NISMO will run two of the 4 new Zs that shall be on the GT500 grid this season, with B-Max Racing dropping out of the Nissan steady after 4 seasons of working the #3 automotive.
Nevertheless, the NDDP Racing branding stays in place, and the 2 entries shall be run no less than nominally independently.
A NISMO spokesperson clarified: “The contract with B-Max ended final season. We wish to specific our honest gratitude to B-Max for working with us on NDDP applications for a very long time.”
Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda proceed as teammates in NISMO’s #23 entry, whereas Katsumasa Chiyo is joined by a brand new accomplice within the #3 automotive within the type of Mitsunori Takaboshi.
Kohei Hirate, Chiyo’s teammate from the earlier two seasons at NDDP/B-Max, replaces Takaboshi as Daiki Sasaki’s accomplice at Kondo Racing in a shock reshuffle.
Baguette in the meantime takes the seat vacated by Matsushita on the Impul squad, becoming a member of Kazuki Hiramine within the workforce’s sixth line-up change in as a few years.
After shedding his Actual Racing Honda seat to Matsushita, Baguette examined the {old} GT-R as a part of Nissan’s ‘audition’ check in December alongside Kiyoto Fujinami and Atsushi Miyake.
It’s anticipated that Fujinami will once more accomplice Joao Paulo de Oliveira aboard Kondo’s solo GT-R NISMO GT3 within the GT300 class after lacking out on a GT500 promotion for a second yr working.
Nissan additionally confirmed new workforce principals for its two NISMO-run, Michelin-shod machines.
Changing the late Yutaka Suzuki as NISMO workforce principal is Takeshi Nakajima, who steps up from his function at crew chief, whereas ex-Impul engineer Jiro Shimada will carry out the same function at NDDP.
Gainer reveals GT300 driver line-up
Whereas Kondo has but to substantiate its GT300 line-up, fellow Nissan GT-R squad Gainer has revealed a pair of refreshed line-ups following the departures of Kazuki Hoshino and Katsuyuki Hiranaka.
Hironobu Yasuda stays the lead driver of the #11 machine, and changing Hiranaka as his teammate is Keishi Ishikawa, who strikes throughout from the sister #10 Gainer automotive.
Main the line-up for the #10 machine shall be Ryuichiro Tomita, who returns to SUPER GT full-time after two seasons largely specializing in GT World Problem Europe having beforehand pushed for Gainer in 2015-17.
Becoming a member of Tomita shall be rookie Riki Okusa, a race winner within the System Regional Japanese sequence, whereas Yusuke Shiotsu was named as third driver.
Dunlop will once more provide tyres for each Gainer Nissans for a second season in succession.