If Suzuka is such a good track why is it closing?

Question

The Japanese track Suzuka is closing but all the drivers seem to like it even call it the best so why is it closing?

Schumacher to win

Answer 1

Just seen Martin Brundle interview 'Bernie', according to him, the place needs a face-lift, and brought up to scratch, which means a multi-million pound referb'. It won't be on the '07 race calender, but might be back the following season. Remember Spa Franca....'(can't spell it)...Belgium Circuit? They lost the F1 GP for a few years, it had major upgrades in facilities, stands etc... and return back in '04, let's hope the same happens with Suzuka

Answer 2

The Suzuka circuit isn't closing; it just won't host the Japanese Grand Prix for at least several years.
For 2007 and beyond, the Japanese Grand Prix will be held at it's original home, the Fuji circuit, a Toyota-owned track. The track has been refurbished and obviously offered Bernard Charles Ecclestone a better deal than the one he had at Suzuka.
Suzuka, owned by Honda, is an excellent track and a favourite with the drivers, but the facilities are in need of a bit of an upgrade. There is a real possibility it will be back in a year or two, hosting a Pacific Grand Prix and helping to pad Bernie's bank account a little (or a lot) more.

Answer 3

Just because a track is a great track to drive does not make it instantly economically viable. Motorsport is a very expensive past time. Most of the tracks in the UK have a hard time to stay open. Look at all the trouble Silverstone is having. The home of British Motorsport yet it came close to selling off a load of land earlier this year to make sure it could stay open, had it done that it would never have held another GP.
You have to realise also the Bernie is a poisonous little theiving oney grabbing dwarf and if he can put on a GP in some other country where they will pay him more to go there then he will drop all the famous tracks with character for the likes of places like Bharain, Turkey etc etc (admittedly turkey is a fantastic track). So sadly being a great track doesn't automatically make it safe.
Anyway 8 minutes till kick off, OMG have i really got up at 0530 just to watch the GP before work...... i need to get a life.

Answer 4

It is all about the money. Bernie Ecclesotne negotiated a much more lucrative contract with the refurbished Mt Fuji race track. At some point, the races could return to Suzuka, if they upgrade the facilities and offer a better deal to F1 than the Mt. Fuji track owners.

There are other tracks in danger of losing F1 including Silverstone in the United Kingdom. I guess it is a fact of modern life that sometimes tradition and history take a back seat to the business end of racing.

Answer 5

Suzuka isn't closing it is just being replaced on the F1 calender by Fuji raceway because of safety issues.

From a racing and technical point of view suzuka is one of the best race tracks on the calender its just that the gravel traps and run off areas aren't up to scratch so its being replaced. I'm sure though that the owners of the track (Honda) will update to the current regs so that in the not so distant future we will have it back again.

Answer 6

I was just wondering who thinks that all old circuits should be scrapped (including Monaco) if the old circuits are so rubbish and should be replaced with new ones? (apart from Bernie - and I wonder why he is so 'into' new circuits!)

If circuits are going to be replaced after only a few years because a new one is built, who is going to spend the billions required to make a circuit if they do not get their money back?

As an aside, the powers that be (ie, Bernie!) are thinking of having a Pacific Grand Prix (rather like the European GP) and this may be held at Suzuka.

Answer 7

It is a very old track and not up to the modern standard. It is closing because it is making way for a new circuit next year called the Fuji Speedway. Which is believed to have the longest speed stretch in F1 racing, 1.37km.

Answer 8

New tracks are being built all over the world. The new Korean track will cost $US 410 million, and I think that the Bahrain track neared $US 1 billion.

Do you keep racing at older tracks that don't measure up, or do you move to new tracks?

Answer 9

Apparently Bernie Ecclestone requested that improvements were made in the infrastructure four years and nothing came to fruition. So Fuji is the track for next year.

Answer 10

Its because the facilities are not up to modern standards. It is one of the best tracks in f1, along with Spa, but it needs refurbishing badly.

I think it will be back in 2008. I hope so!!!!