The , more famously known as the , is a long
motorsport
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
race track located in Ino,
Suzuka City,
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
and operated by
Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of
Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000.
Introduction
Soichiro Honda decided to develop a new permanent circuit in Mie prefecture in the late 1950s. Designed as a
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
test track in 1962 by Dutchman
John "Hans" Hugenholtz, the most iconic feature of the track is its "figure eight" layout, with the long back straight passing over the front section by means of an
overpass. It is one of only two
FIA Grade 1 licensed tracks to have a "figure eight" layout, the other one being the
Fiorano Circuit.
The circuit has been modified at least eight times:
In 1983 a
chicane
A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
was inserted at the last curve to slow the cars into the pit straight; the original circuit was an incredibly fast track with only one slow corner; without the Casio chicane some cars would go through the final long right-hand corner flat out and then would go past the pits at more than . In 1984 the first part of Spoon was made slightly slower and the corner was brought closer to the track to expand run-off area there, and in 1985 the first corner was made slightly slower.
In 1987 the circuit was brought up to F1 and Grand Prix motorcycle standards for both Japanese Grand Prixs of their respective championships, the F1 Grand Prix being the first held at Suzuka. The Degner curve was made into two corners instead of one long curve, and more
crash barriers, more run-off areas were added, exposed vegetation was barricaded off and straw bales were removed (but still used for the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix).
In 2002, the chicane was slightly modified, 130R (marked as 15 on the diagram) was also modified and some of the snake curves were made a bit straighter and faster; additionally, the runoff area at the Dunlop Curve was doubled from 12 metres to 25 metres, and the corner itself was made slightly tighter.
In 2003, the chicane was made slightly faster and closer to the 130R.
Following the death of
Daijiro Kato at the
2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2003 Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 4–6 April 2003 at Suzuka. The meeting was overshadowed by the death of Daijiro Kato in the MotoGP race, after he crash ...
, Suzuka reconfigured the motorcycle variant of what is now known as the Hitachi Automotive Systems Chicane before the final turn, and added a second chicane, between the hairpin and 200R.
The circuit can be used in five configurations; the car full circuit, the motorcycle full circuit, the "Suzuka east," "Suzuka west car," and "Suzuka west motorcycle" configurations. The "east" portion of the course consists of the pit straight to the first half of the Dunlop curve (turn seven), before leading back to the pit straight via a tight right-hander. The "west" course is made up of the other part of the full circuit, including the crossover bridge; the straight leading to the overpass is used for the start/finish line and the grid. The chicane between the hairpin and 200R separates the west and full course sections between cars and motorcycles.
The Degner curve was named in honour of
Ernst Degner
Ernst Degner (born Ernst Eugen Wotzlawek on 22 September 1931 in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany - died 10 September 1983 in Arona, Tenerife, Spain) was a professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Eastern Germany. Degner was noted fo ...
after he crashed his factory Suzuki 50 there during Suzuka's inaugural All Japan Championship Road Race meeting on 3 November 1962.
The hairpin (turn 11) was coined 'Kobayashi Corner' after Japanese driver
Kamui Kobayashi
is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, an ...
passed five drivers with aggressive moves at the
2010 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the XXXVI Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 October 2010 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Mie, Japan. It was the 16th round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship and the 26th J ...
.
At the
2014 Japanese Grand Prix, F1 driver
Jules Bianchi suffered serious injuries after colliding with a recovery vehicle, and died in hospital as a result nine months later. In the wake of the accident, the ''Dunlop'' corner was slightly changed and revised in safety standards, and the organisers of the Japanese Grand Prix installed a large crane in place of the tractor that Bianchi hit.
Motorsport events
Suzuka, openly touted by F1 drivers and fans as one of the most enjoyed, is also one of the oldest remaining tracks of the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
World Championship, and has a long history of races as venue of the
Japanese Grand Prix since 1987. Its traditional role as one of the last Grands Prix of the season means numerous
world championships have been decided at the track. Four years consecutively in its early history the circuit saw the world championship decided. These include the 1988 championship, which went to
Ayrton Senna, the controversial 1989 championship, which went to
Alain Prost, and the 1990 and 1991 world championships, which both went to Senna.
