Go World’s Fastest – Spend a Racing Weekend at Suzuka! | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

Go World’s Fastest – Spend a Racing Weekend at Suzuka!

By Alice Jun 6, 2018

This post is also available in: Italian

Are you a fan of car racing? Do you like the roaring sound of engines? Here, in Japan, you have the opportunity to watch the world famous F1 racing on spot!

The 2018 F1 Japanese Grand Prix will be held during October 5 to 7 at the Suzuka Circuit. This year, the Suzuka Circuit will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Grand Prix. Special demonstration run will be held by the cars and guests who have raced in Suzuka’s Japanese Grand Prix on October 6. The first Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka was held in 1987.

The Suzuka Circuit is the first full-scale international motorsport race track in Japan. It is famous for its shape of “eight,” which is rarely seen in the F1 races. The circuit offers a lot of overtaking opportunities, making it a challenging and exciting track loved by many drivers and fans. The circuit has witnessed many fantastic races in the F1 history.

Last year, around 68,000 fans came to the Suzuka Circuit to watch the Japanese Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes kept his leading position throughout the whole race and finally achieved his third win at Suzuka.

 

How can you get to the Suzuka Circuit?

It is not convenient to come to the racetrack. The closest station to the Suzuka Circuit is the Shiroko Station. You can either take Kintetsu Nagoya Line from the Kintetsu Nagoya Station or Kintetsu Osaka Line from the Osaka Namba Station. The express train from Nagoya take about 40 minutes, while the express train from Osaka needs one more hour. After arriving at the Shiroko Station, you can take a route bus which will send you directly to the circuit in about 20 minutes.

But do not worry too much about it. Just follow other people after you get out of the Shiroko Station. During the racing days, most of the visitors will head to the racetrack as well.

 

How can you buy the race tickets?

The race tickets have already started selling online. Please check the official website for the ticket information (http://www.suzukacircuit.jp/f1_en/ticket/ticket-prices/). In order to celebrate the 30thanniversary, the Suzuka Circuit offers special price to high school and university students between age 16 to 22. They can enjoy watching the race with a nice view by only paying JPY 10,000. There is also a special ticket offer for kids from 3 to 15. They can enjoy the race at JPY 3,000.

 

What can you enjoy at Suzuka?

There is an amusement park named “Motopia” next to the Suzuka Circuit. For motor sports lovers, it is a great place to visit. You will have wonderful driving experience on different type of tracks. There are also several souvenir shops inside the park. You can buy original goods on motor sports and special local produce as gifts.

For upper level of motor sports fans, the motorcycle and automobile school and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School are waiting for you to ride for fun. Maybe you will become the next F1 driver!

 

Tips for the race

  1. Book your accommodation in advance, otherwise you maybe need to bring your sleeping bag!
  2. Check the weather report before departure. Raincoats will be your great helper in bad weather days!
  3. Prepare earplugs if you are not able to endure the engines’ noisy sound.

 

Alice Shen

China