Suzuka
Soichiro Honda decided to
develop a new permanent circuit in Mie prefecture in the late 1950s. Designed
as a Honda test track in 1962 by Dutchman John "Hans"
Hugenholtz, Suzuka is one of few circuits in the world to have a "figure
eight" layout, with the 1.2 km back straight passing over the front
section by means of an overpass.
The circuit has been modified four
times:
In 1983 a chicane was put
at the last curve to slow the cars into the pit straight and the Degner curve
was made into two corners instead of one long curve; the circuit was also made
considerably safer in 1983 by adding more crash barriers, more run-off
areas and removing straw bales leading into vegetation;
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;
In 2003, the chicane was made
slightly faster and closer to the 130R.
Following the fatality at the
2003 MotoGP round, 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 after he crashed his factory Suzuki 50 there during
Suzuka's inaugural All Japan Championship Road Race meeting on 3 November 1962
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,Suzuka signed a deal to host the Japanese Grand Prix
in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
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, although some annual events (for
instance, the Suzuka 8 Hours and Suzuka 1000km) were still held.
The track held a re-opening day on April 12, 2009.
Suzuka also hosts other motorsport
events including the Suzuka 1000km endurance race. Previously a part of
multiple GT racing series including the now defunct group Cclass
of the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, the Suzuka 1000 km as
of 2006 is now a points round of the Super GTSeries, 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).During qualifying for the 1997 race, rain caused Goodyear
to use rain 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 WTCCseason instead of the Okayama International
Circuit.At the 2012 event, the pole position time was 52.885 seconds,
for an average speed of 94.875 miles per hour (152.687 km/h)
Following two tremendous accidents in
2002 and 2003, safety has been a concern at the 130 metres (427 ft)
radius turn starting past the crossover which has been compared to Spa's Blanchimont,
by Sky Sports commentator David Croft during the 2015 race. In
2002, Toyota F1 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 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.
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.
Amato Akitsuki, the
main protagonist of the series, has moved from his home in the
Hiroshima Prefecture to stay at his aunt's dormitory in Tokyo. Yamato falls in
love with his new next-door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina, a girl
from Yokohama who was scouted by a local high
school because of her high jump athletic ability.While the main female
lead remains Suzuka throughout the series, Yamoto later meets several other
girls: Honoka Sakurai, a girl whose family are caretakers of a
local Shinto shrine, Miki Hashiba, a sprinter and friend of Suzuka, and
others. Yamato also develops a friendship with Yasunobu Hattori, a perverted
young man who dreams about polygamy and often gives relationship
advice to Yamato
.
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