Twin Ring Motegi opened its doors in 1997, in the town of Motegi in eastern Tochigi prefecture. Set on hills linked to the Hakko mountain chain, Twin Ring Motegi is surrounded by forest, with the pure water of the Nakagawa river, originating on Mt. Nasu, flowing by.
"Twin Ring" was coined by joining the English word "twin" and the German word "ring" The name indicates the two racing courses: Super Speedway, an American-style oval course, and Road Course, a European layout. "Twin" is also intended to imply the merging of two objects, the harmony of man with nature, the meeting and joining of people. Although "ring" in German means a ring or a circle, that meaning was broadened to include a group of people, a circle of excitement and affinity. We want to make that circle of affinity and excitement even larger. That’s why we call this place "Twin Ring Motegi"
The road course is 4.8 kilometers long and is unique in sharing garage and grandstand facilities with the oval course, but being entirely separate otherwise. Although they are separate tracks, it is impossible for races to occur simultaneously on the two courses at the same time; to access the oval track, teams must cross the road-course pit and front straight. The road course also runs in the opposite direction from the oval; clockwise, rather than counter-clockwise.
By Japanese standards the circuit is exceptionally flat, with only a slight elevation rise towards the hairpin turn. The road course is much busier than the oval track, with Formula Nippon visiting twice, Super GT and Super Taikyu cars once each, and local events almost every weekend. The road course can be used in three ways: the full course, or two "Short Courses" can be made, using connecting roadways. These short courses are usually used for junior formula events, such as Formula 4 or FJ1600. The road course is also a popular motorcycle racing spot, with the MotoGP usually visiting once a year, as well as several Japanese national bike racing series. It has hosted the Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix from 2000 to 2003 and the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix since 2004. The 2 tracks look like an egg (the Super Speedway) and a falling man (The full circuit) |