Suzuka was dropped from the Formula One calendar for the and seasons in favour of the
Toyota-owned
Fuji Speedway, after the latter underwent a transformation and redesign by circuit designer
Hermann Tilke. Suzuka and Fuji were to alternate hosting the Japanese Grand Prix from 2009. However, after Fuji announced in July 2009 that it would no longer be part of the F1 calendar, Suzuka signed a deal to host the Japanese Grand Prix in , and .
The circuit closed for a year for renovations to make it F1-compliant for 2009, with the last major event held on November 18, 2007, although some annual events (for instance, the
Suzuka 8 Hours
The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. The race runs for eight hours consecutively and entrants are composed of two or more riders who alternate during pitstops.
History
The race began in 1978 as ...
and
Suzuka 1000km
The Suzuka Summer Endurance Race is an annual motorsport event for sports cars that has been held at the Suzuka International Racing Course, Mie Prefecture, Japan since 1966, and the oldest automobile endurance race in Japan. From 1966 to 201 ...
) were still held. The track held a re-opening day on April 12, 2009.
Suzuka also hosts other motorsport events including the Suzuka 1000 km endurance race. Previously a part of multiple
GT racing series including the now defunct
group C class of the
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, the Suzuka 1000 km as of 2006 is now a points round of the
Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...
Series, and is the only race of such length in that series. In
2010, the GT500 pole position time was 1:55.237. In
2007, the GT300 pole position time was 2:06.838.
Another major motorsport event is the Suzuka 8 Hours for motorcycles, which has been run since 1978. This event usually attracts big name riders and with the exception of 2005, due to the importance of the major manufacturers' involvement, the
FIM ensures that no motorcycle races clash on the date.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
organized the
NASCAR Thunder 100, a pair of exhibition 100-lap races on the east circuit, a layout which utilizes the pit straight and esses, before rejoining the main circuit near the Casio triangle. The cars were
Sprint Cup Series and
Camping World West Series
The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racin ...
cars and the field was by invitation for the two races, run after the 1996 and 1997 seasons. The 1996 event was marred by tragedy when during practice,
pace car driver
Elmo Langley
Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career.
Racing career
Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...
died of a heart attack in the
Chevrolet Corvette pace car at the esses during an evaluation run. The pole position speed was . During qualifying for the 1997 race, rain caused Goodyear to use
rain tires on Winston Cup cars for the first time in the modern era.
It was announced on June 21, 2010 that the east section of the Suzuka Circuit would host the Japan round of the
2011 WTCC season instead of the
Okayama International Circuit. At the
2012 event, the pole position time was 52.885 seconds, for an average speed of .
130R corner
Following two major accidents in 2002 and 2003, one of the main issues in safety has been at the corner 130R (marked 15 in the track map above). In 2002,
Toyota F1
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in Formula One in 1999, and after extensive testi ...
driver
Allan McNish suffered a high-speed crash through the bump, which sent him through a metal fence; he was not seriously injured.
Track officials revised the 130R, redesigning it as a double-apex section, one with an radius, and then a second featuring a radius, leading to a much closer Casio triangle (chicane), with the chicane becoming a "bus stop" type for motorcycles.
However, the problem continued for the new revised section. During the
2003 MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan, the track's first major event since the revisions,
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
rider
Daijiro Kato was killed when he crashed in the new section, on his way to the braking zone for the Casio triangle. MotoGP has not returned to Suzuka since the incident.
