The 2023 season of the world renowned AUTOBACS SUPER GT series kicked off last weekend with the opener being held from April 15 to 16 at the Okayama International Circuit. For Motul, this was a race to remember as 2 Motul-liveried Nissan Z GT500s took the top 2 spots of the podium once again proving the reliability and performance imparted by Motul’s top-of-the-line range of motorsport products. The first round of this series was a story of determination and a display of sheer brilliance from the Motul-powered teams to overcome extremely tricky track conditions, with the #23 MOTUL AUTECH Z drivers Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli successfully claiming victory while the #3 Niterra MOTUL Z driven by Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi took second place, a mere 1.496 seconds behind the winner. 
#23 MOTUL AUTECH Z began strong during qualifying as Matsuda secured pole position. Race day started off with clear skies for the pre-race warm-up, however moments before the race, track conditions worsened with excessive amounts of rainfall but Quintarelli still managed to maintain the lead. The Japanese co-driver took over once the rainfall dramatically worsened and executed a flawless performance going through the scheduled rounds of pit stops, allowing #23 MOTUL AUTECH Z to emerge in the lead towards the final laps, and eventually securing the win.
The Japanese drivers of #3 Niterra MOTUL Z began the race following from its 2nd-place grid start and changed positions throughout, even dropping to 13th at one point. From the team’s successful execution of race strategies and switching drivers from Chiyo to Takaboshi after pitting on the 44th lap, #3 Niterra MOTUL Z made a comeback for the second position. 
This weekend’s result is a clear reflection of the loyal partnership between NISMO and Motul which has lasted over two decades. Throughout this partnership, Motul has worked closely with the racing team, to specially design and formulate lubricants for NISMO’s stable of powerful cars such as the Nissan Z GT500. At Okayama, the superiority of Motul’s 300V, Gear Competition Transmission Oil and Racing Brake Fluid were on full display, allowing teams to perform at their very best. Furthermore, rigorous testing of these lubricants and fluids provide Motul with invaluable data and insights, which ultimately shapes the products for everyday consumers around Asia and the world.
The AUTOBACS SUPER GT series will hold its second round at the Fuji Speedway on May 3rd to 4th, 2023.