru and Atsushi Tanaka climbed from 28th on the grid to finish second. The #62 HELM MOTORSPORTS GT‑R finished eighth, the #26 ANEST IWATA GAINER Z ninth and the #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT‑R 14th, giving Nissan four points-scoring cars in the class.
The #56 GT‑R heads into the final two races at Motegi leading the GT300 championship.
