Tsukuba Circuit

Tsukuba Circuit (Japanese: 筑波サーキット, Tsukuba Sа̄kitto) is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, about 60 km north of central Tokyo. It is 2.045 kilometres (1.271 mi) long, with 32 pit garages and a 437 m (0.272 mi) long back straight.[1] There is a small chicane used only for motorcycle racing that increases the track's total length to 2.070 kilometres (1.286 mi).

Tsukuba Circuit
Home straight
LocationShimotsuma, Ibaraki, Japan
Time zoneJST, UTC, GMT +9
Major eventsMFJ Superbike
Tsukuba 1000
Tsukuba Time Attack
Length2.045 (without chicane)
2.070 (with chicane)[1] km (1.287 miles)
Turns14[2]
Race lap record49.445 seconds (Nobuteru Taniguchi, HKS, February 15, 2018)

The track was established in 1966 with the aim of attracting young people to participate in motor sports, but was not actually completed until 1970.[2] At the present time, an event is held every week.[3] The track has a large variety of corners, ranging from wide sweepers to hairpins.[2] The circuit accommodates 8500 spectators on the track, 3000 in the stands, 5000 on lawn seats, and 500 standing over the pits.[2]

The illustration of the course guide shows that there are various courses other than the main course.

  • Course 1000

In 2001, the minibike course that had been called the "East Course" was completely renovated and opened as Course 1000 (TC1000), which is almost 1,000 meters in circumference. The TC1000 is a safe course that is open to cars and motorcycles, and features excellent visibility, making it ideal for beginners.

  • Gymkhana track

The trapezoid-shaped shaped area just outside the last corner of the main course is the Gymkhana track. Gymkhana is a popular motor sport in Japan, and the All Japan Gymkhana Championships are held by JAF. Practice sessions and Gymkhana competitions are held at the Gymkhana track.

  • Oval Course

The Oval Course, located between the first corner and the second hairpin of the main course, is a course for training Auto Race drivers. Auto Race is a unique form of public gambling motor sport in Japan.

Admission is free on weekdays and ¥500 on weekends, but only when there are no scheduled events. Visitors are allowed to drive on the track with a license. Tsukuba Circuit is not accessible by public transportation, so renting a car is the best way to get there. A taxi is also available from Kanto Railway's Soudou Station, though it will take longer.

A satellite image of Tsukuba Circuit in 1990

Time Attack

Tsukuba's "Time Attack" event (alternatively known as Super Lap or Tuner Battles) originated in Japan when the tuning media organized the event on race circuits such as Tsukuba, as a proving ground for street tuned cars built at a large budget by highly respected tuning companies. As a result of the quick rise in popularity, tuners developed specialized cars to beat the competition,[4] including the purpose-built HKS CT230R Lancer Evolution with a body made entirely out of carbon fibre.

Unlike other timed motorsport disciplines such as sprinting and hillclimbing, the car is required to start off under full rolling start conditions following a warm-up lap, where they will have to accelerate out as fast as possible to determine how fast they enter their timed lap.[4] Commonly, as competing cars consist of modified road-going models, they are required to wear tires authorized for road use. In all, drivers are allocated to three laps in a final event run; warm-up, timed and cool-down.[4]

Rankings

The following is a table of best Time Attack times, last updated 11 April 2022:

Pos Team Car Best lap (sec) Top speed (km/h)
1HKS with Nobuteru TaniguchiToyota 86 TRB-03 (slicks)49.445238.253[5][6]

[7]

