Coordinates: 34°50′35″N 136°32′26″E

Suzuka Circuit
The Suzuka International Racing Course[6] is a motorsport race track
Suzuka International Racing
located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by
Course
Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a
capacity of 155,000.

Contents
Introduction
Motorsport events
130R
In video games
Deaths
Location Suzuka, Mie Prefecture,
Japan
See also
References Time zone GMT +9

External links Coordinates 34°50′35″N 136°32′26″E

Capacity 155,000
Owner Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Introduction Operator Mobilityland Corporation
Soichiro Honda decided to develop a new permanent circuit in Mie prefecture Opened 1962
in the late 1950s. Designed as a Honda test track in 1962 by Dutchman John
Architect John Hugenholtz[1][2][3][4]
"Hans" Hugenholtz, Suzuka is one of few circuits in the world to have a
Major Japanese Grand Prix
"figure eight" layout, with the 1.2 km back straight passing over the front
events Suzuka 8 Hours
section by means of anoverpass.
WTCC
The circuit has been modified four times: Super GT
Super Formula
In 1983 a chicane was put at the last curve to slow the cars into the pit straight
MJF Superbike
and the Degner curve was made into two corners instead of one long curve;
D1 Grand Prix
the circuit was also made considerably safer by adding more crash barriers,
Super Taikyu
more run-off areas and removing straw bales leading into vegetation;
Grand Prix circuit (2003–)
In 2002, the chicane was slightly modified, 130R (marked as 15 on the Length 5.807 km (3.609 mi)
diagram) was also modified and some of the snake curves were made a bit
Turns 18
straighter and faster;
Race lap 1:31.540 ( Kimi
[7]
In 2003, the chicane was made slightly faster and closer to the 130R. record Räikkönen, McLaren,
2005)
Following the death of Daijiro Kato at the 2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand
Motorcycle Grand Prix circuit (2004–)
Prix, Suzuka reconfigured the motorcycle variant of what is now known as the
Hitachi Automotive Systems Chicane before the final turn, and added a second Length 5.821 km (3.617 mi)
chicane, between the hairpin and 200R.[8] Turns 17
Race lap 2:07.110[5] ( Kousuke
record Akiyoshi, F.C.C. TSR
The circuit can be used in five configurations; the car full circuit, the Honda CBR1000RR,
motorcycle full circuit, the "Suzuka east," "Suzuka west car," and "Suzuka 2009)
west motorcycle" configurations. The "east" portion of the course consists of East circuit
the pit straight to the first half of the Dunlop curve (turn seven), before leading
Length 2.243 km (1.394 mi)
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 Turns 7
leading to the overpass is used for the start/finish line and the grid. The Race lap 0:53.885 ( Alain Menu,
chicane between the hairpin and 200R separates the west and full course record Chevrolet, 2012)
sections between cars and motorcycles. West circuit

The Degner curve was named in honour of Ernst Degner after he crashed his Length 3.466 km (2.154 mi)
factory Suzuki 50 there during Suzuka's inaugural All Japan Championship Turns 9
Road Race meeting on 3 November 1962. Original circuit (1962–1982) (without
final chicane)
Motorsport events Length 6.004 km (3.728 mi)
Suzuka, openly touted by F1 drivers and fans as one of the most enjoyed, is Turns 17
also one of the oldest remaining tracks of the Formula One World Race lap 1:34.247 ( Aguri
Championship, and so has a long history of races as venue of the Japanese record Suzuki, Ralt Formula 3
Grand Prix. Its traditional role as one of the last Grands Prix of the season car, 1982)
means numerous world championships have been decided at the track.
Website www.suzukacircuit.com

Suzuka was dropped from the Formula One calendar for the 2007 and 2008 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 on July 2009 that it would no longer be part of the F1 calendar,[9][10]
Suzuka signed a deal to host the Japanese Grand Prix in2009, 2010 and 2011.[11]

The circuit closed for a year in order for the renovation to make it F1-compliant for
2009, with the last major event held on November 18, 2007,[12] although some
Michael Schumacher'sFerrari 248 annual events (for instance, theSuzuka 8 Hours and Suzuka 1000km) were still held.
F1 being towed away after retiring
The track held a re-opening day on April 12, 2009.
from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix
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
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 organized the NASCAR Thunder 100, a pair of exhibition 100-lap races on the east circuit, a 1.4 miles (2.3 km) 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 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 died of a heart attack in the Chevrolet Corvette
pace car at the esses during an evaluation run. The pole position speed was 83.079 miles per hour (133.703 km/h).[13] During
qualifying for the 1997 race, rain caused Goodyear to userain tires on Sprint 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.[14] At the 2012 event, the pole position time was 52.885
[15]
seconds, for an average speed of 94.875 miles per hour (152.687 km/h).

130R
Following two major accidents in 2002 and 2003, safety has been a concern at the
Lewis Hamilton won the 2014
circuit's 130R. In 2002, Toyota F1 driver Allan McNish suffered a high-speed crash
Japanese Grand Prix, a race marred
through the bump, which sent him through a metal fence; he was not seriously by the eventually fatal accident of
injured. Jules Bianchi.

