Fuji Speedway

Fuji Speedway (富士スピードウェイ, Fuji Supīdowei) is a motorsport race track standing in the eastern foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Originally conceived as an American-style superspeedway, it was completed as a road course and opened in January 1966. In 1976, Fuji Speedway hosted the first-ever Formula One race in Japan. In the 1980s, the track was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. For decades, Fuji Speedway was owned by Mitsubishi Estate, until it was acquired by Toyota Motor in 2000. The circuit hosted the Formula One 2007 Japanese Grand Prix after an absence of nearly 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for races from 2009 onward. The Super GT Fuji 500 km race is held at the racetrack on Golden Week. Fuji Speedway has one of the longest straights in motorsport, at 1.475 km (0.917 mi) in length. The circuit has an FIA Grade 1 license at least until April 2026. History 1963–79: F1 launches in Japan The construction of Fuji Speedway was planned by the Japan NASCAR Company (日本ナスカー株式会社), which was established in December 1963. The company entered into an agreement with the NASCAR founder Bill France in January 1964, thereby securing the exclusive rights to host NASCAR-style automobile races within the Far East region. At the same time, it was agreed that a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) high-banked superspeedway would be constructed in Japan. Subsequently, Oyama-cho, located at the foot of Mount Fuji, was selected as the construction site. In July 1964, Charles Moneypenny, the designer of Daytona International Speedway, was invited to Japan to oversee the race track's design, but he soon found out that the proposed site was unsuitable for building a superspeedway due to the steep terrain. Moneypenny sought a consultant's help to rework the project, and retired F1 driver Stirling Moss was hired as a consultant. Inspecting the site in August 1964, Moss dismissed the idea of constructing a Daytona-style oval on such terrain as nonsense. Instead, he argued for a European-style road course and proposed various layouts for it. In January 1965, the management of the Japan NASCAR Company was overhauled as a result of funding problems. The new management immediately terminated their agreement with NASCAR, and changed the company's name to Fuji International Speedway Corporation. The project was restarted as a European-style road course, with a layout designed to reflect Moss' earlier suggestions. However, a part of the track retained the characteristics of the original superspeedway design: the 30-degree banked first turn. In October 1965, as construction was nearing completion, the project faced further management turmoil; consequently, Mitsubishi Estate stepped in and took over the reins of management. The construction of Fuji Speedway was completed in December 1965 and the circuit opened in January 1966. The track proved to be somewhat dangerous, with the wide banked turn regularly resulting in major accidents. Vic Elford said: "In 1969 I spent two months in Japan doing a test contract for Toyota and their Toyota 7 (5 litre V-8), which along with a big Nissan (6.3 litre V-12), was destined for CanAm. My last testing and then the subsequent Sports Car GP were at Fuji, but the track was run in a clockwise direction. The reason that banking was so horrific, was that at the end of the straight we went over a blind crest at around 190/200 mph and dropped into the banking. At other tracks (Daytona, Montlhéry, etc.) you climb up the banking. One of the results was that although there were many brave Japanese drivers there were not too many with great skill and the death toll from that one corner was horrendous. To such an extent that the big Gp 7 cars were then banned in Japan and thus, neither Nissan or Toyota ever made it to CanAm." In 1966 and 1967, the circuit hosted the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix as the final round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship. The 1966 race was run on the full track with the banking, which meant that the Honda works team did not take part due to safety reasons; the following year, the race was run on a shorter 4.3 km track without the banked section. In 1966, the track hosted a USAC Indy Car non-championship race won by Jackie Stewart. The track had a 24-hour race in 1967. After a fatal accident in 1974 on the Daiichi banking where drivers Hiroshi Kazato and Seiichi Suzuki were both killed in a fiery accident that injured 6 other people, a new part of track was built to counteract the problem, and the resultant 4.359 km (2.709 mi) course, which also eliminated 5 other fast corners, proved more successful. The speedway brought the first Formula One race to Japan at the end of the 1976 season. The race had a dramatic World Championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and in rainy conditions, Hunt earned enough points to win the title. Mario Andretti won the race, with Lauda withdrawing due to the dangerous conditions. In 1977, Gilles Villeneuve was involved in a crash that killed two spectators on the side of the track, leading to Formula One leaving the speedway. When Japan earned another race on the F1 schedule ten years later, it went to Suzuka instead. The Grand Prix returned to Fuji in 2007 following its renovation. 