2Escort Drag Racing ServiceMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX50.342---.--- [8]
3Scorch Racing with Under SuzukiNissan Silvia (S15)50.366245.622[9]
4Top Fuel Drag & Street ShopHonda S2000 (AP1)51.762233.080[10]
5Garage G-ForceMitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII52.391223.927
6Racing Factory AutoBahnToyota Soarer (JZZ30)52.454248.447[11]
7Vibrant Performance with PZ TuningHonda Civic (FG4)53.071237.781[12]
8EspritHonda NSX (NA1)53.474239.734[13]
9Car Shop Dream KJM with VoltexMazda RX-7 (FD3S)53.489225.894
10HKSMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX CT230R53.589228.xxx[14]
11RevolutionMazda RX-7 (FD3S)53.673225.894[15]
12Friends RacingNissan Silvia (S15)53.821223.602
13Kyushu DanjiHonda NSX (NA2)54.101222.635[16]
14DLanguageSubaru Impreza (GRB) R20554.115225.282
15Admix Racing Service with SeyamaxNissan Skyline GT-R (BNR32)54.118221.584[17]
16Autech Tsukada (ATTKD)Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR32)54.145232.909[18]
17Sakamoto EngineeringMazda RX-7 (FD3S) 54.252225.282[19]
18Sun Automobile with Garage HRSMitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII CyberEVO54.392---.---
19M SpeedNissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34)54.481229.348
20EndlessMazda RX-7 (FD3S) 54.483212.014[20]
21Top Fuel RacingMazda RX-7 (FD3S) 54.585224.439

Tsukuba Circuit has appeared in numerous video games, including iRacing, Forza Motorsport, 2, 3, and 4, Gran Turismo 4, PSP, 5, 6, 7 and Sport, Tourist Trophy, Enthusia Professional Racing, rFactor, and D1 Grand Prix.

The track is commonly used for tuner events and has appeared in the final installment of the Shuto Kousoku Trial series, SKT Max. The circuit has also gained popularity because of its use by Best Motoring to test and race a variety of vehicles.

References
  1. "Tsukuba Circuit". Moto Racing Japan. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  2. "Go! Go! Speed Racer!". Ibaraki Prefecture. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  3. "What is the Tsukuba Circuit?". She Japan. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  4. Time Attack FAQ's Archived 2007-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 谷口信輝の筑波スーパーラップ & 駆動別乗り方 レクチャー / Nobuteru Taniguchi's Tsukuba Super Lap Lecture V-OPT 289 ①【ENG Sub】. VIDEO OPTION. 2020-04-01. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  6. "New Record Set by HKS TRB-03 in Tsukuba Circuit Course 2000 | NEWS | HKS".
  7. HKS TRB-03 Tsukuba Record Break!. HKS Co., Ltd. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2022-01-14 – via YouTube.
  8. -Attack Tsukuba 2022-「ファイヤー安藤//ESCORT Evo9」CT9A. Attack Official Movie Channel. 2022-02-19. Retrieved 2022-04-11 – via YouTube.
  9. UnderSuzuki@Scorch ADVAN SILVIA. たけむらまさひろ. 2017-12-07. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  10. 2016/2/2 Tsukuba TOP FUEL S2000. TheDaidai2211. 2016-02-02. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  11. 52.454sec 2019/12/15 ZUMMY super lap. 坂東邦彦. 2019-12-15. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  12. Attack Tsukuba 2019-0223「William Au-Yeung//Vibrant Civic」FG4. Attack Official Movie Channel. 2019-03-07. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  13. エスプリ NSX 筑波 53秒474 2019/03/14. Sugimori Takuya. 2019-03-19. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  14. HKS CT230R hypermax in Tsukuba ¨0.53.589¨. TheMarcelodmr. 2012-05-14. Archived from the original on 2020-12-27. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  15. Revolution FD3S RX-7 laps Tsukuba in 53.6 (HD). Yokohama Australia. 2010-12-12. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  16. Attack 2016（アタック筑波）0227「T.hannita//kyushu-danji NSX-T☆Tomiyoshi R」NA2. Attack Official Movie Channel. 2016-11-17. Archived from the original on 2021-03-28. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  17. seyamax GTR スピードサウンドトロフィー　54秒118. seyamax. 2017-12-05. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  18. 筑波スピードXサウンド・トロフィー２０１６　Sタイヤver. ATTKD Attackers. 2017-02-05. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  19. 54秒252！サカモトエンジニアリング RX-7 FD3S 筑波サーキットコース2000. サカモトエンジニアリング. 2018-03-18. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.
  20. 【Attack筑波】ENDLESS ADVAN RX-7 54秒483. Atsushi Shimaya. 2019-02-25. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-08-04 – via YouTube.

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