Route to: Suzuka, Japan

The 19th and 20th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place in Japan, at Suzuka’s East Circuit next weekend. This is the fourth consecutive visit of the FIA World Touring Car Championship to the Country of the Rising Sun, however it is the first time that the WTCC Race of Japan will take place at Suzuka.

From 2008 to 2010, the championship’s Japanese event was hosted by the Okayama International Circuit, where BMW scored three victories (Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus in 2009, Colin Turkington in 2010), SEAT two (Rickard Rydell and Tom Coronel in 2008) and Chevrolet one (Rob Huff in 2010).

The switch to Suzuka was mainly due to logistics needs, however the WTCC will not run on the full 5.8-km Grand Prix track, but on the 2.2-km East Circuit, for two 23-lap races.

The last time Suzuka hosted another FIA World Championship event besides the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan was twenty-two years ag the Suzuka 480 Kms counting towards the 1989 World Sportscar Championship.