Nissan Zs take double points at SUGO as #24 car charges from back of grid to seventh
Both Nissan Z NISMO GT500 cars scored championship points at Sportsland SUGO, where the #24 Realize Corporation Z recovered from the back of the grid to finish seventh.
- 21 points
- 98 kg
- 84 laps
- 2 kg per championship point
What Happened
Round 6 of the 2026 SUPER GT Series at Sportsland SUGO was shaped by changing conditions, Safety Car interruptions and late-race battles. The #24 Realize Corporation Z, driven by Teppei Natori and Atsushi Miyake, recovered from the back of the grid to finish seventh, while the #23 MOTUL Niterra Z of Mitsunori Takaboshi and Daiki Sasaki came home eighth. Sasaki stepped in as reserve driver after regular driver Katsumasa Chiyo was injured at the circuit on Friday. The #12 TRS IMPUL with SDG Z of Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette was in contention for a podium until a gearbox problem ended its race.
Katsumasa Chiyo, regular driver of the #23 Z, is injured at the circuit; Daiki Sasaki takes over as reserve driver.
With a typhoon approaching and intermittent rain leaving parts of the circuit damp, the race starts behind the Safety Car with air and track temperatures of 23°C and 25°C.
A second Safety Car compresses the field and opens a strategic opportunity.
The #12 and #24 Zs pit for driver changes, fuel and tires, with the #23 Z following one lap later.
The #12 Z slows with a gearbox issue and is forced to retire while running in contention for a podium.
21points
The #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R finished second from 19th on the grid.
- 7th, from the back of the grid
- 8th
- 2nd, from 19th on the grid
“The timing of our pit stop worked well, and I was able to maintain good pace throughout my stint. I felt we were able to put up a strong fight against our rivals. Autopolis is one of the circuits I enjoy the most. Just as at SUGO, I expect tire management to be a key factor there. We'll need to manage the different demands of the qualifying round and the race effectively and make the most of every opportunity throughout the weekend.”
“Qualifying didn't go entirely to plan, but we worked well together in the race, both as drivers and as a team. Finishing 7th place and scoring points was a positive result for us. Success weight will not be reduced at Autopolis this year, so the differences in car weight across the field are likely to have a greater impact on performance. That could create an opportunity for us, as we're carrying relatively less weight than some of our rivals. During the break before the next round, we'll focus on improving our qualifying performance and continue refining our race strategy so we can come back even stronger at Autopolis.”
In the GT300 class, four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and two Fairlady Zs built to GTA GT300 regulations competed. The #56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R of Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura used a no-tire-change strategy to charge from 19th on the grid to second place despite carrying 98 kg of success weight, extending its championship lead to 21 points. The #11 GAINER TANAX Z of Ryuichiro Tomita and Kazuki Oki finished sixth, giving Nissan two GT300 entries in the points. At Autopolis, success weight will be applied at 2 kg per championship point rather than the usual 1 kg, because the postponement of Round 3 makes that event the sixth race of the season; with three rounds remaining, Nissan and NISMO now turn to the closing stages of the 2026 championship.
Why this matters
The result keeps Nissan and NISMO in the 2026 SUPER GT championship fight with three rounds remaining, while the #56 GT-R's second place stretched its GT300 points lead to 21. Teams and rivals now head to Autopolis, where success weight will not be reduced this year, making car weight differences a bigger factor in performance.
Terms in This Story
- SUPER GT Series
- A sports car racing championship with two classes, GT500 and GT300, in which Nissan competes.
- success weight
- Handicap weight added to a car according to the championship points it has scored, aimed at evening out performance across the field.
- Safety Car
- A car that leads the field at reduced speed during a hazard or poor conditions, keeping the competitors bunched until racing resumes.
- GT300
- The lower of SUPER GT's two classes, contested by cars built to GTA GT300 regulations.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.