Suzuka International Racing Course facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Suzuka International Racing Course

Location	Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Time zone	UTC+09:00
Coordinates	34°50′35″N 136°32′26″E / 34.84306°N 136.54056°E / 34.84306; 136.54056
Capacity	155,000
FIA Grade	1
Owner	Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Operator	Honda Mobilityland
Opened	September 1962
Architect	John Hugenholtz
Major events	Current: Formula One Japanese Grand Prix (1987–2006, 2009–2019, 2022–present) FIM EWC Suzuka 8 Hours (1978–2019, 2022–present) GT World Challenge Asia (2017–2019, 2022–present) Super GT (1993, 1995–present) Super Formula (1973–present) Former: Grand Prix motorcycle racing Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix (1987–1998, 2000–2003) WTCR Race of Japan (2011–2014, 2018–2019) Suzuka 10 Hours (1966–1973, 1980–2019) FIA GT (1997–1998) NASCAR Thunder Special Suzuka (1996–1997) World Sportscar Championship (1989–1992)
Grand Prix Circuit (2009–present)
Length	5.807 km (3.608 mi)
Turns	18
Race lap record	1:30.983 ( Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W10, 2019, F1)
Motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit (2004–present)
Length	5.821 km (3.617 mi)
Turns	17
Race lap record	2:06.805 ( Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2019, FIM EWC)
Grand Prix Circuit (2003–2008)
Length	5.821 km (3.608 mi)
Turns	18
Race lap record	1:31.540 ( Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren MP4/20, 2005, F1)
East Circuit (1983–present)
Length	2.243 km (1.394 mi)
Turns	7
Race lap record	0:48.245 ( Toshihiro Kaneishi, Dallara F399, 1999, F3)
West Circuit (2009–present)
Length	3.466 km (2.154 mi)
Turns	9
Motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit (2003)
Length	5.824 km (3.619 mi)
Turns	17
Race lap record	2:04.970 ( Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 2003, MotoGP)
Grand Prix Circuit (1987–2002)
Length	5.860 km (3.641 mi)
Turns	18
Race lap record	1:36.125 ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2002, 2002, F1)
West Shortcut Circuit (1987–2002)
Length	2.780 km (1.728 mi)
Turns	9
Race lap record	0:58.396 ( Toranosuke Takagi, Reynard 2KL, 2000, Formula Nippon)
Grand Prix Circuit (1983–1986)
Length	5.945 km (3.694 mi)
Turns	17
Race lap record	1:54.400 ( Stefan Johansson, March 842, 1984, F2)

The Suzuka International Racing Course (鈴鹿国際レーシングコース, Suzuka Kokusai Rēsingu Kōsu), often called the Suzuka Circuit (鈴鹿サーキット, Suzuka Sākitto), is a famous motorsport race track in Suzuka City, Japan. It is about 5.807 km (3.608 mi) long. The track is owned by Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and can hold 155,000 fans.

About Suzuka Circuit

The circuit, as it appeared in 2018

The Suzuka Circuit was built in 1962 by Honda as a test track. It was designed by a Dutch architect named John "Hans" Hugenholtz. One of the coolest things about Suzuka is its "figure eight" shape. This means part of the track goes over another part using a bridge!

It is one of only two race tracks with a "figure eight" layout that are approved for top-level racing by the FIA. The other one is the Fiorano Circuit.

Track Changes Over Time

The Suzuka Circuit has been updated many times to make it safer and better for racing.

• In 1983, a slow corner called a chicane was added at the end of the lap. This helped cars slow down before the main straight.
• Later, in 1987, the track was improved for Formula One and motorcycle Grand Prix races. More safety barriers and run-off areas were added.
• In 2002 and 2003, some parts of the track, like the 130R corner, were changed. These changes helped improve safety for drivers and riders.
• After a serious motorcycle accident in 2003, the track added another chicane for motorcycles. This made the course safer for bike races.
• The Dunlop corner was also changed after a serious accident in 2014. Organizers added a large crane to help with recovery, making the track safer.

Different Ways to Race

The Suzuka Circuit can be used in five different ways:

• The full circuit for cars.
• The full circuit for motorcycles.
• The "Suzuka east" course.
• The "Suzuka west car" course.
• The "Suzuka west motorcycle" course.

