Questions about Super GT Racing Series - Travelling to Japan
 

Posted in the Asia sub-forum, but by the looks of it they don't have too much traffic there.

I will be travelling to Japan in April and I'm hoping to attend the season opener for the 2018 Super GT series at Okayama International Circuit on April 8th. I am a huge fan of the series, watching the live streams on Youtube for several years (they don't televise it in Canada).

Unfortunately, most sites about the series aren't English-friendly. If a member in Japan or someone who is familiar with the Super GT series can help me with the following inquiries, that would be much appreciated.

Race Info:

Date: Sunday April 8th, 2018
Location: Okayama International Circuit

Questions:

1) Where is the best place for me to buy tickets when they become available? Sites I can find are completely in Japanese and I would rather have the guarantee of entry vs purchasing at the gate

2) What is the cost of a ticket and what are my options (e.g. grounds access, seated, paddock/pit passes etc.). I am looking to have a seat, and if I can choose what stand/part of the track that would be a bonus!

3) Is there a shuttle from any nearby train stations to the track? I am trying to decide between taking the train there or renting a car and driving myself.

Looking forward to seeing some responses, thanks in advance for your help. Happy New Year :)

Okayama.... geez.

1) https://supergt.net/tickets when it's available to buy. You have to have an address to ship to in Japan, so unless you have a friend there your best bet is to buy at the gate or buy via a ticket service of some sort.

2) prices are set by the organizer at each venue. Expect prices ranging from ~JPY 5,000 upwards of JPY 30,000+ for different types of access.

3) Okayama Circuit is pretty much the least accessible of the SuperGT races, aside from Buriram in Thailand.

http://www.okayama-international-cir...ess/index.html

You basically have to take a 20 minute taxi into the circuit from whatever destination train station you will be at. Same going out, unless you rent a car and are comfortable with driving in Japan. Okayama is one of the circuits where they basically don't provide a bus service from the track to a local station.

Thanks for the response with the details, I appreciate it :cheers: I have browsed both sites you linked there (official Super GT site where tickets are coming soon & the Okayama Circuit site) but couldn't find the answers to my questions.

It just so happens I am travelling in April - would have liked to go to later rounds at Fuji or Suzuka for accessibility. Since I don't have a friend or family member in Japan, do you have any ticket service to suggest or do you think I can get tickets at the gate?

Thanks again

You won't find answers now because their sites usually don't have ticket info until about 2 months prior to the race, so check back in Feb 2018.

A friend of mine who works for one of the Super GT teams said there may be bus service to Okayama for major races, but again this info won't be up till about 2 months or so prior to the race. I just assume the worst and be prepared to pay for taxi.

Getting tickets at the gate isn't an issue under normal circumstances.

Wait....your a fan of Super GT and watch it also....
:wub::wub::wub:

Do they by any chance sell Fujitsubo Merchandise at Super GT events?

I want some towels & t-shirts haha :D

Only if Fujitsubo is some type of sponsor of the series.

LOL, yeah I guess being a fan entails watching the series as well :P Should have just left it at that haha

It's my favourite racing series :D Do you watch it too?

I'll keep an eye out for you when I go :thumbsup:

haha, I just was a fan of it for a long time but didn't have access to watch it until Nismo TV started to show the races on youtube and only than did I begin to watch the live races. Before I just followed the results on the website :)

Gotta love Nismo TV for giving us access to such a great series, live in HD :)

If you ever want to have a Super GT night watching the race with some snacks & drinks in 2018 let me know - any round after Okayama though lol, can't wait to see it in person!


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@mav1178 I’m going in a week and still no info available on their sites. It’s like they forgot to update it...

You mentioned before there might be a shuttle for major events. Could you ask your friend who works on one of the Super GT teams which train station the shuttle might go from? I really don’t want to have to spend $200 on a taxi from the nearest station, but that might be my only option.

Just grab an international drivers license (AAA in the USA) and rent a car! Even if it's just for a day or two, it's waaaaayyyyy worth it! Driving in Japan is easy after a couple minutes and google maps navigation works nicely too or the rental usually has navi.

If you rent a car...
Go through Toyota Rent-a-car and rent an 86.
(Tokyo prefecture only rents automatics, but the other prefectures allow you to choose.)
It's nearly impossible to reserve one on their site, but if you go into one of their offices (they're all over) they will get one for you with 12-24 hours notice (24 just to be safe)
Be sure to get the optional tollway pass card that plugs into a receiver in the car.
It will let you pass through Japan's tollways (which is almost every major highway) and then just pay the tolls when you return the rental.
The Toyota-rent-a-cars also come with navigation, and the employees at the rental office will set everything to English for you upon delivery.

Another thing to make sure of is to get a temporary overseas plan for your phone, it's well worth it. Most carriers will be able to do this for a reasonable cost.

When refueling, unless you're in the city center, most gas stations are full service (and wonderful.)