Japanese car adapted for racing
The Nissan GT-R upheld its predecessor's exceptional pedigree in motorsports, competing across a range of racing disciplines and attaining success. Notable motorsport achievements came through from its participation in sports car racing, including championship triumphs in the approvingly competitive FIA GT1 World Championship, GT World Challenge and in the Super GT series. As well as in endurance races, consistently vying at the top in the Bathurst 12 Hour, Nürburgring 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours among others. The car was used as official safety cars in numerous motorsport events, such as in the Super GT series, FIA GT1 World Championship, British Superbike Championship, and in the Supercars Championship as well.
Super GT.
GT500.
Nismo, the motorsport division of Nissan, participated with the GT-R Nismo GT500 in the Super GT series for the first time in 2008, replacing the 350Z GT. The GT500 version of the car featured a completely different drivetrain compared to the production car. It featured the "VK45DE" 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, replacing the "VR38DETT" engine. It used a 6-speed sequential manual gearbox and a rear-wheel-drive layout derived from its predecessor. A prototype was spotted testing around the Suzuka Circuit, as well as at the Fuji Speedway in Japan. It went onto win the opening round of its debut season, at Suzuka scoring a 1–2 finish for Nissan. In the following race, repeated its 1–2 result, won the drivers' championship in its debut season, through team Xanavi, and drivers Satoshi Motoyama and Benoît Tréluyer, although they only managed to finish third in the teams' championship. The car's dominant debut season saw it winning 7 out of 9 races and 10 podium finishes with four different teams.
Due to engine reliability issues, the car only managed to achieve 4 victories and 8 podium finishes in 2009, reigning champions won 2 races and 3 podium finishes to end up 3rd in the championship standings. In 2010, the "VK45DE" engine was replaced by the exclusively developed "VRH34A" 3.4-litre engine. The season was not that successful, as the car only managed to win 2 races and 4 podium finishes. Team Impul finished 5th in standings. In 2011 and 2012, Team Mola with drivers Ronnie Quintarelli and Masataka Yanagida won back-to-back championships in both teams' and drivers' classifications. During the two dominant seasons, the car won 8 out of 16 races and achieved 19 podium finishes with three different teams. In addition, it also won the JAF Grand Prix in 2011, Quintarelli won the first race, starting from pole position, while Yanagida finished 2nd to score a podium finish with the fastest lap in the second race. Quintarelli again won the first race in the 2012 round, starting from 10th on the grid. Team Impul GT-R Nismo GT500 set the fastest lap. In the 2013 Super GT season, it only managed to score a race win and 4 podium finishes, Team Nismo finished 6th in standings. In the last ever JAF Grand Prix, team Impul scored a podium finish in the second race, finishing the race in 3rd position, starting from 7th on the grid.
In 2014, Super GT regulations were aligned with those of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and so the V8 engine was replaced by the "NR20A" 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. The car took the most out of the regulation overhaul, it repeatedly won both 2014 and 2015 championships with Team Nismo drivers, Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda. It won 7 races and 21 podium finishes during both seasons. In 2016, reigning champions ended up 3rd in standings, the car scored 5 race wins, 2 pole positions and 7 podium finishes with four different teams during the season. Although the team scored a race win, a pole position and 3 podium finishes, both Nismo drivers missed out in the championship by 2 points in 2017. Combined with other teams' results, the car ended the season with a race win, 2 pole positions, and 4 podium finishes.
Regulation changes in 2018 saw the beginning of an unsuccessful era for the GT-R Nismo GT500, as it only managed to achieve a race win, a pole position, and 2 podium finishes. End of the season, Team Nismo were a disappointing 8th in championship standings. The 2019 season saw improvements, attaining a race win, 3 pole positions, 2 fastest laps and 6 podium finishes during the season. Team Nismo finished 3rd in standings, 32.5 points behind the championship winners. In 2020, Team Nismo fell back to 5th in standings, as the car only scored 2 race wins, a fastest lap, and 3 podium finishes. Scoring 2 race wins and 6 podium finishes during the 2021 season, it was announced that the GT-R Nismo GT500 will be retired by the end of the season. Including its 5 drivers' and 4 teams' championships, the GT-R Nismo GT500 has the most race wins for a GT500 car, a record 41 race wins (including 2 Suzuka 10 Hours wins) and 89 podium finishes from 113 race starts, making it one of the most successful GT500 race cars of all time. The car was replaced by the Nissan Z GT500 for the 2022 season, after the model's 15-years of absence.
GT300.
The GT-R Nismo GT3 made its Super GT debut in 2012 at the Okayama International Circuit, with drivers Katsumasa Chiyo and Yuhi Sekiguchi. The car won its first race in the fourth round of the season at Sportsland Sugo, and also scored a podium finish in the following round at Suzuka. It was 4th in the final standings. A couple of difficult seasons followed, in 2013 the car failed to score a single podium finish, in 2014 it only managed to win a race. But in the 2013 JAF Grand Prix, team NDDP Racing, with driver Daiki Sasaki won the first race, starting from pole position. In the second race, the car only managed to finish 7th, and ended up being the runner-up of the 2013 JAF Grand Prix. It set the fastest laps in both races, as Nismo Athlete Global Team and NDDP Racing set the fastest laps of the first and second races respectively. The car bounced back in the 2015 season, team Gainer No.10 car, driven by André Couto won the championship, scoring 2 race wins and 4 podium finishes. Including the results of team NDDP Racing, the car finished the season with a total of 4 race wins and 7 podium finishes.
