Nissan Announces 2023 SUPER GT Teams and Drivers

Nissan Motor Company and Nissan Motorsports & Customising (NMC) today announced their team and driver line-ups for the upcoming 2023 Autobacs SUPER GT Series in GT500 and GT300 classes.

Incredibly, there are no changes to the line-up of teams and drivers fielding the four Nissan Z GT500s from last season. In its debut year, the new Nissan Z (RZ34) won the GT500 Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships and finished 1-2 in both championships.

The most noteworthy change on the surface for defending GT500 champions Team Impul is that they will run the champion’s number one for the first time since 1996.

Otherwise, the lineup remains the same for the #1 Calsonic Impul Z, with champion drivers Kazuki Hiramine (31) and Bertrand Baguette (36) returning for their second season together – Hiramine’s fourth at the GT500 level with Impul, Baguette’s second as a Nissan driver.

Behind the scenes there is also a revised leadership structure: Kazuyoshi Hoshino will continue as the Director of the team that he founded, with his son Kazuki Hoshino taking on a new role as Team Principal.

The flagship NISMO team will once again feature the combination of two-time GT500 champion Tsugio Matsuda (43) and four-time GT500 champion Ronnie Quintarelli (43) driving the number 23 Nissan. Matsuda will aim to add to his record 23 career wins in SUPER GT’s premier class. Quintarelli sits third on the all-time list at 17 career victories.

Katsumasa Chiyo (36) and Mitsunori Takaboshi (30) will continue as the drivers for NDDP Racing in the #3 car. Chiyo and Takaboshi enjoyed their breakout seasons in GT500 in 2022, recording two victories and finishing second in the standings.

Both NISMO and NDDP Racing, who operate as a two-car team in all but name, will continue their GT500 class exclusive partnership with tyre supplier Michelin.

There is also no change within Kondo Racing in their #24 car, multiple GT500 class race winner Daiki Sasaki (31) will again partner two-time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate (36) after a season that saw them record two podium finishes. Kondo Racing will continue their long-term partnership with Yokohama Rubber as their tyre supplier.

• #1 – Team Impul – Kazuki Hiramine / Bertrand Baguette – Bridgestone
• #3 – NDDP Racing – Katsumasa Chiyo / Mitsunori Takaboshi – Michelin
• #23 – NISMO – Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli – Michelin
• #24 – Kondo Racing – Daiki Sasaki / Kohei Hirate – Yokohama

But the lack of change at Kondo Racing’s GT500 side has also come as a significant surprise: Earlier this week, Nissan teams participated in a scheduled two-day test at Suzuka Circuit. Sasaki shared the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z with two-time and reigning GT300 champion Kiyoto Fujinami, leading to speculation that Fujinami would replace Hirate within the Nissan GT500 ranks – especially after Fujinami also took part in Nissan’s post-season GT500 driver audition in December.

However, Fujinami’s name did not appear on the list of GT500 drivers for 2023 – and in fact, as of publication he is not currently linked to any existing Nissan seats.

Kondo Racing and the Nissan Mechanic Challenge programme will still defend their GT300 crown, and two-time champion João Paulo de Oliveira (41) will drive for the team and their #56 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

His team mate for 2023 has yet to be announced. Fujinami had driven this car alongside Oliveira since 2020.

Also announced were the lineups for the two-car Gainer team, which sees drivers Hironobu Yasuda and Ryuichiro Tomita swapping seats within the team and both cars continuing to use Dunlop (Sumitomo Rubber) tyres.

Yasuda (39), a past GT300 champion, will move to the #10 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to partner his protege, sophomore driver Riki Okusa (23). Of note, Yorikatsu Tsujiko, the President and CEO of video game company PONOS Corporation, has been named as the Team Director of the #10 car instead of team owner Kazumi Fujii.

Tomita (34), known for his exploits in GT300 and in GT World Challenge Europe in recent years, will now swap seats to the #11 car – traditionally Gainer’s flagship car – to partner Keishi Ishikawa (28), a seven-year GT300 veteran whose lone win came in 2019. Also moving to the #11 car is third driver Yusuke Shiotsu (23), who drove stints in two races last season.

• #56 – Kondo Racing – João Paulo de Oliveira / TBD – Yokohama
• #10 – Gainer – Hironobu Yasuda / Riki Okusa – Dunlop
• #11 – Gainer – Ryuichiro Tomita / Keishi Ishikawa / Yusuke Shiotsu – Dunlop

Images © GTA