Autopolis
Autopolis is the mountain circuit on Kyushu, Japan’s southern main island, where Super GT, Super Formula and the national superbike championship race at about 820 m above sea level. It was built in 1990 with Formula 1 in mind, never got its Grand Prix, and is now owned by Kawasaki. The lap rises and falls 52 m, the barriers sit close and the weather can turn from sun to fog in an afternoon. Here’s the name, the history, a lap sector by sector, the records, what races there and how to visit or drive it yourself.
Autopolis at a Glance
Length 4.674 km / 2.904 mi the full racing course, run clockwise
Turns 18 by the circuit’s own count; many maps number 19
Elevation change 52 m / 171 ft with slopes of up to 10% downhill and 7.2% uphill
Opened November 1990 hosted the World Sportscar Championship finale in 1991
Location & owner Kamitsue, Hita, Oita owned by Kawasaki since 2005
Race lap record 1:26.960 Naoki Yamamoto, Super Formula, 2020
Why Is It Called Autopolis?
In Japanese it’s オートポリス (Ōtoporisu), and the full name is Autopolis International Racing Course. The name joins “auto” with “polis,” the Greek word for city, which suits a project that once came with hotels, swimming pools and even an artificial ski slope.
The track is run by Autopolis Co., Ltd., part of the Kawasaki group, which also operates the smaller SPA Naoiri circuit elsewhere in Oita. Japanese race fans and media often shorten the name to “AP,” and Super GT’s visit now runs as the Autopolis GT 3 Hours Race.
Don’t confuse the address with the big city of Hita down in the valley: the circuit sits high in the hills of the former village of Kamitsue, which merged into Hita, right by the border with Kumamoto Prefecture and inside Aso Kuju National Park.
Autopolis History
Autopolis was a bubble-era dream: a resort circuit in the mountains of Kyushu, built to bring Formula 1 to southern Japan. It got one world championship sports car race, then its owner went bust and the F1 plan faded. Since Kawasaki took over, it has settled into life as a regular stop for Japan’s biggest national series.
- 1989 Developer Tomonori Tsurumaki makes headlines by bidding for Picasso’s Les Noces de Pierrette, meant for the resort’s art gallery.
- 1990 Autopolis opens in November, designed under Yoshitoshi Sakurai, who led Honda’s 1960s Formula 1 project. Benetton’s F1 cars carry Autopolis logos in 1990 and 1991 as part of a push for a Grand Prix.
- 1991 The track hosts the final round of the World Sportscar Championship, the 430 km of Autopolis. Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger win in a Sauber-run Mercedes-Benz C291.
- 1993 The hoped-for Formula 1 race never happens, and Tsurumaki’s company, Nippon Tri-Trust, goes bankrupt. Construction firm Hazama, which built the track, takes it over.
- 2003 Japan’s GT championship (JGTC, now Super GT) starts visiting regularly.
- 2005 Kawasaki buys the circuit.
- 2009 Formula Nippon, now Super Formula, makes Autopolis a regular stop.
- 2016 The Kumamoto earthquakes damage the circuit. That year’s Super GT race moves to Motegi and the Super Formula round to Okayama.
- 2020 Naoki Yamamoto sets the Super Formula race lap record of 1:26.960.
- 2026 Rain and fog wipe out the Super Formula race in April. In October, Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino win the Super GT race in Team Kunimitsu’s Honda Prelude-GT.
Racing at 820 Meters
The start-finish straight sits at about 820 m, and the thin air has been compared with Mexico City’s Grand Prix track. Drivers describe the lap as a roller coaster, with barriers close to the edge of the road and little paved runoff, so a small mistake gets expensive fast.
820 m
Start-finish altitude
About 2,690 ft above sea level, so the air is thinner and engines make a little less power.
52 m
Up and down
The lap rises and falls 52 m (171 ft), with slopes of up to 10% downhill and 7.2% uphill.
2026
Weather wins
Fog delayed the April Super Formula start, then heavy rain and standing water stopped the race after a single lap behind the safety car.
Up here the weather writes its own script. Low cloud and fog can roll in over the hills, and spring rain can be heavy. Rain stopped the 2021 Super Formula race after 11 laps, and in April 2026 the whole race was declared null and void with no points; the series ran a replacement race at Fuji in July. If you’re coming to watch, bring a rain jacket even when the morning looks clear.
Autopolis Track Guide: A Lap, Sector by Sector
Autopolis mixes slow hairpins, medium-speed corners and fast sweepers, and its abrasive surface is notoriously hard on tires. The circuit’s own spec sheet lists 18 corners on the 4.674 km lap; the map below numbers 19, and we use its numbers here. The track is 12–15 m wide.