In 2016, the reigning champions only managed to achieve a podium finish at the Suzuka 10 Hour round. NDDP Racing finished the season 4th in standings, scored a race win, and 2 podium finishes during the season. In 2017, neither teams were able to score at least a podium finish. In 2018, Gainer participated with two upgraded GT-R Nismo GT3 race cars, No.10 car finished 5th in standings with a race win and two podium finishes, while the other car only managed to score a podium finish. In 2019, Gainer No.11 car won 2 races to finish 3rd in standings. No.10 car also won a race, and Kondo Racing scored a pole position and a podium finish. Kondo Racing with the GT-R Nismo GT3 Evo won the championship in 2020, with drivers Kiyoto Fujinami and João Paulo de Oliveira, they won 2 races and 3 podium finishes. No.11 car achieved a race win and 2 podium finishes, while Tomei Sports managed to score a pole position and a podium finish as well. Reigning champions returned to defend their title in 2021, but was unsuccessful as they finished the season 2nd in standings, with a race win and 3 podium finishes. No.11 car set a fastest lap, a podium finish, and two pole positions during the season.
Fujinami and Oliveira again won the championship in 2022, with a race win and two podium finishes. It was the 3rd Super GT GT300 championship win for the car. Gainer No.10 car also won a race win, a pole position, and 3 podium finishes, while the No.11 car achieved 2 podium finishes. For the first time, a third different team, Busou Drago Corse scored a podium finish at the Fuji GT 450 km race. Reigning champions Kondo Racing, along with teams NILZZ Racing, Tomei Sport and Gainer returned for the 2023 season. Fujinami was replaced by Teppei Natori. Kondo Racing won the second race of the season at Fuji, starting from pole position. Gainer No.11 car won the fourth round again at Fuji. Despite involving in unfortunate incidents, Kondo Racing could only manage to score a single point during both Suzuka and Sugo races, causing threats to their crucial title challenge. In the penultimate round, starting from a disappointing 17th on the grid, the team could only manage to finish 5th in the race. It mathematically eliminated them from the championship battle. The car finished 3rd in standings with 2 race wins, 1 pole position and 2 podium finishes.
FIA GT1 World Championship.
On February 27, 2009, Nismo announced a partnership with British racing team, Gigawave Motorsports to participate in the top tier GT/sports car racing series at the time, the FIA GT1 World Championship. In 2009, the GT-R GT1 was built exclusively for the series, it featured the "VK56DE", ( naturally aspirated V8 engine, powering the rear wheels through a Ricardo sequential transmission. The ambition was to fine-tune the performance of the car and to be able to provide customer cars for future customer teams in the upcoming seasons. Nismo driver Michael Krumm and Gigawave driver Darren Turner recruited by the team, former Formula One driver, Anthony Davidson also joined them for the 24 Hours of Spa race, where the car scored an in class podium finish, finishing the race in 3rd position, starting from 8th on the grid. The car was not eligible for championship points, as it was concerned as a factory team.
In 2010, team Sumo Power GT participated with two cars and drivers, Krumm, Peter Dumbreck, Jamie Campbell-Walter and Warren Hughes. Swiss Racing Team also with two cars and drivers, former Formula One driver Karl Wendlinger, Henri Moser, Max Nilsson and Seiji Ara. The car made its official FIA GT1 World Championship debut in the Abu Dhabi. In the following round, it scored its first race win, Sumo Power GT No.22 car driven by Walter and Hughes secured their qualifying position during the qualifying race and went on to win the championship race by just over two seconds. In the following round at Brno, the No.23 car finished both races in 3rd position to score double podium finishes during the race weekend. Sumo Power GT continued their podium streak into the next round as well, No.22 car finished 3rd in the qualifying race, starting from 5th on the grid and the No.23 car finished 2nd in the championship race. The next major achievement was followed during the seventh round of the season, as the No.23 car with drivers Krumm and Dumbreck won the qualifying race. In the next round at Navarra, the No.22 car again scored a podium finish, finishing 3rd in the championship race, starting from 5th on the grid. The car scored its last podium finish of the season at Interlagos, No.23 car finished the qualifying race in 2nd position, starting from 6th on the grid. End of the season, the No.23 car was 9th in the driver's championship and Sumo Power GT were 6th in the team's championship. The Swiss Racing Team were not that competitive, finishing 10th in the final standings after barely managing to score points during the second, third, and sixth rounds of the season. Although it was the debut season for the car, it finished its competitive outing with 2 race wins and 8 podium finishes.
The 2011 season saw the Swiss Racing Team switching to Lamborghini Murciélago LP670 R-SV race cars, leaving Sumo Power GT running four GT-R GT1 race cars, two under the same team with drivers, Walter, Hughes, Enrique Bernoldi, Ricardo Zonta, Nicky Catsburg and former Formula One driver David Brabham. Two under the sister team JR Motorsports with drivers, Krumm, Dumbreck, Richard Westbrook and Lucas Luhr. In the opening round, JR Motorsports scored a double-podium finish in the qualifying race, No.22 and No.23 cars finished the race 2nd and 3rd respectively. No.22 car maintained 2nd position to score another podium finish in the championship race. The car dominated the third round