How would you like to wake up in the morning to the sight of a world-class racing circuit against the backdrop of beautiful countryside?
Nestled in the foothills of Tochigi Prefecture a couple hours north of Tokyo is Honda's massive Twin Ring Motegi racing circuit. Actually, to call Motegi a race track is a major understatement, it is actually more along the lines of an automotive theme park.
The facility not only houses two separate, but overlapping racing circuits (an oval and a road course), but a gymkhana course and dirt courses for both cars and bikes. At Motegi you will also find Honda's famous collection hall ,which houses Honda cars and motorcycles spanning the entire length of Honda's history on the streets and race tracks of the world. Just seeing the vintage Honda racing machines here is worth the trip. Everything is present from cafe racer motorcycles to Formula 1 cars.
After you have spent a couple hours reliving Honda's history, you can hop on the free shuttle bus that circles the facility and hitch a ride to the "Fan Fun Lab". Despite the funny name, the Fan Fun Lab has some really cool stuff for both kids and adults. One of the things I enjoyed most was a racing simulator that allowed you to take a laps around Motegi or Suzuka in an NSX or S2000. The simulator features a working instrument cluster, fully functioning clutch and shifter, and swivels with the movement of the car. It makes Gran Turismo look like a child's game. It costs a couple hundred yen to try it, but it's well worth it.
The Fan Fun Lab's most popular attraction is the Asimo Super Live show. Here you can see Honda's famous humanoid robot in action about once an hour.
Of course there are several different restaurants, including one that serves some great American style burgers and the like. A number of gift shops sell all sorts of Honda and racing related goods that are unavailable outside of Japan.
All of these things provide enough to spend at least a day at Motegi (This is not even considering on-track racing action) If you want to stay for longer, you can spend the night at the Hotel Twin Ring. It is very nice, and the rooms provide views that overlook the race track.
Twin Ring Motegi is a truly unique place ,and anyone with an interest in motorsport, particularly Honda enthusiasts owe it to themselves to pay a visit.
You can see some of the photos I took there last spring Here and Here .
For more info check out Motegi's english site- http://www.twinring.jp/english/index.html
Comments