Okayama Track Map Poster

Okayama was built like a golf club. Its owner ran golf courses and wondered whether the country-club model could work for a racetrack: joining cost 15 million yen, more than $100,000 at the time, and members could drive a 1987 Grand Prix car owned by the circuit. Opened in 1990 in Okayama Prefecture, it runs 3.703 km (2.30 miles) clockwise through thirteen turns, with 29 meters (95 ft) of elevation change.

It was a child of Japan’s bubble years, carved out of mountainous terrain in a quiet corner of the countryside to host a round of the world’s top racing series. To open it, veteran British drivers were invited to race for the members, and seven corners still carry their names. The big race came in 1994 and 1995. With only narrow country roads to reach it, the whole crowd arrived by public transport, a first, and most of the paddock slept in traditional inns at a nearby hot-spring town. The second edition was put back six months by the Kobe earthquake.

Into 3.7 km it packs two straights of about 600 and 700 meters, joined by thirteen medium- and low-speed corners, with walls close to the track and grandstands close to the action; racing insiders called it the mini Monaco. Powerful cars take the Moss S almost like a straight, the Hair Pin at the end of the back straight is a place to pass, and Redman and Hobbs together make the Double Hairpin, a favorite spot for photographers.

The poster numbers all thirteen turns and letters in eleven corner names and both straights, from First Corner to Last Corner, with the shortcut that splits the circuit in two and the pit lane in muted lines. Heritage, the racing-green edition, suits a circuit that began as a private club, with corners named after British veterans. Joining once cost 15 million yen; this is a cheaper way in.