1980–2000: National racing venue Fuji remained a popular sports car racing venue; the FIA World Sportscar Championship visited the track between 1982 and 1988 and it was often used for national races. Speeds continued to be very high, and two chicanes were added to the track: one after the first hairpin corner, the second at the entry to the wide, fast final turn (300R). Even with these changes, the main feature of the track retained its approximately 1.5 km (0.93 mi) long straight, one of the longest in all of motorsports. The long pit straight has also been utilised for drag racing. NHRA exhibitions were run in 1989, and in 1993 Shirley Muldowney ran a 5.30 on the quarter-mile strip at Fuji. Local drag races are common on the circuit, at both 440 yd (402.336 m) & 1,000 ft (304.800 m) distances. The track continued to be used for Japanese national races. Plans to host a CART event in 1991 were abandoned due to conflicts with the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile. It was not until the autumn of 2000 that the majority interest in the track was bought by Toyota from Mitsubishi Estate as part of its motor racing plans for the future. On May 3, 1998, there was a multi-car crash during a parade lap before a JGTC race caused by the safety car slowing in torrential rain. Ferrari driver Tetsuya Ota suffered serious burns over his entire body after being trapped in his car for almost 90 seconds, and Porsche driver Tomohiko Sunako fractured his right leg. 2001–present: renovations In 2003, the circuit was closed down to accommodate a major reprofiling of the track, using a new design from Hermann Tilke. The track was reopened on April 10, 2005, and hosted its first Formula One championship event in 29 years on September 30, 2007. In circumstances similar to Fuji's first Grand Prix in 1976, the race was run in heavy rain and mist and the first 19 laps were run under the safety car, in a race won by Lewis Hamilton. The circuit has hosted the Nismo Festival for historic Nissan racers since refurbishment in 2003; the event previously took place at Okayama. When the festival returned in 2005, the organisers allowed circuit owner Toyota to bring in its Toyota 7 Can-Am racer to re-enact an old Japanese GP battle. Toyota also hosts its own historic event a week before the Nismo festival called the Toyota Motorsports Festival. Close to the circuit is a drifting course, which was built as part of the refurbishment under the supervision of "Drift King" Keiichi Tsuchiya and former works driver and Super GT team manager Masanori Sekiya. There is a Toyota Safety Education Center and a mini circuit. In addition to motorsports, Fuji also hosts the Udo Music Festival. The only time the circuit is run on a reverse direction is during the D1 Grand Prix round, as Keiichi Tsuchiya felt the new layout meant reduced entry speed, making it less suitable for drifting. The series has hosted its rounds since 2003; with the exception of the 2004 closure, the circuit became the first to take place on an international level racetrack and the first of the three to take place on an F1 circuit. The drift course starts from the 300R section and ends past the Coca-Cola corner. With the reprofiling, as cars no longer run downbank, entry speeds have since been reduced, the hill at the exit making acceleration difficult. As part of the 2003 renovations, most of the old banked section of track was demolished. Only a small section remains to this day. Fuji Speedway was announced to host the finish of the road cycling races at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics. 2007 and 2008 Japanese Grands Prix During the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, Fuji Speedway met with a lot of problems, including the paralysis of the transportation network provided by the shuttle buses, poor facilities including some reserved seats without a view, lack of organization, and expensive meals such as simple lunch boxes being sold for 10,000 yen (US$87) at the circuit. Newspaper accounts of the event also alleged problems with Toyota bias and control. The circuit prohibited spectators from setting up flags and banners to support teams and drivers, with the exception of the Toyota F1 team. Therefore, there were very few flags and banners in the event compared with other Grand Prix events. For the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix race, organizers responded to lessons learned the previous year by reducing the total number of spectators allowed at the event. Compared to 140,000 persons allowed for Sunday events in 2007, attendance was restricted to 110,000. Additionally, walkways and spectator facilities were improved, along with larger screens. However, the race was also affected by rainy weather, which has historically interfered in a number of past races at the circuit, and later in 2013, led to interference with a 6-hour endurance race at the track for the FIA World Endurance Championship. Following both poor ticket sales and weather, it was decided by FOM that the FIA Japanese Grand Prix would be shared between Fuji and Suzuka on alternate years, with Suzuka holding the next race on Sunday, October 4, 2009. After the Great Recession and its own operational deficit, Toyota discontinued the hosting of Japanese Grand Prix beginning in 2010. 