NISMO TV renews Super GT live coverage for 2018

On Friday, Nissan and NISMO announced the continuation of their international live streaming coverage of the 2018 Autobacs Super GT Series, which begins next weekend at the Okayama GT 300km Race on 8 April.

All eight races will be broadcast live on NISMO TV, Nissan and NISMO’s official YouTube channel, including the Fuji GT 500km Race, the Fuji 500 Mile Race, the Suzuka GT 300km Fan Festival and the season-ending Motegi GT Grand Final.

Super GT arrives in Gran Turismo Sport update

The Autobacs Super GT Series has been featured in Sony’s multi-million selling Gran Turismo franchise for two decades, with the exposure of their most popular cars owing to the growth in popularity in Super GT outside of Japan.

And for months since it was released, the latest installment of the series, Gran Turismo SPORT for the Playstation 4, has been beckoning for the return of contemporary GT500 cars that have been a staple of the franchise.

On Tuesday, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Polyphony Digital confirmed that the 2016 Lexus RC F GT500, the 2016 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500, and the 2016 Honda NSX Concept-GT will be added to the game for free as part of the Version 1.15 update which will be available starting tomorrow, 29 March 2018.

Nissan announces 2018 Super GT programmes

On Monday, Nissan and NISMO (Nissan Motorsports) announced their global motorsports plans for 2018, including their team and driver lineups for the 2018 Autobacs Super GT Series.

Nissan enters four Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500s, aiming to recapture the championships it won in 2014 and 2015. Nissan won five out of eight races in 2016 and missed the 2017 title by a mere 2 points. They will also enter GT300 with two newly evolved 2018-spec Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3s and two of the previous 2015-spec GT-R GT3s.

NDDP Racing and B-Max step up to GT500 with Motoyama & Chiyo

The complexion of Nissan and NISMO’s entry into the premier class of the Autobacs Super GT Series will be different in 2018, thanks to the arrival of NDDP Racing with B-Max, who will step up from the GT300 class to the GT500 class this season.

With legendary former driver and team director Masahiro Hasemi at the helm of the operation, the #3 Craftsports Motul Nissan GT-R will be a threat for the title as they take the place of past GT500 and GT300 champions MOLA International on the grid.

The team have also brought in MOLA’s two drivers over the previous two seasons: Three-time GT500 champion Satoshi Motoyama, and 2015 Blancpain GT Endurance Cup champion Katsumasa Chiyo, who are both ready to make a serious push for wins and podiums in 2018.