2023 Nissan Z GT500 #23 (SGT)

Mini GT 1/64
Mini GT No. 756

Car: Nissan Z GT500 #23
Series: 2023 Super GT Series
Class: GT500
Team: NISMO
Drivers: Tsugio Matsuda, Ronnie Quintarelli
Result: 3rd in Drivers Standings

I believe this is the first release of the Mini GT Nissan Z GT500 casting. This one depicts the No. 23 NISMO entry from the 2023 season. The season started perfectly for the team as they won the season opening race in Okayama. Unfortunately, a series of pretty poor finishes followed. In the 2nd Suzuka race of the season, the NISMO team initially finished 2nd. However, they were disqualified after a post-race inspection found the team in violation of something related to the skid blocks. This was really unfortunate for the No. 23 squad as they would have closed the gap to the points leaders had they finished 2nd. The team would finish 2nd twice in the last 3 races of the season but that would only good enough for 3rd in the championship as their fellow Nissan entry in the No. 3 NDDP Racing team would finish 2nd, 7 points above them while the championship winning No. 36 TOM'S team ended up winning the last 2 races of the season, giving them a margin of more than 20 points to 2nd place in the final standings. The 2023 season would end up being the last season in the NISMO squad for Tsugio Matsuda as he was replaced in the 2024 season by Katsumasa Chiyo from the No. 3 entry. He would eventually move to the No. 24 Kondo Racing entry for the 2024 season. Ronnie Quintarelli meanwhile has just recently announced his upcoming retirement from Super GT so for 2025, it would be the first time that the NISMO team would not have either Tsugio Matsuda or Ronnie Quintarelli in the car since 2013 I believe.