Track officials revised the 130R,

redesigning it as a double-apex section, one with an 85 metres (279 ft) radius, and
then a second featuring a 340 metres (1,115 ft) radius, leading to a much closer
Casio triangle (chicane), with the chicane becoming a "bus stop" type for
motorcycles.

The Suzuka Circuit seen in 2006
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 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.

In video games
Along with Fuji Speedway, the Suzuka Circuit was one of the four tracks featured in
the video game Pole Position II. 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.

Suzuka 8 Hours was released for the Super NES in 1993; the motorcycle variant of
the race. The Suzuka Circuit is also featured in the Final Lap and the Ferrari F355
Challenge arcade games and video games such as Super Monaco GP, Forza Yamaha YZF-R1 of Team Etching
Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Forza Motorsport 7, Gran Factory at the qualifying session of
the Suzuka 300 km endurance race
Turismo 4, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Gran Turismo for PlayStation Portable, Gran
(2010).
Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport, RaceRoom, iRacing , R: Racing
Evolution, Shift 2 Unleashed, Le Mans 24 Hours, The Cycles, MotoGP 3 of Play
Station 2, MotoGP 4, 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.

Project CARS and Project CARS 2 have a Japanese circuit inspired in Suzuka, called Sakitto Circuit. Sakitto has a lot of visual
differences from the original Suzuka, including the change of position of the Ferris Wheel near to Degner curves, the absence Casio
triangle, the Hairpin, a very modified esses section, a conversion to street circuit theme and has a layout of road pass through where
originally Ferris Wheel located.

Deaths
See also
Twin Ring Motegi, a Honda owned race track and oval, host to theFIM
MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix

References
1. "日本GPプレビュー (2006 Japanese Grand Prix preview)"(http://www.h
onda.co.jp/F1/race2006/rd17/preview/). Honda. Motor Co., Ltd.(in
Japanese). Honda. Motor Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Layout of the Fictional Sakitto Circuit,
2. "マイ・ワンダフルサーキット第28回 (My Wonderful Circuit 28)" (http:// used in Project CARS to replace the
www.honda.co.jp/riki-san/talk28/). Hiroaki Iemura (in Japanese). Honda. Suzuka Circuit. Notice the absence
Motor Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2016-04-16. of the hairpin, the Casio triangle, the
modified esses section and a road
3. "マイ・ワンダフルサーキットII 第5回 (My Wonderful Circuit II 5)" (htt
pass through replacing with Ferris
p://www.f1-stinger.com/special/mwc/chapter02/talk05/). Hiroaki Iemura
Wheel location.
(in Japanese). Stinger. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
4. "マイ・ワンダフルサーキットII 第6回 (My Wonderful Circuit II 6)" (htt
p://www.f1-stinger.com/special/mwc/chapter02/talk06/). Hiroaki Iemura
(in Japanese). Stinger. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
5. "2009 All-Japan Road Race Championship, Round 2"(https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20090502215014/http://www.motoracing-japan.com/result/jrr/
2009/09r02.html). motoracing-japan.com. Moto Racing Japan. Archived
from the original (http://www.motoracing-japan.com/result/jrr/2009/09r02.
html) on 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
6. "Japan" (https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championshi
p/races/2016/Japan.html). formula1.com. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
7. "Suzuka: new chicane and 130R"(https://web.archive.org/web/2011031
7034906/http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/News/stories/news_id091.html).
etracksonline.co.uk. e-Tracks. 2 February 2003. Archived fromthe
original (http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/News/stories/news_id091.html)
on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
8. "Suzuka Begins Latest Phase of Modifications"(http://www.motogp.com/
en/news/2004/02/02/suzuka-begins-latest-phase-of-modifications/13577
4). motogp.com. Dorna. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
9. "The Official Formula 1 Website" (http://www.formula1.com/news/headlin
es/2007/9/6729.html). Formula1.com. 2007-09-08. Retrieved
2012-10-06.
10. "Fuji gives up F1 race" (http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/215444/fuji-
gives-up-f1-race/). GPUpdate.net. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 1 February
2011.
11. "Suzuka to keep race until 2011"(http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2
18144/suzuka-to-keep-race-until-2011/). GPUpdate.net. 24 August
2009. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
12. Bradley, Charles (ed.) (August 2007). "Suzuka to close for a year".
Autosport. 189 (6): 11.
13. "1996 NASCAR Suzuka Thunder Special - Racing-Reference.info"(htt
p://racing-reference.info/race/1996-01/X). racing-reference.info.
Retrieved 29 June 2016.
14. "FIA WTCC TO RACE AT SUZUKA IN 2011" (http://www.fiawtcc.com/R
ead_News.asp?idnews=585). fiawtcc.com. 2010-06-21. Retrieved
2010-07-20.
15. Mills, Peter (20 October 2012)."Alain Menu claims pole as Chevrolet
seals title" (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103573).
Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 20 October 2012.

External links
Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka track map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info
Suzuka at the Formula 1 site
Suzuka Circuit History and Statistics
Suzuka Circuit on Google Maps (Current Formula 1 rTacks)
Audio walkthrough of the track, for use with games
BBC Sport Suzuka Circuit Guide

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