The "east" part uses the start/finish straight and some early turns. The "west" part includes the famous crossover bridge.

Famous Corners

Some corners at Suzuka have special names:

• The Degner curve is named after Ernst Degner. He crashed there in 1962 during one of the first races.
• The hairpin turn (turn 11) is sometimes called 'Kobayashi Corner'. This is because Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi made some amazing passes there in 2010.

Exciting Motorsport Events

Michael Schumacher's Ferrari 248 F1 being towed away after retiring from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix

Many Formula One drivers and fans love Suzuka. It is one of the oldest tracks still used for the Formula One World Championship. It has hosted the Japanese Grand Prix since 1987.

Because it's often one of the last races of the season, many world championships have been decided at Suzuka. For example, Ayrton Senna won his championships here in 1988, 1990, and 1991. Alain Prost also won his 1989 championship at Suzuka.

Suzuka took a break from Formula One in 2007 and 2008. It returned in 2009 and has been a regular host ever since. The track was closed for a year of renovations to meet F1 standards for 2009. It reopened on April 12, 2009.

A Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle at the Suzuka 300 km endurance race in 2010.

Besides Formula One, Suzuka hosts other big races:

• The Suzuka 1000 km endurance race for cars. This race is now part of the Super GT Series.
• The Suzuka 8 Hours for motorcycles. This is a very popular endurance race for bikes, held since 1978. Many famous motorcycle riders compete here.

Lewis Hamilton won the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Even NASCAR has raced at Suzuka! They held two special 100-lap races on the east circuit in 1996 and 1997.

The track also hosted the WTCC Japan round from 2011 to 2014.

Track Configurations

• 

  Original Grand Prix Circuit (1962–1982)

• 

  Grand Prix Circuit (1987–2002)

• 

  West Circuit (1987–present)

• 

  East Circuit (1987–present)

• 

  Grand Prix Circuit (2003–2004)

• 

  Grand Prix Circuit (2003–present)

Major Events Held at Suzuka

Current Events

• March: Super Taikyu (endurance racing)
• April: Super Formula Championship (top Japanese open-wheel racing), MFJ Superbike (motorcycle racing)
• May: Formula Regional Japanese Championship, TCR Japan Touring Car Series
• June: Super GT (sports car racing), F4 Japanese Championship
• July: GT World Challenge Asia Fanatec Japan Cup, Ferrari Challenge Japan, GT4 Asia Series, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Super Formula Lights
• August: FIM Endurance World Championship Suzuka 8 Hours (motorcycle endurance), Super GT, F4 Japanese Championship
• September: Formula One Japanese Grand Prix
• October: Super Formula Championship, MFJ Superbike MFJ Grand Prix, Super Taikyu

Former Events

• Asia Road Racing Championship (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 (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 (1989–1992)
• World Touring Car Championship FIA WTCC Race of Japan (2011–2014)
• World Touring Car Cup FIA WTCR Race of Japan (2018–2019)

Lap Records

The fastest official lap record for the current circuit layout is 1 minute, 30.983 seconds. This was set by Lewis Hamilton during the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.

Here are some of the fastest official race lap records at Suzuka Circuit:

Suzuka in Video Games

Layout of the fictional Sakitto Circuit, used in Project CARS to replace the Suzuka Circuit.

The Suzuka Circuit is very popular in video games!

• It was one of the tracks in the classic game Pole Position II.
• It also appears in the Final Lap series of games.
• A motorcycle racing game called Suzuka 8 Hours was made for arcades and the Super NES.
• You can race on Suzuka in many famous racing games like the Forza series, Gran Turismo series, iRacing, and Real Racing 3.
• The east course of Suzuka was even in NASCAR 98.
• The big Ferris wheel at Suzuka was honored in the "Big Forest Track" in Virtua Racing.

Some games, like Project CARS, have a track inspired by Suzuka called Sakitto Circuit. It looks similar but has some different turns and features.

See Also

In Spanish: Circuito de Suzuka para niños

• Twin Ring Motegi, another race track owned by Honda in Japan.