Track configurations
File:Suzuka 1962-1982.png, Original Grand Prix Circuit (1962–1982)
File:Suzuka circuit map (1987-2002).svg, Grand Prix Circuit (1987–2002)
File:Suzuka Circuit West Course.png, West Circuit (1987–present)
File:Suzuka East Circuit.png, East Circuit (1987–present)
File:Circuit Suzuka.png, Grand Prix Circuit (2003–2004)
File:Suzuka circuit map--2005.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (2003–present)
Events
; Current
* March:
Super Taikyu
Super Taikyu (スーパー耐久, ''Super Endurance''), formerly known as the Super N1 Taikyu Series prior to 2005 and N1 Endurance Series prior to 1995, and currently named the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Powered by Hankook for sponsorship reasons, ...
* April:
Super Formula Championship,
Super Formula Lights
* May:
Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...
,
F4 Japanese Championship,
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan
* July:
GT World Challenge Asia,
Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific, GT4 Asia Series
* August:
FIM Endurance World Championship ''
Suzuka 8 Hours
The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. The race runs for eight hours consecutively and entrants are composed of two or more riders who alternate during pitstops.
History
The race began in 1978 as ...
'',
Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...
,
F4 Japanese Championship,
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan
* October:
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
''
Japanese Grand Prix'',
Porsche Carrera Cup Japan,
Super Formula Championship,
TCR Japan Touring Car Series
* November:
MFJ Superbike ''MFJ Grand Prix'',
Super Taikyu
Super Taikyu (スーパー耐久, ''Super Endurance''), formerly known as the Super N1 Taikyu Series prior to 2005 and N1 Endurance Series prior to 1995, and currently named the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Powered by Hankook for sponsorship reasons, ...
* December:
Formula Regional Japanese Championship
; Former
*
Asia Road Racing Championship
The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (known as Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for sponsorship reason) is the regional motorcycle road racing championship for Asia, held since 1996.
This championship is part of the production-based ca ...
(2013–2019)
*
BPR Global GT Series ''
1000km of Suzuka'' (1994–1996)
*
F3 Asian Championship (2019)
*
FIA GT Championship (1997–1998)
*
Grand Prix motorcycle racing ''
Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix
The Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix (日本グランプリ) is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.
The main venue who held the races for years was the Suzuka Circuit, until it permanently was replaced b ...
'' (1987–1998, 2000–2003)
*
Intercontinental GT Challenge ''
Suzuka 10 Hours'' (2018–2019)
*
International Touring Car Championship (1996)
*
NASCAR Thunder Special Suzuka (1996–1997)
*
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and ...
(1989–1992)
*
World Touring Car Championship ''
FIA WTCC Race of Japan'' (2011–2014)
*
World Touring Car Cup
The FIA World Touring Car Cup (abbreviated to WTCR, referring to the use of TCR regulations) was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It ...
''
FIA WTCR Race of Japan'' (2018–2019)
Lap records
The official lap record for the current circuit layout is 1:30.983, set by Lewis Hamilton during the
2019 Japanese Grand Prix. Previously, the record was set in
2005 by Kimi Räikkönen with a time of 1:31.540 (albeit on a marginally longer, slightly different variation of the circuit). The unofficial all-time track record is 1:27.064, set by Sebastian Vettel during final qualifying for the aforementioned 2019 race.
The official fastest race lap records at the Suzuka Circuit are listed as:
In video games
Along with
Fuji Speedway, the Suzuka Circuit was one of the four tracks featured in the video game ''
Pole Position II
is the sequel to racing simulation game ''Pole Position'', released by Namco for arcades in 1983. As with its predecessor, Namco licensed this game to Atari, Inc. for US manufacture and distribution. Atari Corporation released a port as the pac ...
''. The track is referred to in the ''
Namco Museum'' versions of the game as the "Wonder Circuit" ("Orange Circuit" in ''Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade''), after Namco's "Wonder" series of amusement parks, despite its logo appearing on the starter's box since 1983.
The Suzuka Circuit is also featured in the ''
Final Lap
is a 1987 racing simulation video game developed and published by Namco. Atari Games published the game in the United States in 1988. It was the first game to run on Namco's then-new System 2 hardware and is a direct successor to Namco's ''P ...
