Twin Ring Motegi – Honda Oval and Road Course Guide
Originally published August 2016. Last updated September 2026: expanded Tier B circuit guide, facts table, table of contents, internal links, FAQ schema, and editorial refresh while preserving legacy narrative and images.
Twin Ring Motegi is Honda’s combined oval-and-road-course complex in Motegi-machi, Tochigi Prefecture — roughly 145 km north of Tokyo on Honshu. Opened in 1997, it pairs Japan’s only egg-shaped superspeedway oval with a 4.8 km road course that passes beneath the banking twice, giving the facility its “twin ring” name.
The venue mattered internationally when IndyCar raced here from 1998 to 2011, when NASCAR held exhibition stock-car events in 1998–1999, and when the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix became a permanent autumn fixture from 1999. Today Super Formula, Super GT, and MotoGP keep Motegi at the centre of domestic racing while the Honda Collection Hall museum anchors the corporate campus.
Compare Motegi with Fuji Speedway, Sportsland SUGO, and Autopolis — other Japanese tracks that hosted IndyCar, touring cars, or world championship rounds in different decades.
Contents
Twin Ring Motegi facts
| Location | Motegi-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan (Honshu, ~145 km north of Tokyo) |
|---|---|
| Circuit type | Combined facility: egg-shaped superspeedway oval + permanent road course |
| Opened | 31 July 1997 (construction from 1995) |
| Oval length | 1.549 miles (2.493 km), four 10-degree banked turns |
| Road course | 4.8 km, 14 turns (clockwise); East 3.4 km / West 1.4 km short layouts |
| Capacity | About 100,000 (road course events); about 80,000 (oval) |
| Owner / builder | Honda Motor Co. |
| Main events | MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix; Super Formula; Super GT; historic IndyCar era (1998–2011) |
| Notable quirk | Japan’s only egg-shaped oval; road course runs under the banking at two points |
Lap record note: oval, full road course, and motorcycle GP categories use different configurations and tyres. Compare times only within the same series and layout.
Twin Ring Motegi entrance — opened 1997
Honda’s nationwide riding network
Honda management began planning a central Japanese motorsport hub about a decade before opening day. The idea was a nationwide network of riding schools for motorcycle customers plus one flagship site where car drivers could experience Honda products. Motegi-machi in Tochigi won selection partly because surrounding hills could contain noise for nearby communities.
Approval came in 1988. While engineers surveyed the land, Honda executives in the United States grew fascinated by oval racing. The master plan shifted: Motegi would include a superspeedway oval integrated with a road course, not a standalone road track only.
CART push and 1997 opening
When Honda entered the CART Indy Car World Series as an engine supplier in 1994, Motegi became the logical test and showcase venue for the programme. Construction started in 1995 and continued through 1997 — at the time the largest single private construction project in Japan.
The opening ceremony on 31 July 1997 unveiled twin race courses, a dirt oval, kart circuit, safety school, and riding school. A hotel, restaurants, shops, and event halls followed in 1998, including the museum that became the Honda Collection Hall.
Map: Twin Ring Motegi oval and road course layout
Egg-shaped oval and 14-turn road course
The 1.549-mile oval is Japan’s only course of its type, with four 10-degree banked corners. Because the oval is egg-shaped, Turns 3 and 4 are tighter than Turns 1 and 2 — a layout that rewards different lines on each end.
The 14-turn road course shares garages and grandstands with the oval but is otherwise separate. It runs clockwise, dips beneath the banking twice, and can be split into East (3.4 km) or West (1.4 km) configurations for club events and testing.
CART, IndyCar, and the Indy Japan 300
Less than a year after opening, Motegi hosted CART’s Budweiser 500K on 28 March 1998. Adrian Fernandez won for Patrick Racing ahead of Al Unser Jr and Gil de Ferran; Fernandez repeated in 1999.
After the 2003 split in American open-wheel racing, the event moved to the IndyCar Series. Dan Wheldon scored Honda’s first win on Honda’s home oval in 2004; from then until the final visit in 2011, every Motegi IndyCar winner used Honda power.
The race was marketed as the Indy Japan 300. After reunification it shifted from spring to autumn. In 2011 the round was renamed Indy Japan: The Final because IndyCar would not return in 2012. That year’s race ran on the road course after earthquake damage affected the oval surface in April.
