The new court at the Magarigawa Club is a technical work of art. This eulogy has already been written many times, even appearing on the British show “Top Gear”. But all that press existed before the complex began operating in July 2023. Last week I became the first journalist to make a stopover at the Japanese circuit (and do a few laps) since its opening.
For all speed lovers, this is not a particularly fast track like, for example, the large American ovals. It ran 3. 5 km (2. 2 miles) with 22 challenging corners and a relatively short straight of 800 meters (half a mile). , the sensible top speeds are 280 km/h (174 mph). But those 22 corners have impressive inclines, up to 20% uphill and 16% downhill, which makes the driving quite concentrated. The maximum cornering radius is also narrow.
But speed is the explanation for why motorsport enthusiasts come to this personal circuit. Nestled in the tree-covered mountains near Chiba, the prospects are incredible. Both Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay can be seen from the track’s clubhouse, located on the winding asphalt.
Then perhaps 280 km/h is safe, as it is easy to get distracted by the lush scenery while passing through the track. It’s not a problem if you break up, but it’s not necessary either. Each corner has a wide exit area. In fact, the asphalt line in the center of the track is a thin black ribbon compared to the much wider green runoff areas.
Hideto Yasuoka, 40 years old and newlywed, my advisor of the day. He raced most of his life, starting at age seven in karting, then in Europe and in the Japanese Formula 3 series. Yasuoka has been competing lately in the GT World Challenge Asia Series. He is also the Director of International Sales for Cornes.
Today, Magarigawa has more than 400 members representing a dozen nationalities, 80% from Japan and the rest from countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, the United States and Mexico. The club’s payment to a full member starts at 40 million Japanese yen ($250,000 at the existing conversion rate) before the rink opened, but has since increased and the new payment has not been made public. Partner clubs start at 4. 5 million yen ($28,000). Drivers, for the most part, bring their own cars to the track: exotic cars such as Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens and Porsches. For a fee, the club will buy the cars on site.
Member support services, including onsens for men and women, gym with climbing wall, dining room, children’s play area, well-stocked bar, swimming pool, smoking lounge, saunas, on-site villas, track simulators and more. and opulent. More than 35 billion yen ($218 million) has been spent so far to build the club, and more structure is planned.
Forbes Jim Clash driving an all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Magarigawa track. . . [ ], Chiba, Japan, July 2024.
Let us now move on to driving. Yasuoka took me for the first time in a black 100% electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S to familiarise me with the track. As a professional pilot, he didn’t hold back. You may feel the G-forces lashing me in the corners and their harsh braking. and acceleration. After two laps, we entered the pit lane and, surprise, he handed me the keys.
At first I felt a little intimidated. Most of my time driving in inventory cars and Indy cars on steep American ovals like the Daytona International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Even though I had raced on racetracks, of course it was not my forte. Add to that the fact that I had never driven an electric car, or even a Tesla, and I was driving it on the right side of the car instead of the left, and you can see the anxiety.
Yasuoka made it simple for me by suggesting a drive/follow situation, with him in the front in a yellow Porsche Cayman GT4 and me in the Taycan mimicking his racing line.
Club member at Magarigawa Track, Chiba, Japan, July 2024. Observe the wide spaces of green runoff.
Yasouka started slowly from the first round. I felt pretty comfortable staying, say, 30 meters (90 feet) away from him. But even then, four blind turns with dramatic elevation adjustments were unsettling. All I could see as I approached the most noticeable of those steep ridges was the disappearance of the yellow color. roof of Yasuoka’s car. It’s like the famous “corkscrew” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, but on steroids. You have to grit your teeth and hope no one crashes into the ridge every time you pass those areas. .
As we increase speed, the blind corners have become more difficult, but this is partly compensated for by a growing familiarity with the car and the track. I knew electric cars had torque and fast acceleration by ear, but this thing is a beast, incredibly responsive. : 764 hp is quite a large figure considering the weight of the vehicle.
Due to an occasion arranged through a personal Lamborghini racer at the club that afternoon, our track time was limited. Just as I got the speed and track speed, I went back to the pit road.
Porsche Cayman GT4 (yellow) and the all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S (black), Magarigawa Club,. . . [ ] Chiba, Japan, July 2024.
Verdict? Although the Taycan is air-conditioned, it’s quiet, comfortable, and high-tech, unlike the overheated inventory cars where I deliver thrilling 170 mph (275 km/h) races at Daytona with NASCAR Racing Experience, the ride, as challenging as it is. The blind turns on the track, the altitude adjustments, and just looking to be with Yasuoka is genuine work. I got tired when they got me out of the car, but satisfied to have had such an exclusive experience.
As I felt a little inspired over a gourmet lunch in the club’s dining room, Yasuoka confided in me that he had already hit 205 mph (330 km/h) on the short Magarigawa straight, an unimaginable figure, in a supercharged Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. . with more than 1,000 hp. What were we doing in this part of the track?Definitely no more than two hundred km/h (125 mph). It’s not a big deal.
Kazuaki Tani (left) and Hideto Yasuoka, from Cornes
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