'' series of games which first appeared in 1987. Another Namco racing game, ''
Suzuka 8 Hours
The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. The race runs for eight hours consecutively and entrants are composed of two or more riders who alternate during pitstops.
History
The race began in 1978 as ...
'', based on the
motorcycle race of the same name was released for arcades in 1992, followed by a port for the
Super NES in 1993. It can also be seen in arcade games and video games such as ''
Ferrari F355 Challenge'', ''
Super Monaco GP'', ''
Forza Motorsport 2
''Forza Motorsport 2'' is a 2007 simulation racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360 console. It is the second title in the ''Forza'' series, and is the sequel to the original ''Forza Motorsport'' (2005) and was followed by ...
'', ''
Forza Motorsport 3
''Forza Motorsport 3'' is a 2009 racing video game developed for Xbox 360 by Turn 10 Studios. It is the sequel to ''Forza Motorsport 2'' and the third installment in the ''Forza'' series. The game includes more than 400 customizable cars (more t ...
'', ''
Forza Motorsport 4
''Forza Motorsport 4'' is a 2011 racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the ''Forza'' series. It is the first title in the series to support the Kinect ...
'', ''
Forza Motorsport 7'', ''
Gran Turismo 4'', ''
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue'', ''
Gran Turismo for PlayStation Portable'', ''
Gran Turismo 5'', ''
Gran Turismo 6'', ''
Gran Turismo Sport'', ''
Gran Turismo 7
''Gran Turismo 7'' is a racing simulation video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the eighth mainline installment in the '' Gran Turismo'' series. The game was announced on June 11, ...
'', ''
RaceRoom'', ''
iRacing'', ''
R: Racing Evolution'', ''
Shift 2 Unleashed
''Shift 2: Unleashed'' (also known as ''Need for Speed: Shift 2 – Unleashed'') is a simcade
Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to acc ...
'', ''
Le Mans 24 Hours'', ''
The Cycles'', ''
MotoGP 3 of
PlayStation 2'', ''
MotoGP 4
''MotoGP 4'' (often stylized as ''MotoGP4'') is the fourth and last MotoGP game released on the PlayStation 2 published and developed by Namco.
Features
The game features are based on the 2004 MotoGP season. The game allows the player to race ...
'', ''Tourist Trophy (video game), Tourist Trophy'', ''Auto Modellista'', ''Racing Battle: C1 Grand Prix'', ''Real Racing 3'', and as the final race in Taito's racing game ''Continental Circus''. The east course was featured in ''NASCAR 98''. Suzuka's Ferris wheel was paid homage in the "Big Forest Track" in ''Virtua Racing''. A mod for ''Mario Kart Wii'', CTGP Revolution, exists that adds the track.
''Project CARS'' and ''Project CARS 2'' have a Japanese circuit inspired by Suzuka, called ''Sakitto Circuit''. Sakitto has numerous visual differences from the original Suzuka, including the change of position of the Ferris Wheel near to Degner curves, as well as the absence of the Casio triangle and the Hairpin, a very modified esses section, and a road pass through the real life location of the Ferris Wheel.
Deaths
See also
* Twin Ring Motegi, another Honda-owned race track and oval, host to the
FIM MotoGP Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix, Japanese Grand Prix
Notes
References
External links
Official websiteSuzuka Circuit History and StatisticsSuzuka Circuit on Google Maps (Current Formula 1 Tracks)Audio walkthrough of the track, for use with gamesBBC Sport Suzuka Circuit Guide
{{Authority control
Honda
Motorsport venues in Mie Prefecture
Formula One circuits, Suzuka
Grand Prix motorcycle circuits, Suzuka
Japanese Grand Prix
NASCAR tracks
World Touring Car Championship circuits
Sport in Suzuka, Mie
1962 establishments in Japan
Sports venues completed in 1962
sr:Сузука