T1
The first corner
A medium-speed right at the end of the main straight. The braking zone is bumpy and the apex is slightly blind, so it’s easy to lock a wheel.
T2–5
Heading downhill
The first part of the lap generally runs downhill through a string of flowing corners. Rhythm matters more than outright braking here.
T6
The first hairpin
A tight hairpin that slows the field right down and rewards a clean exit.
T7–9
The sweepers
Turn 8 is a long, sweeping left, part of a section where you carry speed rather than brake hard.
T10
The big hairpin
The tightest corner on the lap, an off-camber left hairpin. The road climbs on the way in and drops away on the way out.
T10–11
The downhill straight
From Turn 10 the track plunges down a long straight into a fast right-hander, one of the places where a strong exit from the hairpin pays off.
T12–17
The climb home
The last part of the lap generally runs uphill through a series of tight corners that are hard on tires. Managing them over a stint is key in Super GT.
T18–19
Onto the main straight
The final corners bring you back to the pit straight. A good exit here sets up the run down to Turn 1.
Autopolis Lap Records
Only laps set in a race count as official lap records. These are the records as listed in late 2025; 2026 races, where they weren’t cut short by weather, may have lowered some of them.
1:26.960
Outright race lap record
Naoki Yamamoto set it in a Super Formula Dallara SF19 in 2020.
1:30.615
Group C record
Yannick Dalmas’s lap in a Peugeot 905 at the 1991 World Sportscar Championship race, still the fastest by a sports car.
1:34.829
Super GT GT500 record
Kenta Yamashita’s lap in a Toyota GR Supra GT500 in 2021.
1:47.752
Superbike record
Yuki Okamoto’s lap on a Yamaha YZF-R1 in 2024.
Races and Events at Autopolis
The big three are Super GT, Super Formula and the All Japan Road Race Championship. Super Taikyu endurance racing, Super Formula Lights, Japanese F4, D1 Grand Prix drifting and regional club races fill the rest of the year.
October
Super GT Autopolis GT 3 Hours Race
Super GT’s autumn visit is a three-hour race. In October 2026, Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino won GT500 in Team Kunimitsu’s No. 100 Honda HRC Prelude-GT, ahead of the No. 38 Cerumo Toyota and the No. 23 NISMO Nissan Z. Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi won GT300 in the K-tunes Lexus RC F.
Spring
Super Formula
Super Formula
Japan’s top single-seater series has raced here most years since 2009. In April 2026, Ayumu Iwasa took pole, but rain and fog wiped out the race. The provisional 2027 calendar has Autopolis back on May 14–16.
Late May
All Japan Road Race Championship
MFJ Superbike JSB1000
Japan’s national superbike championship comes to Kawasaki’s track most springs. In May 2026, Ryo Mizuno won both JSB1000 races on a Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Autopolis Race Calendar: 2026 and 2027
Here are the headline weekends. The big 2026 races are done, with a couple of club race days still to come. Super GT and Super Formula have published provisional 2027 dates; the rest are still TBA, so check the official calendar before you book.
2026 season
| Dates | Event | Series | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25–26 | Super Formula Round 3 (race canceled for weather) | Super Formula | Done |
| May 30–31 | Superbike Race in Kyushu | All Japan Road Race Championship | Done |
| Jul 25–26 | Super Taikyu Round 5 | Super Taikyu | Done |
| Oct 17–18 | Autopolis GT 3 Hours Race | Super GT | Done |
| Nov 1 | Gold Cup Race Round 5 | Club racing | Upcoming |
| Nov 22 | Gold Cup Race Round 6 | Club racing | Upcoming |
2027 season
| Dates | Event | Series | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 14–16 | Super Formula round | Super Formula | Provisional |
| Oct 16–17 | Super GT round | Super GT | Provisional |
| TBA | Superbike round | All Japan Road Race Championship | Date TBA |
| TBA | Super Taikyu round | Super Taikyu | Date TBA |
Autopolis Weather by Season
The figures below are 1991–2020 averages from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s nearby Minamioguni station on the Kumamoto side of the hills. The circuit sits higher, so expect it to run a little cooler, and remember that fog and sudden downpours come with the mountain setting.
26–31°C / 78–87°F
Summer · Jun–Aug
Warm and very wet. Highs run 26–31°C (78–87°F) with lows of 16–20°C (61–69°F), and June and July each average around 490–520 mm (19–20 in) of rain in the rainy season.
16–27°C / 61–80°F
Autumn · Sep–Nov
September is still warm at about 27°C (80°F). By the October Super GT race, highs are around 22°C (71°F) and lows about 9°C (49°F), and November nights drop to 4°C (38°F).
