Okayama International Circuit, Racing Circuit

Okayama International Circuit is a private motorsport venue set in mountainous countryside near Mimasaka, in Japan's Okayama Prefecture, roughly midway between Osaka and Hiroshima. It opened in November 1990 as TI Circuit Aida, the creation of golf-course magnate Hajime Tanaka, who applied the exclusive country-club membership model to motor racing, charging wealthy enthusiasts substantial life-membership fees for trackside access and garaging. Carved out of the hills at an estimated cost of around 100 million dollars, the compact course features notable elevation changes, a sweeping set of opening S-bends and a tight infield, with corners named after the veteran British drivers invited to inaugurate the track. Its most prominent chapter came in 1994 and 1995, when it twice hosted the Formula One Pacific Grand Prix, both races won by Michael Schumacher; the remote location and limited access made the 1994 event effectively the first all-public-transport grand prix. The remoteness ultimately cost it the race, and after Tanaka International entered civil rehabilitation the circuit was acquired by the Unimat Corporation and renamed Okayama International Circuit in 2005. World-class racing returned with the World Touring Car Championship between 2008 and 2010, the first FIA world championship rounds held there since the F1 era. In 2012 the circuit passed to auto-parts maker Aska Corporation, which refocused it on Japan's domestic scene. Today it hosts major national series on two and four wheels, including Super GT, Super Formula Lights, Super Taikyu and the MFJ Superbike championship. Minor revisions in January 2020 added run-off at the Moss-S and a motorcycle-only chicane ahead of Williams Corner, lengthening the bike layout.

Operated by: Okayama International Circuit Co., Ltd.