Funabashi AutoRace Circuit, Motorcycle racing track in Funabashi, Japan.
Funabashi AutoRace Circuit was an auto race track with a 500-meter paved oval, 30 meters wide, that opened at its final site in 1968 after moving from Funabashi Racecourse. It kept the grandstand of the former Funabashi Circuit, so unusually it had stands on the backstretch as well. The grounds covered 115,703 square meters and held 21,714 spectators.
Funabashi AutoRace opened on 29 October 1950 on an 800-metre dirt course inside the infield of Funabashi Racecourse, the first purpose-built auto race track in Japan; Prince Takamatsu cut the tape. In 1968 it moved to the former Funabashi Circuit site on a 500-metre paved oval, reusing that circuit's grandstand. It closed on 31 March 2016 after 65 years and 5 months.
The venue's nickname, 'birthplace of auto racing', came from hosting Japan's first dedicated auto race track in 1950. In 2009 it was the sole host of the Superstar Championship, usually held at Kawaguchi. From 2011, selected races were sold as multi-win tickets through Odds Park, starting with the GI Kuroshio Cup.
The circuit was a ten-minute walk from the south exit of Minami Funabashi Station on the JR Keiyo Line. A free shuttle bus ran from Keisei Funabashi Keibajo-mae Station via JR Minami Funabashi Station. The first parking lot held 658 cars; the second, with 800 spaces, opened only for graded races. The site stood along National Route 357, near Lalaport TOKYO-BAY and IKEA Tokyo-Bay, where holiday afternoon traffic was heavy.
The site was chosen partly because the neighbouring horse track's stables suffered from the noise of the racing machines, and the venue's first meeting in 1950 drew more than 25,000 spectators by 2 p.m., overflowing the barriers. In 1968 the circuit moved onto the former Funabashi Circuit, reusing its grandstand, which left stands on the backstretch side as well.
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