Suzuka
5.807 km and the only figure-of-eight track on the Grand Prix calendar. Suzuka's S Curves, Spoon and 130R make it one of the most demanding laps in racing and a favourite with drivers. Learn every corner, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
Suzuka International Racing Course is in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It was designed by the Dutch engineer John Hugenholtz as a Honda test track and opened in 1962. The current Grand Prix layout is 5.807 km long with 18 turns, and a Grand Prix there runs to 53 laps.
Its defining feature is the figure-of-eight: the back straight crosses over the front part of the lap on a bridge. Because of the crossover, the first half of the lap runs clockwise and the second half anticlockwise, which works the tyres on both sides of the car more evenly than most circuits.
The Japanese Grand Prix has been held at Suzuka since 1987, apart from 2007 and 2008. It moved to an April date in 2024, and the current contract runs until at least 2029. The track also hosts the Suzuka 8 Hours motorcycle race every summer.
A lap of Suzuka, corner by corner
The numbers below follow the 11 named corners in the remastered layout. The official 18-turn count splits several of these, such as the S Curves, into their individual turns.
- First Curve
A fast, downhill right-hander (Turns 1 and 2) that tightens on the way in. Brave drivers can pass on the outside here.
- S Curves
A rhythmic left-right-left-right sequence uphill (Turns 3 to 6). Each corner sets up the next, so one wrong line costs time all the way through.
- Dunlop
A long, uphill left-hander (Turn 7) that opens onto the run to Degner. Its run-off was changed after an accident in 2014.
- Degner 1
A fast right-hander (Turn 8) with gravel close by, named after Ernst Degner, who crashed here in 1962. The original corner was split in two in 1987.
- Degner 2
A tighter right (Turn 9) that leads under the bridge and towards the hairpin.
- Hairpin
A slow left-hand hairpin (Turn 11), the slowest point of the lap and a place to pass under braking.
- 200R
A long, flat-out right-hand curve, named after its 200 m radius.
- Spoon
A long, double-apex left (Turns 13 and 14). The exit decides your speed all the way down the back straight.
- 130R
A very fast left-hander (Turn 15) taken at around 300 km/h, named after its 130 m radius. It was rebuilt in 2003 after a heavy crash the year before.
- Casio Triangle
A slow right-left chicane (Turns 16 and 17) and the last real chance to overtake.
- Final Curve
A long right-hander (Turn 18) that leads onto the start straight.
How the layout has changed
Suzuka has kept its basic shape since 1962. Most of the changes since have slowed the fastest corners or added run-off.
- 1962Suzuka opens as a Honda test track designed by John Hugenholtz.
- 1978The first Suzuka 8 Hours motorcycle race is held.
- 1983A chicane is added at the last corner to slow cars onto the start straight.
- 1987Suzuka hosts its first Japanese Grand Prix, and Degner is split into two corners.
- 2003130R is rebuilt as a double-apex corner, and the final chicane is moved closer to it.
- 2009The Japanese Grand Prix returns to Suzuka after two years at Fuji.
- 2024The Grand Prix moves to April, and a new deal runs until at least 2029.
- 2025The track is resurfaced from Turn 1 to the entry of Turn 8.
Why the figure of eight works
Most circuits run in one direction, so their corners load one side of the car far more than the other. Suzuka's crossover means the lap runs clockwise up to Degner and anticlockwise from the hairpin onwards, which spreads the load more evenly.
The layout also flows. Almost every corner leads straight into the next, so drivers can't treat it as a series of separate corners. That is what makes the S Curves so hard and so satisfying to get right. For more on lines and rhythm, read the racing line explained or why race tracks run clockwise.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer with all 11 corners named. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Add a passing chance. Suzuka has few places to overtake. Try a tighter corner at the end of the back straight, or a chicane that works better than the Casio Triangle.
Speed up the S Curves. Open up the sequence and see how much lap time it saves.
Move the crossover. The bridge can go anywhere the lap crosses itself. Try a different figure of eight.
Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.
When you're happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Suzuka?
The current Grand Prix layout is 5.807 km (3.608 miles) long with 18 turns. A Grand Prix there is 53 laps.
Why is Suzuka a figure of eight?
The back straight crosses over the front part of the lap on a bridge. It is the only figure-of-eight layout on the Grand Prix calendar. Because of the crossover, the first half of the lap runs clockwise and the second half anticlockwise.
How many corners does Suzuka have?
The official count is 18 turns. Several are parts of one sequence, such as the S Curves, so the remastered layout names 11 corners, from the First Curve to the Final Curve.
What do 130R and 200R mean?
They are named after their radius in metres. 130R is a very fast left-hander with a radius of about 130 m, and 200R is a long right-hand curve with a radius of about 200 m.
Is the remastered Suzuka an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 72 editable points, within a few metres of the real layout. The designer draws the crossover as a flat crossing. Track width, kerbs, run-off and the pit lane are left for you to design.
Layout traced from the open circuit data in bacinger/f1-circuits (MIT licence). Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.