GT500 and GT300 Qualifying Summary: Autopolis Round

Autopolis, Japan – For the first time this season, the Nissan Z NISMO GT500 will secure pole position for the Autopolis GT 3 Hours Race, marking an all-Nissan front row. The #3 Niterra Motul Z, driven by Daiki Sasaki and Atsushi Miyake, achieved pole with a time of 1:39.460. They were closely followed by the #23 Motul Autech Z, piloted by Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi.

Rain began to fall before Q1, impacting track conditions significantly. Riki Okusa, in the #64 Modulo Honda Civic Type R-GT, posted the fastest time in Q1 with 1:32.623—his first outing since a crash at Sportsland Sugo. However, Honda’s performance was tempered as the other four Civic entries failed to proceed to Q2, alongside the #39 Denso Kobelco SARD GR Supra.

In Q2, Nirei Fukuzumi emerged as a contender, initially setting a leading time in the #14 Eneos X Prime Toyota GR Supra at 1:39.853 before being overtaken by Chiyo. Sasaki’s final-sector performance allowed him to clinch the pole, marking Nissan’s first GT500 pole since last year’s Autopolis race.

GT500 Qualifying Results:

1. 3 Niterra Motul Z – Daiki Sasaki/Atsushi Miyake

2. 23 Motul Autech Z – Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi

3. 14 Eneos GR Supra – Nirei Fukuzumi/Kazuya Oshima

4. 38 KeePer Cerumo GR Supra – Hiroaki Ishiura/Toshiki Oyu

5. 12 TRS Impul Z – Kazuki Hiramine/Bertrand Baguette

In GT300, the #7 CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Zak O’Sullivan and Rikuto Kobayashi, secured pole position for the second consecutive race with a time of 1:43.496, showcasing dominant form throughout qualifying. O’Sullivan led Q1 ahead of the misfortuned #61 Subaru BRZ, which suffered an engine failure and will start 16th.

The #0 Venteny Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, initially leading in Q2, ultimately finished second as Kobayashi’s time surpassed expectations. The #2 Hyper Water INGING Toyota GR86 starts third, while championship leader #65 LEON Pyramid Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO will begin from fourth.

GT300 Qualifying Results:

1. 7 CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari – Zak O’Sullivan/Rikuto Kobayashi

2. 0 Venteny Lamborghini Huracán – Takashi Kogure

3. 2 Hyper Water INGING Toyota GR86 – Yuui Tsutsumi/Hibiki Taira/Kazuhisa Urabe

4. 65 LEON Pyramid Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO – Naoya Gamou/Togo Suganami/Haruki Kurosawa

5. 666 seven x seven Porsche 911 GT3 R – Harry King/Kiyoto Fujinami/Tsubasa Kondo

As teams prepare for tomorrow’s critical endurance race, the stakes are high for positions in the championship standings. The healthy competition across both classes promises an intense battle at Autopolis.