Nissan Z NISMO GT500s endure weather, accidents, and penalties at Fuji SUPER GT Round 4
Heavy rain, a multi-car red flag, and penalties turned Fuji Speedway's SUPER GT Round 4 into a challenging day for Nissan's three Z NISMO GT500 entries.
- 3
- 300 km / 66 laps
- 4th
- 90-second stop + drive-through
What Happened
The 2026 SUPER GT Series Round 4 took place at Fuji Speedway on August 2, after the postponement of Round 3 at Sepang, Malaysia made it Nissan/NISMO's first race in three months. The event started under hot, humid cloud cover, but heavy rain swept across the circuit just before the start, then stopped as teams rushed back to slick tires. Nissan fielded three Z NISMO GT500s in the 300km, 66-lap contest, which began behind the Safety Car with ambient temperatures at 34°C and track temperatures at 47°C.
Rain stops just before the formation lap; teams switch from wet-weather to slick tires.
Race resumes after four laps behind the Safety Car; contact between the #12 and #23 Z triggers a multi-car incident and red flag.
Race resumes behind the Safety Car on a fully dried track; the restart comes on lap 10.
The repaired #23 Z returns to the track, but vibrations force it to retire after 11 laps.
The #12 Z pits for Kazuki Hiramine; it finishes 12th, one lap down.
- Start: 8th → Retired
- Start: 9th → 12th (one lap down)
- Start: 14th → 11th
The #24 Z was the strongest Nissan entry. Atsushi Miyake moved from 12th to 11th on lap 10, inherited 10th on lap 12 when the #12 Z served its penalty, and then extended his first stint after other cars began pitting from lap 21, climbing as high as 4th before making the mandatory stop at the end of lap 29. Teppei Natori rejoined in 10th but slipped to 11th around lap 50 and could not regain position. The #12 Z, running 7th at the restart, was handed a 90-second stop penalty for contact under Safety Car conditions and a drive-through penalty for an overtaking infringement during the restart, dropping to 12th, one lap down.
The #23 Z suffered contact with the #12 Z on the main straight, secondary contact with another car, and damage to its left-front and right-rear sections, requiring extensive garage repairs. It returned on lap 30, but vibrations after 11 laps forced it back to the pits and into retirement. The #12 Z pitted at the end of lap 39 for Kazuki Hiramine, who delivered strong closing laps and showed encouraging pace in the late stages. Nissan/NISMO now turns its focus to the next round at Suzuka Circuit, aiming to build on lessons learned at Fuji.
Why this matters
The race shows how quickly weather and on-track incidents can change a motorsport weekend. Nissan/NISMO's three GT500 entries struggled, with one retirement and two penalty-affected finishers, leaving the team to regroup before the next round at Suzuka. For fans and competitors, it underscores how much of SUPER GT's outcome depends on adapting to race-day conditions.
Terms in This Story
- GT500
- The top class of Japan's SUPER GT sports-car series, using high-performance prototype-style race cars based on production models.
- Safety Car
- A pace car that leads the field to control speed during caution periods on track.
- Red flag
- A signal that a race is stopped, typically because of an accident or unsafe conditions.
- Drive-through penalty
- A motorsport penalty requiring a driver to pass through the pit lane without stopping, costing time.
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