Fuji Speedway is defined by a contrast: it has one of the longest straights in motor racing, close to a kilometre and a half, and a narrow, linked final sector where top speed is worth nothing. That combination turns every race into a setup dilemma: lots of downforce makes you strong in the last sector but leaves you defenceless on the straight, and running light is exactly the opposite. In Assetto Corsa EVO it's an excellent circuit for genuinely understanding what the aero compromise means, because you see it every lap.
Setup here is an uncomfortable compromise: lots of downforce makes you strong in the final sector but leaves you defenceless on the straight, where anyone passes you in the tow. Running light is the reverse. There's no perfect solution, there's a choice.
The final sector — from Dunlop to the hairpin — is slow, narrow and linked. It's where you defend the position you're about to lose on the straight, and where knowing how to place the car wins whole races.
Braking at the end of 1.5 km. Long distance and a tow: easy to overshoot.
Linked and slow. Rhythm here makes up for a lack of top speed.
The final hairpin. The exit decides who passes you on the straight.
How the lap unfolds from start to finish, with the lines and the places where time is genuinely won and lost.
S1The lap starts on the main straight, enormously long and slightly uphill. You reach turn 1 at maximum speed and in the tow, which makes it the clearest overtaking point and also the most dangerous on the opening lap: your braking distance changes a lot when you're tucked in behind another car.
Turn 1 is a wide right that tightens, so arriving too fast costs you not only the corner but the whole exit into the middle sector.
S2The middle section chains medium and fast corners on a decent width of track. It's where you recover part of what running light costs you, and where the car's balance shows.
The descent to Dunlop and the link after it are crucial because they set your entry speed into the final sector, which hides the most time.
S3The last sector is completely different: narrow, slow and linked, with corners that demand precision and traction. There's no room to overtake here, so it becomes an exercise in defending position.
Everything ends at the Panasonic hairpin, which opens onto the main straight. A good exit there is the only thing that stops you being passed over the following kilometre and a half, which is why it's the circuit's most important corner despite being the slowest.
What each corner is called, what type it is and what it asks of you.
| Nº | Name | Type | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turn 1 | Derecha amplia que cierra | Braking from maximum speed. The overtake. |
| 2 | Coca-Cola | Medium right | Enlace hacia la zona media. |
| 3 | 100R | Fast right | Apoyo largo, castiga el coche nervioso. |
| 4 | Hairpin | Horquilla lenta | Exit traction into the descent. |
| 5 | 300R | Very fast right | Flat with downforce. Intimidating on low wing. |
| 6 | Dunlop | Medium left | Entry to the technical sector. |
| 7-9 | Sector final | Encadenado lento | Estrecho y preciso. No se adelanta. |
| 10 | Panasonic | Horquilla final | La salida decide toda la recta principal. |
Taken at Nordschleife · 296 GT3 apurando el exterior del piano
A kilometre and a half of straight and a pocket-sized final sector. Fuji makes you choose what you want to be good at.
Fuji is the circuit of compromise. With a kilometre and a half of straight, every point of wing costs dearly; with a linked final sector, every point you remove is paid for in traction and grip. There's no correct configuration: there's the one that fits how you drive and whether you'd rather attack or defend.
In a race the decision usually tips towards less downforce, because being able to overtake on the straight is worth more than two tenths a lap in sector 3. In qualifying, the reverse.
Traction out of the final hairpin deserves special attention. It's the corner that feeds the straight, so a differential and a balance that help you exit cleanly are worth more than any aero adjustment.
The WEC's 6 Hours of Fuji is its race. The contrast between straight and technical sector produces very tactical racing.
The straight generates enormous slipstreams and constant overtaking at turn 1.
Very good here: the final sector levels things out and the straight lets you recover places, so the racing comes out close.
Spend your first runs trying very different wing configurations and time not just the lap but your speed at the end of the straight. Fuji is the perfect circuit for understanding the aero compromise, and that lesson applies everywhere else.
Work the final sector in isolation. It hides the most time and is the least like the rest of the circuit: these are precision corners, not speed corners.
