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Love to, but it's too far. Everyone should go to an F1 race once in their lives. TV gives no feel for the true speed and noise.

 

My one and only F1 was Brands Hatch 1986. That was in the days of unrestricted turbos making 1000+bhp. My lasting memory is of Senna getting on the throttle too early entering the main straight and putting the Lotus sideways at 150mph. He never lifted though, just corrected and kept the power on. He left about 300m of black line through the corner.

 

Mansell won \:\)

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Last 3 races. Gentlemen, start your engines.

 

Fuji Speedway

Race Date: 30 Sep 2007

Number of Laps: 67

Circuit Length: 4.563 km

Race Distance: 305.721 km

Lap Record: n/a -

 

Shanghai

Race Date: 07 Oct 2007

Number of Laps: 56

Circuit Length: 5.400 km

Race Distance: 305.066 km

Lap Record: 1:32.238 - M Schumacher (2004)

 

Sao Paulo

Race Date: 21 Oct 2007

Number of Laps: 71

Circuit Length: 4.309 km

Race Distance: 305.909 km

Lap Record: 1:11.473 - JP Montoya (2004)

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I'll be at the Japan race, and it'll be my first one too. Not the biggest of fans in recent years but this year it has become a bit more interesting and I had the chance to get some decent tickets so thought I'd go for it. Really looking forward to it. \:D

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OK you asked for it

 

 

Fuji's F1 roots

- The Japanese Grand Prix returns to Fuji for the first time in 30 years in 2007, bringing to an end Suzuka’s 20-year unbroken sequence of races.

 

- The circuit sits in the foothills of the symbolic 12,388 ft Mount Fuji near the Pacific Coast of mainland Japan. The dormant volcano last erupted in 1708.

 

- The original Mount Fuji circuit was opened in 1965, although the layout was not in the same form as it had been on the original blueprint. The plan had been for the new circuit to be a 2.5 mile American-style Speedway, but the project ran out of money before both ends of the banking were complete.

 

- Formula 1 made its first venture into the Far East in 1976, with Fuji staging the inaugural such race in the region.

 

- The circuit had already received its first makeover by ’76, with the track direction changing to clockwise and a new downhill right-hand first corner ensuring the F1 cars bypassed the super-fast, and dangerous, banking.

 

- British driver James Hunt set the precedent for winning F1 world titles in Japan by clinching his one championship there in 1976.

 

Drivers were faced with abysmal race-day conditions – surface water and thick fog – which Hunt’s title rival Niki Lauda deemed too unsafe and the Austrian pulled out of the race in protest after just three laps. Hunt did just enough to clinch the title by a point, yet had to work for it after a puncture dropped him to one spot below where he needed to finish.

 

- Mario Andretti won the inaugural race for Lotus.

 

- Hunt won on F1’s second visit to Fuji for McLaren, but his win was overshadowed by the tragic deaths of a marshal and a spectator after Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari somersaulted a barrier.

 

- That incident, and a general lack of enthusiasm for F1 in Japan at the time, saw the race dropped from the calendar.

 

 

The Suzuka era

- It was a whole decade before the grand prix was revived, although at a new venue. Honda’s rise to prominence in F1 coincided with the sport returning to Japan at the car maker’s own Suzuka circuit in 1987.

 

- Over the next 20 years the venue became a huge hit with both drivers and fans alike – helped by the fact it quickly became synonymous with epic title-deciding races.

 

- Nigel Mansell’s 1987 championship challenge was ended in the inaugural Suzuka race. The Brit crashed heavily at the Esses in practice and was unable to race, handing the title to Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet.

 

- Ayrton Senna took a memorable victory in 1988 to wrap up his first world crown, but it was his run-ins with arch rival Alain Prost over the next two years that cemented Suzuka’s place in F1 history.

 

- In 1990 Prost took out Senna at the low-speed Casio Triangle in '89 and although the Brazilian rejoined and still crossed the finish line first, he was disqualified and the championship was Prost’s.

 

- Senna had his revenge nine seconds into the following year’s race when he crashed into Prost at the first corner to clinch his second title.

 

- Three of F1’s most recent world champions wrapped up titles in Japan. Damon Hill took victory in 1996 to claim his title, while Mika Hakkinen clinched both of his (1998 and 1999) at Suzuka. Michael Schumacher wrapped up his first title for Ferrari in 2000 and record-breaking sixth world crown there in 2003.

 

- Schumacher boats the most Japanese Grand Prix wins, with six. The German triumphed in 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. No other driver has won the race more than twice.

 

- The Ferrari ace would have added a seventh win in 2006 had his Ferrari engine not failed while leading the race. The rare blow-up, his first in six seasons, handed title rival Fernando Alonso the victory and a virtually guaranteed second successive world title.

 

 

And back to Fuji...

- The renamed Fuji Speedway was given the nod to replace Suzuka and its ageing facilities from this year, although the 1970s layout has been significantly tamed following a multi-million dollar upgrade in recent years.

 

- Toyota took over the circuit in Autumn 2000 and over the next few years set about bringing the historic venue up to modern-day F1 standards.

 

- Major redevelopment began in 2003, with the circuit undergoing a substantial reprofiling by F1’s favoured circuit designer Hermann Tilke.

 

- A number of new chicanes towards the end of the lap were added, with the revised circuit now having 16 corners and measuring 2.835 miles.

 

- The 2007 race will run to 60 laps.

 

- Although Fuji officials initially announced an exclusive five-year deal to host the race, the GP will return to Suzuka in two year’s time after organisers agreed to alternate the race between the two Japanese venues from 2009.

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They were on about it this morning on one of the morning shows. The Fuji speedway will be good for Japan because it's near Fuji and it will look kakkoi was the expert opinion.

 

If I remember correctly, don't many of the F1 drivers think Suzuka is one of the best circuits out there and their favorite?

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5 laps of behind the safety car so far.

 

So.... if it continues raining heavy for 2 hours, do they just do a procession for the whole time and get the points they finish in without there being an actual "race"?

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