Nissan Announces Quintarelli to Retire After Suzuka Finale

Ronnie Quintarelli will step down from his NISMO drive and retire from SUPER GT following next month’s Suzuka season finale, Nissan has announced.

Nissan revealed the news with a short press statement on Wednesday morning, bringing to a close a 17-year run for Quintarelli since his first season for Nissan back in 2008.

The four-time GT500 champion, 45, will make his final outing as part of the factory NISMO squad in the No. 23 Nissan Z he shares with teammate Katsumasa Chiyo in the postponed Suzuka 300km curtain-closer on Dec. 7-8.

“Deciding to end my activities in SUPER GT, which has been the center of my life for a long time, was a very difficult choice,” said Quintarelli. “However, I believe it is the right time to step back and let a new legacy begin.

“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me through both the most successfull and the toughest times.

“I am thankful to all the fans who have cheered for me, the many sponsors who supported me, the GT Association for providing me with a platform to compete, my teammates who fought alongside me, and Nissan/NISMO.

“Thanks to all of you, I have been able to live a dream-like life. I want to personally thank everyone at the NISMO Festival. Moreover, I will give my all behind the wheel of my dream car until the final corner of the last lap at the SUPER GT final race in Suzuka.”

Quintarelli first joined Nissan’s GT500 stable in 2008, spending two years at Hasemi Motorsport before moving across to Team Impul in 2010 and then the MOLA team in 2011, when he won his first title alongside Masataka Yanagida.

After he and Yanagida successfully defended their title in 2012, the pair were promoted to NISMO together in 2013, with Tsugio Matsuda replacing Yanagida as Quintarelli’s teammate the following season.

Quintarelli would win a further two titles alongside Matsuda in 2014-15, which remain the most recent triumphs for the works NISMO squad, with the pair continuing together in the No. 23 car until Matsuda was moved to Kondo Racing this year.

Speculation had been swirling around Quintarelli’s future amid a difficult season for the No. 23 car, which has coincided with NISMO switching to Bridgestone tires following the exit of Michelin from the top class of SUPER GT at the end of 2023.

He and Chiyo are no longer in title contention heading to Suzuka, with two second-place finishes at Fuji Speedway and Autopolis their best results of the campaign so far.

NMC President Takao Katagiri said: “We deeply appreciate Ronnie’s contributions to Nissan/NISMO over the past 17 years. Throughout our long relationship, I have always been amazed by his passion for racing and thorough preparations for each race.

“Serving as the driver of the car number 23 for 12 years requires inmeasurable effort. His unparalleled record of four series championship titles is etched not only in the history of Nissan/NISMO’s motorsport but also in the history of Japanese motorsport.

“The final race at Suzuka is a track where Ronnie has achieved numerous victories, so we will provide our full support.”

Quintarelli’s exit is likely to trigger a reshuffle of Nissan’s GT500 lineups for 2025.

With the marque unable to test prospective newcomers in its usual ‘audition’ test at Fuji owing to the postponement of August’s Suzuka race to December, Nissan is likely to promote from within to fill the vacancy in the No. 23 car.

Teppei Natori has been tipped to step up to the two-car NISMO squad after making his GT500 debut for Kondo Racing this year, scoring pole at Autopolis.

However, it remains to be seen whether this would be as a direct replacement for Quintarelli or whether he would be paired with Atsushi Miyake in the No. 3 car, with Mitsunori Takaboshi moving over to the No. 23 to partner Chiyo.

Chiyo and Takaboshi were previously teammates in the No. 3 NDDP-branded Nissan in 2022-23 and finished second overall in both seasons.

Should Natori step up to join NISMO, it could pave the way for Daiki Sasaki to be given a reprieve at Kondo Racing after he was demoted to the GT300 ranks this year.