Danica Patrick on the podium after her 2008 Motegi victory
Danica Patrick’s 2008 win remains the most famous IndyCar moment here — the first victory by a woman in the series and the only win of her IndyCar career.
Coca-Cola 500 and Winston West
American stock cars also tested Motegi’s oval. The Coca-Cola 500 exhibition on 22 November 1998 brought NASCAR national-series teams to Japan after two years of similar events at Suzuka. Mike Skinner won among a mixed grid of American and Japanese drivers.
The NASCAR Winston West Series returned in 1999 for the last NASCAR visit to Japan.
Aerial view of Motegi’s oval and road course
Japanese Grand Prix and Pacific GP
World championship motorcycle racing arrived in 1999. Kenny Roberts won the inaugural 500cc Japanese Grand Prix for Suzuki. From 2000 to 2003 Suzuka hosted the Japanese GP while Motegi held the Pacific Grand Prix; Valentino Rossi was among the winners in that period.
The Japanese Grand Prix returned to Motegi in 2004 and has stayed. Makoto Tamada remains the only Japanese rider to win the MotoGP class at Motegi (2004).
MotoGP has raced at Motegi since 1999
Super Formula, Super GT, and WTCC
Motegi is a staple of Super Formula (formerly Formula Nippon) and Super GT, plus national club and one-make series. The World Touring Car Championship visited in 2015 and 2016 — the only FIA world championship car rounds held here apart from the IndyCar era.
Honda Collection Hall
Honda Collection Hall — part of the Twin Ring campus
The on-site museum displays roughly 300 restored motorcycles, cars, power products, and racing machines. It is a destination in its own right for visitors who never watch a race weekend.
Record holders
Jorge Lorenzo set the MotoGP pole record at Motegi with 1:43.790 in 2015. On the road course, Super Formula driver Kazuki Nakajima holds the car lap record at 1:32.839 (2013). On the oval, Tony Kanaan’s 26.425-second lap remains the benchmark for the 1.5-mile configuration.
Tokyo access and official information
Motegi sits in rural Tochigi; most visitors drive or use rail connections from Tokyo and transfer locally. Confirm event calendars, ticket sales, and museum hours on the official Twin Ring website before travelling.
Frequently asked questions about Twin Ring Motegi
Where is Twin Ring Motegi?
Twin Ring Motegi is in Motegi-machi, Tochigi Prefecture on Honshu, Japan — about 145 km north of Tokyo.
Why is it called Twin Ring Motegi?
The name reflects two connected but distinct courses: a 1.549-mile egg-shaped oval and a 4.8 km road course that passes beneath the banking twice.
When did Twin Ring Motegi open?
Honda opened the circuit on 31 July 1997 after construction that began in 1995.
Did IndyCar race at Motegi?
Yes. American open-wheel racing visited from 1998 to 2011 (CART, then IndyCar). The final round in 2011 ran on the road course after earthquake damage to the oval.
Who won the first IndyCar race at Motegi?
Adrian Fernandez won the inaugural 1998 CART 500K for Patrick Racing.
Did Danica Patrick win at Motegi?
Yes. Danica Patrick won the 2008 Indy Japan 300 — the first IndyCar victory by a woman and her only IndyCar win.
Does MotoGP race at Motegi?
Yes. The Japanese Grand Prix has been held at Motegi regularly since 1999 (with Suzuka hosting the Japanese GP in some intermediate seasons).
What is the Honda Collection Hall?
The Honda Collection Hall is an on-site museum at Twin Ring Motegi displaying roughly 300 restored Honda motorcycles, cars, and racing machines.
How long is the Motegi oval?
The superspeedway oval measures 1.549 miles (2.493 km) with four 10-degree banked turns. It is Japan’s only egg-shaped oval.
Which Japanese circuits compare with Motegi?
For context see Fuji Speedway, Sportsland SUGO, and Suzuka.
Related reading
- Fuji Speedway — Japanese Grand Prix history
- Sportsland SUGO — Super GT in northern Japan
- Autopolis — mountain-top circuit in Kyushu
- Suzuka — figure-eight Formula One track
- Tokachi International Speedway — Hokkaido endurance heritage
Address: Twin Ring Motegi, 120-1 Hiyama, Motegi-machi, Haga-gun, 321-3597 Tochigi, Japan
Phone: +81 285 64 0001
Official website: twinring.jp
Photo credits: twinring.jp, motorsport.com, autoguide.com