2020 Summer Olympics During the 2020 Summer Olympics, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic were postponed to 2021, the speedway was a venue and finish for the cycling races: Men's individual road race: on 24 July 2021 Richard Carapaz (ECU) won the gold medal, Wout van Aert (BEL) silver and Tadej Pogačar (SLO) bronze. Women's individual road race: on 25 July 2021 Anna Kiesenhofer (AUT) won the gold medal, Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) silver and Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) bronze. Women's road time trial: on 28 July 2021 Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) won the gold medal, Marlen Reusser (SUI) won silver and Anna van der Breggen (NED) won bronze. Men's road time trial: on 28 July 2021 Primož Roglič (SLO) won the gold medal, Tom Dumoulin (NED) silver and Rohan Dennis (AUS) bronze. 2022: Fuji Motorsports Forest In April 2022, Toyota announced the construction of the "Fuji Motorsports Forest", which Toyota Fudosan, a real-estate company of Toyota Group, was pushing forward as the "Motorsports Village" project until then. The project precedes the completion of the Shin-Tōmei Expressway and smart interchange near the circuit. With the regional redevelopment plan centered on Fuji Speedway, the Fuji Speedway Hotel (operated by Hyatt) including the Fuji Motorsports Museum was built on the west side of the circuit and opened in October 2022. Events Current March: Super Formula Lights May: Super GT Fuji 500 km Race, F4 Japanese Championship, Kyojo Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia June: Super Taikyu Fuji 24 Hours, Ferrari Challenge Japan, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia July: GT World Challenge Asia, Super Formula Championship, Japan Cup Series, Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, Kyojo Cup August: Super GT, F4 Japanese Championship September: FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Fuji, Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, Formula Regional Japanese Championship, Kyojo Cup October: Super Formula Championship, Formula Regional Japanese Championship, Kyojo Cup November: Super Taikyu S-Tai Final, Kyojo Cup Former 2020 Summer Olympics Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics (2021) All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship (1983–1992) All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (1993–2003) Asian Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Fuji (2013–2018) Audi R8 LMS Cup (2015) Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific (2014–2019, 2022) Formula D (2015) Formula One Japanese Grand Prix (1976–1977, 2007–2008) Fuji Grand Champion Series (1971–1989) Fuji Long Distance Series (1977–1992) GC-21 (2002–2003, 2005–2006) Grand Prix motorcycle racing Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix (1966–1967) Japan Le Mans Challenge (2007) Japanese Touring Car Championship (1985–1998) TCR Japan Touring Car Series (2019–2023) World Sportscar Championship All Japan Fuji 1000 Kilometres (1982–1988) World Touring Car Championship Fuji InterTEC 500 (1987) Layout history Race lap records As of July 2026, the fastest official race lap records at the Fuji Speedway are listed as: Corners This is the official listing of the twelve corners that make up the current circuit layout, in use since 2005. Only some corners have Japanese names, most of which are a result of sponsorship agreements. The rest are named after the radius of the corner in metres. TGR Corner (27R) 75R Coca-Cola Corner (80R) Toyopet (100R) Advan Corner (30R) 120R 300R Dunlop Corner (15R) 30R 45R GR Supra Corner (25R) Panasonic Corner (12R) The Dunlop corner differs with the configuration used. In the full configuration, it consists of a tight right hairpin turn followed by a left-right flick. In the GT course, it is a medium-speed right-hander, bypassing turns 11 and 12. In media Video games The Fuji circuit is represented in the arcade racing game Pole Position and is one of the four selectable tracks in Pole Position II. The track's layout in both of these games is the 1975-1987 one, which was current as of the time of each game's release. Fuji is also featured in Project CARS 2, Top Gear, TOCA Race Driver, Gran Turismo 4: Prologue, Gran Turismo 4, Tourist Trophy, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Gran Turismo (PSP), Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport, and Gran Turismo 7. For F1 Challenge '99–'02, Grand Prix Legends, rFactor, GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game, GT Legends, Assoluto Racing, Race 07, the track is available as free downloadable content. The track is also available in Grid Legends and iRacing as paid downloadable content. Television The Fuji circuit is featured prominently in the Japanese television drama Engine as the main setting for the racing scenes, as well as the home of the (fictional) "Regulus Cup". The track was also featured in an episode of the 11th season of the British automotive show Top Gear, in which host Jeremy Clarkson drives a Nissan GT-R. Part of the Gaki no Tsukai 2013 New Year's Holiday No-Laughing Earth Defense Force punishment game was also shot at Fuji Speedway. The circuit was featured in the opening scene of tokusatsu series Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop. The anime Overtake! takes place at Fuji Speedway. Notes External links Fuji Speedway official website Fuji Speedway info from official F1 website Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info Archived January 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Google Map