Sodegaura Forest Raceway

{{Short description|Motorsport race track located in Chiba, Japan}}

{{Motorsport venue

| Name = Sodegaura Forest Raceway

| Location = Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan

| Time = UTC+09:00

| Coordinates = {{coord|35.394|140.089|type:landmark_region:JP|display=inline,title}}

| Image = 300px

| Image_caption = Full Circuit (2009–present)

| Events = Current:
All Japan EV-GP Series (2017, 2019–present)

| Broke_ground =

| Opened = 2009

| Architect = Shozaburo Nakamura

| Capacity =

| former_names =

| FIAGrade =

| Layout1 = Full Circuit (2009–present)

| Length_km = 2.436

| Length_mi = 1.514

| Turns = 14

| Record_time =

| Record_driver =

| Record_car =

| Record_year =

| Record_class =

}}

Sodegaura Forest Raceway (袖ヶ浦フォレストレースウェイ) is a motorsport race track in Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan. The circuit is about {{cvt|12|km|mi|adj=on}} east of Sodegaura city center and about {{cvt|45|km|mi|adj=on}} southeast of Tokyo city center across Tokyo Bay.

History

The circuit, which opened in 2009, was designed according to FIA standards and is officially recognized by the JAF (Japan Automobile Federation).{{cite web|url=http://www.jaf.or.jp/msports/msinfo/image/kouji_200911.pdf|title=JAFモータースポーツ公示 2009年11月号|publisher=Japan Automobile Federation}} The designer and first owner of the track was Shozaburo Nakamura, a former member of parliament from the region who was previously Minister of Justice and Director General of the Environment Agency.{{cite web |author=Satoshi Tanuma |url=https://www.webcg.net/articles/-/6383 |title=都心から1時間のJAF公認サーキット　〜「袖ケ浦フォレスト・レースウェイ」がオープン |work=webcg.net |date=2009-11-16 |accessdate=2024-01-04 |language=ja}}

Layout

The route, which is a maximum of {{cvt|2.436|km|mi|abbr=on}} long and {{cvt|15–18|m|abbr=on}} wide, can be ridden in 3 different configurations, 2 of which - the outer and inner loops - can be used independently of each other. The pit system has 35 boxes measuring 5.5 × 6.0 m. Due to the resident's demands, a noise limit of 95 dB applies to the emergency equipment.{{cite web |url=https://motorsports.jaf.or.jp/course/circuit/sodegaura |title=Sodegaura Forest Raceway |publisher=JAF Motorsport |accessdate=2024-03-03 |language=ja }}

Layout configurations

{{Gallery

| title = Sodegaura Forest Raceway Layout Configurations

| align = center

| footer =

| style = text-align:center;

| mode = packed

| File:Sodegaura-Track-1.png

| Full Circuit (2009–present)

| File:Sodegaura-Track-2.png

| Outer Circuit (2009–present)

| File:Sodegaura-Track-3.png

| Inner Circuit (2009–present)

}}

Events

The track has been a regular stop in the All Japan EV-GP Series electric car racing series since 2017. In addition, club sport series such as the Z Challenge, the Lotus 111 Cup and the Roadster Masters series also regularly start on the course. The course is also used for track days (for cars, motorcycles and bicycles), training, test drives and vehicle presentations.

References

Category:Motorsport venues in Japan

Category:Sports venues in Chiba Prefecture

Category:Sports venues completed in 2009

Category:2009 establishments in Japan

Category:Sodegaura