Suzuka Circuit, located in Suzuka, Japan, was built by Honda and opened in 1962. It was Japan's first proper race track, and it's a regular stop on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. It's one of the greatest race tracks in the world, but this video isn't from Suzuka. It's from somewhere even cooler.
This is Kaohsiung-Suzuka Circuit Park, located approximately 1,300 miles southwest on the southern end of Taiwan. It's billed as the only authorized Suzuka park outside of Japan, and the centerpiece is a go-kart track that faithfully recreates the legendary 3.6-mile course. This one is just one-tenth the size, which translates to approximately a quarter-mile of twists, hairpins, and yes, an overpass.
The video opens just before the start-finish line, where the flying lap begins. The track is wide enough to negate most of the esses, allowing for a leisurely line from apex to apex. Things tighten up approaching the overpass, and the hairpin is properly tight. We get a neat long right leading to Spoon Curve, or rather, this version of the infamous left. And then comes the back straight, flat-out to an abbreviated version of 130R. The final chicane isn't much of a chicane, and just like that, we're back at the line with a lap time in 40.97 seconds.
According to the video description, the go-kart was a bit rattley and the track wasn't in the greatest of shape. But we don't care. Pushing Suzuka to the limit would be a stretch for the best of us. Pushing hard on mini-Suzuka though ... that could make the worst of us feel like superheroes. And when the racing is done, there's even a mini version of Suzuka's amusement park to enjoy.
Should our travels lead to Taiwan, you'll know where to find us.
