For the first time since 2014, the Super GT podium was completed by all Nismo teams in the Round 3 race at the iconic Suzuka Circuit. All 3 Nissan Motorsport teams were powered to their season-best results by Motul lubricants. Working in close cooperation with Nissan Motorsports, Motul has developed lubricants that are developed to work in perfect synergy to extract maximum performance out of the Nismo GT500 engine. With Motul-powered teams taking 1-2-3 in the race, it was one of the best weekends for the French oil manufacturer at the Super GT Series.
With the conclusion of 4 rounds of the Autobacs Super GT 2021 Series, we have officially reached the halfway mark of its 8-race calendar. Originally scheduled to take place at the end of May, Round 3 was postponed to the end of August. Having won both the Suzuka rounds in the 2020 Super GT season, the #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R team was hopeful to return to their winning ways after a rather unceremonious start to the 2021 season. The duo of Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli were immediately on the pace, setting the fastest time in free practice and qualifying in P3 on Saturday. After some hiccups, Matsuda put in an excellent comeback charge from P4 to take the lead on the 41st lap and see home the first victory of the season for NISMO.
#3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R of the NDDP RACING with B-MAX team took its best finish of the season with a solid P2 from P7 on the grid. Katsumasa Chiyo made an early pit-stop, undercutting the cars in front of him and giving teammate Kohei Hirate the race lead. Hirate managed to keep the #3 Nismo in P1 right until it was overtaken by the #23 Nismo in the closing stages. The car came home to finish P2 and promote themselves to P5 in the team rankings. The all-Motul podium was rounded off by the #24 Realize corporation ADVAN GT-R of KONDO RACING, which also claimed its best finish of the season. The #24 took P3 and P4 in free practice and qualifying respectively. During the race, Mitsunori Takaboshi and Daiki Sasaki kept up a consistent pace and maintained their position to bring home the P3 podium finish.
Motul supports the Super GT Nismo teams by lubricating their high performance machines with Motul lubricants. With the top 3 finishers choosing Motul, it was a true testament to Motul’s performance in high intensity racing competitions. Motul and Nismo have been working alongside each other for many years to create the perfect blend of lubricants that can strike the optimal balance of performance and reliability in Nissan and Nismo road and racing cars. With these results, the Nismo GT500 teams have gained significant momentum going into the second half of the season.
QUALIFYING RESULTS
#23 NISMO MOTUL AUTECH GT-R – P3 (1:45.710)
Tsugio Matsuda | Ronnie Quintarelli
#24 KONDO RACING Realize corporation ADVAN GT-R – P4 (1:45.861)
Mitsunori Takaboshi | Daiki Sasaki
#3 NDDP RACING with B-MAX CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R – P7 (1:46.289)
Kohei Hirate | Katsumasa Chiyo
RACE RESULTS
#23 NISMO MOTUL AUTECH GT-R – P1 (Fastest lap – 1:50.807)
Tsugio Matsuda | Ronnie Quintarelli
#24 KONDO RACING Realize corporation ADVAN GT-R – P3 (Fastest lap – 1:50.830)
Mitsunori Takaboshi | Daiki Sasaki
#3 NDDP RACING with B-MAX CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R – P2 (Fastest lap – 1:50.485)
Kohei Hirate | Katsumasa Chiyo
