Join us for an afternoon packed with adrenaline with F1 Japanese Gran Prix 2024.
About Formula 1.
Formula 1® racing began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series: The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship™ runs from March to December and spans 21 races in 21 countries across four continents.
About Japanese Gran Prix
Historically, Japan Gran Prix has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Drivers’ Champions being crowned over the 36 World Championship Japanese Grands Prix that have been hosted. Japan was the only Asian nation to host a Formula One race (including the Pacific Grand Prix) until Malaysia joined the calendar in 1999. The first two Formula One Japanese Grands Prix in 1976 and 1977 were held at the Fuji Speedway, before Japan was taken off the calendar. It returned in 1987 at Suzuka, which hosted the Grand Prix exclusively for 20 years and gained a reputation as one of the most challenging Formula One circuits. In 1994 and 1995, Japan also hosted the Pacific Grand Prix at the TI Circuit, making Japan one of only nine countries to host more than one Grand Prix in the same season (the others being Austria, Bahrain, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and the USA). In 2007 the Grand Prix moved back to the newly redesigned Fuji Speedway. After a second race at Fuji in 2008, the race returned to Suzuka in 2009, as part of an alternating agreement between the owners of Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit, perennial rivals Toyota and Honda. However, in July 2009, Toyota announced it would not host the race at Fuji Speedway in 2010 and beyond due to a downturn in the global economy, and so the Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka instead. Suzuka has hosted the Japanese Grand Prix every year since 2009, apart from in 2020 and 2021 when the Grands Prix were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Circuit.
The Honda-owned race course at Suzuka (鈴鹿国際レーシングコース) has emerged as one of the world’s most demanding and rewarding motor racing circuits, packing a mix of almost every type of corner into a remarkably small space. Drivers rate it highly, mainly because it is one of the few circuits these days that still has challenges to throw at them. It has also gained world recognition because of its unusual figure-of-eight layout, which has spawned countless Scalextric imitations!
Various safety upgrades over the years have seen corners eased to add run-off and the addition of the chicane onto the start-finish straight, however, there’s no disguising that this remains an ‘old school’ circuit and true test of driver and rider.
Aside from the Formula One Grand Prix, major events today include the Suzuka 10 Hours endurance race for GT cars and the Suzuka 8 Hours, which remains one of the most important events for motorcycle manufacturers and is an important cornerstone of the FIM Endurance World Championship.
Suzuka is a driver’s track. It requires precision in the first sector. Then bravery on brakes for the Degner curves. Balance and control through Spoon, and commitment at 130R. Finally, you top it off with a test of skill through the Casio triangle. Add to that its unique figure eight layout and Suzuka’s history as F1’s most frequent winner-take-all Championship decider and you get one of motor racing’s most beloved venues. Suzuka is also a place where you can pass, you can pass in the esses, the Degner 2, the hairpin, the first part of Spoon, on the straight leading up to 130R, you can pass at the Casio Triangle, and even through Turn 1. In F1 lore, Suzuka has always been the “Final Boss” as well as the arena where decisive scores are settled.
Fees:
Members: FREE (Included in membership)
Non-Member: Single Day Pass: $30 CAD (allows full access to the event and duration for the day)