Tsukuba Circuit

The Tsukuba Circuit is a 1.27-mile (2.04-km) road course paved in 1966 on Shimotsuma, an hour and a half ride north of Tokyo, Japan. It's the venue for racecar and motorcycling competitions such as the MFJ Superbike, the Tsukuba 1000, or the Tsukuba Time Attack, among many others. The location of the circuit inside the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, the largest urban conglomerate in the world, means it receives regular attendance year-round for its weekly events. Motorsports enthusiasts coming to Tsukuba need to pay attention to the weather forecast, as track surfaces tend to be wet but overall conditions can change quickly sometimes.  

There are 12 turns in the Tsukuba Circuit with varying angles that keep racers moving at an average speed of 74 mph (119 km/h). Races start/finish in the middle of the front straightaway, going into a tight corner to find the first downshifting zone. Turns two, three, and four are fast-paced and coming in quick succession, with turns five and six combining into the first hairpin of the circuit. A heavy acceleration sector starts after exiting turn six and goes all the way until finding the second hairpin at the combination of turns 10 and 11. From this point on, racers can go wild on the gas pedal for traveling the 0.272-mi (0.44-km) back straight, followed by a wide sweeping turn 12 that closes the loop re-entering the front straight.