Japan is blessed with more than its fair share of hallowed racing venues, but perhaps one that doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves is Autopolis. Unlike Suzuka and Fuji, it has never hosted a dramatic Formula 1 showdown, nor has it hosted series like IndyCar or MotoGP like Motegi. The most prolific event it has hosted was a single round of the FIA World Sports Car Championship back in 1991, which was supposed to be a prelude to an inaugural F1 grand prix in 1993 that never ended up taking place.
It’s even a relative latecomer to the Japanese domestic motorsport schedule, having only started hosting JGTC (now Super GT) regularly in 2003 and Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) in 2009. Perhaps part of that is down to its awkward location in the mountains on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four home islands, meaning that a trip from Tokyo to Autopolis requires a two-hour flight, followed by a one-hour drive (or, for the more environmentally-minded, a six-hour trip by bullet train, followed by a one-hour drive).
