Nissan suggests NDDP moniker not suited to drivers

Chiyo and Takaboshi formed a partnership at NDDP (Nissan Driver Development Programme) where they graduated from. This union occurred in 2022, just as NISMO took over the operation of the #3 car from B-Max Racing.

In their first season, they vied for the title but narrowly missed out in the Motegi finale to Impul Nissan pair Bertrand Baguette and Kazuki Hiramine. In the following season, they were again in contention for the championship until the last race of the season.

Ultimately, Chiyo and Takaboshi took the runner-up spot in the standings for the second time, one place ahead of #23 NISMO pair Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda.

Nissan SUPER GT executive director Motohiru Matsumura reflected on their performance, expressing doubts about having two experienced drivers in a car carrying the NDDP moniker. However, he refrained from confirming a change in the line-up for the 2024 season.

“Both Chiyo and Takaboshi have grown very well and are performing very stably. Unfortunately last year a crash and penalty cost them the championship, but also they were ranked first [heading into the final race]. That’s why the name NDDP [is problematic]… they are no longer development drivers, so the team shouldn’t have the name ‘development’ in, but we still have this,” said Matsumura when speaking to Motorsport.com.

“In the future, they should step up and then young talent should be invited to this car. But we have to make this step up gradually. Sacrificing the opportunity to win races is not our intention.”

Nissan’s defending champions Baguette and Hiramine ended up fifth in the standings after a tough season that yielded no wins and only a single trip to the podium.

The Impul duo struggled in qualifying, finding themselves in Q1 once the entire season, and recording the worst average grid position in the GT500 field.

Matsumura opined that Baguette and Hiramine could take lessons from Chiyo and Takaboshi, who secured a commanding pole in the final race at Motegi.

“My understanding last year was that the performance between Impul and the #3 car was not so much, but they had some luck with the tail-to-win at Suzuka, and this year they didn’t have this kind of luck. In the races themselves they have been strong, but they need to make a step in qualifying, I think, on how to use the tyre performance for one lap and matching to the temperature, and the warm-up. The #3 drivers’ level of concentration is a bit stronger, in terms of tyre warm-up,” he explained when asked about Impul’s title defense.