8–10°C / 46–50°F
Winter · Dec–Feb
Cold, with highs of 8–10°C (46–50°F) and lows below freezing, around −3 to −1°C (27–30°F).
14–24°C / 56–75°F
Spring · Mar–May
Highs climb from about 14°C (56°F) in March to 24°C (75°F) in May. For the spring Super Formula weekend, expect highs around 19°C (67°F), cold mornings near 5°C (42°F) and a good chance of rain.
Visiting Autopolis: Tickets, Getting There and Tips
Autopolis is remote, and that’s part of the charm: the road in winds through forests and farmland, and from the grandstands you look out over the hills of Aso Kuju National Park.
Tickets
Race tickets are sold through the circuit’s official online ticket shop, linked from autopolis.jp, and at Japanese convenience stores including FamilyMart, 7-Eleven and Lawson. Check the official site for each event’s prices and parking.
Getting there
Plan on driving. There’s no train station at the track, and the circuit’s access page shows routes from Fukuoka, Hita, Oita, Kumamoto and Kumamoto Airport. From the Tokyo area, the usual trip is a flight of about two hours to Kyushu followed by roughly an hour on the road; Fukuoka is about 100 km (60 mi) to the north.
Tips
Pack layers and rain gear for any race weekend, since the altitude keeps it cooler than the cities below and fog can roll in fast. Leave extra time for the mountain roads after the race. Make a trip of it with Mount Aso, an active volcano to the south, or the old merchant streets of Hita in the valley below.
Can You Drive Autopolis?
Yes. The circuit’s trial run lets you take your own road-registered car or motorcycle onto the racing course for two laps behind a pace car, plus a few minutes of photo time on the main straight. It costs ¥2,200 per vehicle, you just need a regular license, and if you’d rather not drive, you can ride along in the pace car for ¥2,200 (three places a day). Race-only cars aren’t allowed, and the circuit doesn’t provide vehicles.
For more seat time, Autopolis runs car and motorcycle track days, and members with a JAF or MFJ license can book sports-driving sessions. There’s also a separate Lakeside Course that hosts gymkhana events and an off-road buggy area.
On a screen, Autopolis is in Gran Turismo Sport (added in a 2019 update) and Gran Turismo 7, and it also appeared in Need for Speed: ProStreet, Need for Speed: Shift and Shift 2: Unleashed.
Talk Autopolis With Other Enthusiasts
Heading to Kyushu for Super GT, booking a trial run in your own car or chasing a Gran Turismo lap time? Share what you know, ask questions and find people going to the same race in the AutoGathering community.
- Super GT at Autopolis
- Super Formula weekends
- All Japan superbike racing
- Trial runs and track days
- Getting there from Fukuoka
- Fog and rain delays
- Gran Turismo 7 lap times
- Exploring Aso and Kyushu
Autopolis FAQ
How long is Autopolis?
The full racing course is 4.674 km (2.904 miles), run clockwise.
How many turns does Autopolis have?
The circuit counts 18 corners. Many track maps number 19.
What is the lap record at Autopolis?
The race lap record is 1:26.960, set by Naoki Yamamoto in a Super Formula car in 2020.
Who owns Autopolis?
Kawasaki has owned the circuit since 2005. It’s run by Autopolis Co., Ltd.
Did Autopolis ever host Formula 1?
No. It was built with F1 in mind, but the planned Grand Prix never happened. Its only world championship race was the 1991 World Sportscar Championship finale.
Who won the 2026 Super GT race at Autopolis?
Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino won GT500 in the No. 100 Honda HRC Prelude-GT on October 18, 2026.
How do you get to Autopolis?
By car. The circuit is in the hills of Hita, Oita, near the Kumamoto border, with no train station nearby. Most visitors fly into Kyushu and drive.
Can you drive Autopolis?
Yes. The trial run lets you lap the racing course in your own road car or motorcycle behind a pace car for ¥2,200, and there are track days and sports-driving sessions for licensed drivers.
Explore More Racing Circuits
Autopolis is one of 28 circuits in our Asian racing directory. For more of Japan, read our guides to Suzuka, Fuji Speedway and Motegi, all on the Super GT calendar too.
Photo credits
- Header image: Bobo12345 (talk) (Uploads), Public domain, cropped and resized.
- Autopolis seen from the mountainside under low…: Autopolis (talk) (Uploads), Public domain, cropped and resized.
- Track map of Autopolis International Racing Course…: Will Pittenger, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- The No. 100 Stanley Civic Type R-GT,…: Abarabone1206, CC BY 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A Super Formula car at Autopolis during…: https://www.flickr.com/photos/78475089@N02/, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Katsuyuki Nakasuga wheelies a Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike…: bluXgraphics(motorcycle design Japan)=Midorikawa, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.