Quintarelli on NISMO Reshuffle: ‘It Was Time For Change’

Nissan SUPER GT star Ronnie Quintarelli admits that it was ‘time for a change’ in the lineup of the marque’s flagship NISMO car, but has expressed his excitement for teaming up with Katsumasa Chiyo for the new season.

Last month, Nissan announced that Chiyo would step up to lead the lineup for the No. 23 NISMO Z alongside Quintarelli after two seasons driving the No. 3 NDDP Racing car.

It ends the Italian driver’s long-standing multi title-winning partnership with Tsugio Matsuda, who will remain in the GT500 ranks with Kondo Racing.

Speaking to Sportscar365, Quintarelli said he has mixed feelings about the move, but added it didn’t come as a total surprise owing to Michelin’s decision to withdraw from SUPER GT’s top GT500 class and the two NISMO cars changing to Bridgestone tires.

“I expected some changes because of the move from Michelin to Bridgestone, and three cars [within Nissan] using Bridgestone,” Quintarelli said.

“It’s sad not to be together with Tsugio after 10 seasons together. Everything was ‘automatic’ between us. But Chiyo-san has been doing a good job in the last two seasons, and he has grown up a lot.

“For the future of NISMO, this was the time to make the change.

“What has surprised and impressed me about Chiyo-san, even if we were already working in neighboring garages and sharing a motorhome before, is his motivation.

“When Tsugio joined NISMO, I had more experience with Michelin tires, and with the engineer [Takeshi Nakajima] from our time together at MOLA, so I was leading the choices. But with Chiyo-san, he is leading the team.

“It’s a big chance for him and I think this is one of the reasons he is so motivated.”

Quintarelli added that he has had to adapt his way of working to suit Chiyo, who at 37 is seven years the junior of the four-time GT500 champion.

“His way of doing things is more modern,” said Quintarelli. “It’s a ‘digital’ style, more efficient, whereas I am more ‘analogue’!

“Of course, even if he is leading the team, it is still my role to tell him what I think and give my advice, but I think it’s also positive for me. I am learning things from him, and I am happy that I can focus more on my physical preparation. 

“I can’t completely change my way of doing things, but I still have my experience to offer. It’s a good combination – I can keep Chiyo-san calm, contain his excitement!”

In addition to a new driver, Quintarelli will work with a new chief engineer as Ken Kobori steps up to fill the role vacated by Takeshi Nakajima, having previously working alongside Chiyo as data engineer on the No. 3 NDDP car while also running the NISMO test car.

Nakajima had previously been performing the role of both chief engineer and team director since the death of Yutaka Suzuki, the previous NISMO team director, in late 2021.

“Kobori-san and Chiyo-san are communicating very well together,” said Quintarelli. “Of course I have a good relationship with Nakajima-san, and he is observing [on the engineering side], so it’s a nice combination.

“Since Suzuki-san passed away, Nakajima-san was too busy, but now he is more relaxed and he can do his job as the team boss. It’s very positive for the No. 23 car.”

Quintarelli “Starting From Zero” on Bridgestone Tires

Another significant change for Quintarelli for 2024 is that he will be using Bridgestone tires for the first time since 2010.

He sampled the Japanese rubber in a post-season test at Fuji Speedway in November before getting further mileage under his belt during last month’s Sepang pre-season running and then last week’s Okayama test.

Quintarelli described the casing as the biggest difference between the two tire manufacturers, and says that even after several days of running on Bridgestones he is still in the process of adjusting his way of driving.

“After 13 seasons on Michelins, I am starting from zero with Bridgestone,” he admitted. “Honestly, I am still adapting my style. 

“Sepang was hot, so it was not a problem to warm up the tires, but Okayama was very cold and closer to real race week conditions, and the Bridgestones warm up in a different way. It’s a big challenge for me to change something about my style. 

“With Michelin, I was ‘their’ driver. If I needed something, they found solutions for me. But Bridgestone supports many cars, so it’s more complicated. They can’t change something just for me.  

“The nice thing is that, even though I was Bridgestone’s ‘enemy’ before, when I drove with the tires for the first time, the engineers were very happy to see me and they were keen to hear my feedback. 

“I can see they are pleased when I give good feedback, and that is rewarding for me.”