The 20th NISMO FESTIVAL was held on November 26th (Sun) at Fuji Speedway. This being the 20th anniversary, the machine lineup was centered around successive generations of the GT-R and was attended by special guests that included Kunimitsu Takahashi, Keiichi Tsuchiya, Erik Comas and Osamu Hagiwara. It was also a day that enabled all those who attended to fully experience the NISMO brand through the exhibition of NISMO road cars, the establishment of a NISMO heritage special booth, and so on.

The opening ceremony was held from 8:30 with currently competing drivers, team principals and other guests appearing on the main stage. NISMO corporate vice president and Nissan Teams Executive Director, Toshikazu Tanaka started the festival with a greeting stating, “This is a very special NISMO FESTIVAL as we are celebrating its 20th anniversary. All the drivers, team principals and employees have come out and put their full efforts into the event so please enjoy.”

The NISMO CARS parade, that saw 150 vehicles that included NISMO road cars and successive generations of NISMO complete cars run on the track, began from 9:00am. This was followed by the racing car ride runs / circuit safari and the roaring exhaust sounds from these racing machines instantly brought the level of excitement up a notch. Then there was the Z-Challenge exhibition race and the NISSAN Historic Car Exhibition Race, where cars such as the TS Sunny and Hakosuka GT-R ran. Not to be outdone by the classic cars, the NISMO GP 2017, where this year's SUPER GT GT500, GT300, Blancpain GT, Super Taikyu competing vehicles did battle and had the audience on the edge of their seats. The NISMO team proved to be the fastest in the GT500 pit work competition and the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R also took race victory. The crowd pleasing battle also saw the RUNUP GT-R take the honors among the GT3 cars, while the Super Taikyu victory was the SKT team motoyama Z34. As the old and new Nissan/NISMO racers ran on the track, both fans who watched them back in the day, as well as new fans, enjoyed the spectacle to their heart's content.

Similar to previous year there were many events organized for kids. In order for the kids, who will be hailing in a new generation of motorsports, to fully experience the race atmosphere, they were given the opportunity to introduce drivers and ask them questions. A few lucky young ones also had the chance to pass a bouquet of flowers to a champion driver and special guests during the finale. Every participant was clearly thrilled, if not a little nervous, with this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The shop village located in the paddock event area, which centers around old car shops, was brought back for this event. The NISMO Heritage Special Booth, that had only been announced very recently, saw numerous fans visit and one could see their eyes open wide at the sight of R32 GT-R parts and white body panels.

From early in the morning in the stand event area, there were long queues of people trying to find a bargain jewel amongst the limited-edition minicars and NISMO COLLECTION sales, the garage sales, NISMO parts sales, and others. With so much to be experienced, including the NISMO road car exhibition, NISSAN and NISMO performance center booths, electric kids cart experience, race car family rides and pit work simulations, there was never a dull moment for the fans who turned out. In addition, there were drivers' talk shows, autograph sessions, high-five sessions, race queen shows and so on held one after another on the stage and this enlivened the venue.

The main event, the RACING GT-R HERITAGE RUN was held not long after the clock showed 2:00pm. In order to reproduce the atmosphere of their heyday, the cars were driven by drivers sporting the racing suits that they wore back in their day. Initially the cars, which included the GT spec R33 to R35 GT-Rs, the GT1 and GT3 spec R35 GT-Rs, the R33 GT-R LM (that competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans), the Group-A R32 GT-R, the Hakosuka GT-R that shined during the early days of Japanese motorsports, and the Maboroshi “Kenmeri” GT-R, ran on the track in small groups. Then all 16 cars ran together on the track as the event headed towards its finale.

For the finale, this year's drivers and team principles gathered on the main straight. Then bouquets were presented to All Japan F3 champion, Mitsunori Takaboshi and special guests, Takahashi, Tsuchiya, Comas and Hagiwara. NISMO President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Takao Katagiri stated to the fans gathered in the stands. “We are very thankful for your passionate support throughout the season. Although we missed the Super GT championship by a mere two points, our victory at the final round gave us a clear direction for what should be done over the winter for the next season. We will use the disappointment of this year to spur us on to achieve elation in the next.” said Katagiri. “As a new challenge, Nissan and NISMO will compete in the all-electric FIA Formula E championship which starts in December next year. We would appreciate your continuous and passionate support for our racing activities in 2018 and will look forward to seeing you all again to celebrate our victories.” Then, with the Nissan cheer squad yelling “GO! GO! NISSAN!” the 20th anniversary event was brought to a close.