Practise attacking and defending at turn 1 in traffic. It's where all your races here will be decided, and braking well with someone glued to you is a trainable skill.
Fuji is famous for its changeable weather: the mountain generates sudden fog and rain. In the wet the main straight carries an aquaplaning risk and the final sector becomes very delicate for lack of grip in slow corners.
The endurance races finish at dusk. The straight is well lit but the final sector goes darker, and its linked corners demand different references from the daytime ones.
Fuji was completely rebuilt in 2005 under Toyota's ownership, so its asphalt is modern and uniform, which makes the difference between modelling and scanning less dramatic than at an old circuit. Even so, the scan captures the slight climb on the main straight, which affects real top speed.
The surroundings, with Mount Fuji behind when the sky allows, are reproduced by photogrammetry and are the circuit's signature visual reference.
Everything to do with setup. The logic of the aero compromise is identical and the conclusions you reach in the sim hold on a real track.
Also the turn 1 braking references, which are clear and marked the same way in both worlds.
The weather. Fuji's conditions are notoriously unstable because of the mountain, with fog that can stop races. The game only reproduces it if you configure it deliberately.
And the perceived speed on the straight. A kilometre and a half at maximum speed feels very different in the car, mainly because of the noise and the vibration.
The circuit sits at the foot of Mount Fuji, in Shizuoka Prefecture, about two hours from Tokyo. It's a tourist area in its own right and the circuit runs track days and events all year.
The big date is the WEC's 6 Hours of Fuji, in autumn. With luck and good weather it's run with a snow-capped Mount Fuji behind, one of the most recognisable sights in motor racing. [Confirm dates and tickets on the official website.]
| Official name | Fuji Speedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Length | 4,563 km |
| Corners | 16 |
| Direction | Clockwise |
| Recta principal | Aproximadamente 1,475 km |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Propietario | Toyota |
| Main races | 6 Horas de Fuji (WEC), Super GT, Super Formula |
| In Assetto Corsa EVO | Laser scanned, current layout |
No hay reglaje perfecto en Fuji. Hay decisiones, y cada una tiene su precio.
Fuji opened in 1966 with an American-style banking that proved too dangerous and was abandoned early. The layout was redesigned and hosted the Japanese Grands Prix of 1976 and 1977.
Toyota bought it and rebuilt it completely in 2005. Today it hosts the WEC's 6 Hours of Fuji, with Mount Fuji behind when the sky allows.
The original layout included an American-style banking that proved too dangerous and was abandoned early.
The Japanese Grand Prix was run here in a downpour, with Niki Lauda withdrawing and James Hunt taking the championship.
The circuit was completely rebuilt, with new asphalt and a revised layout, to bring back top-level international racing.
The 6 Hours of Fuji is a permanent WEC round, and the circuit also hosts Japan's Super GT.
Fuji Speedway sits at the foot of Mount Fuji, about two hours from Tokyo by train and bus. The area is a destination in its own right, with lakes, hot springs and views of the mountain when the weather cooperates.
The circuit runs track days, driving schools and club events for much of the year, alongside its national and international racing calendar.
The big date is the WEC's 6 Hours of Fuji, in autumn, with a very Japanese atmosphere and tickets far more affordable than Formula 1's. [Confirm dates and prices on the circuit's official website.]
It's 4.563 kilometres with 16 corners. Its main straight, close to a kilometre and a half, is one of the longest in motor racing.
It depends whether you're prioritising attack or defence. With the straight this long, running light lets you overtake; with more downforce you're faster in the final sector. There's no right answer: it's the circuit of compromise.
Casi siempre en la curva 1, al final de la recta principal. El sector final es demasiado estrecho y lento para intentarlo.
Toyota, which bought it and rebuilt it completely in 2005.
Yes, when the sky is clear. It's the track's signature image, though the area's weather is very changeable.
The WEC's 6 Hours of Fuji, Japan's Super GT and Super Formula, among others.
Screenshots taken by the community in Assetto Corsa EVO. Each caption says which circuit it's from.
Fuji Speedway is in the 24/7 server rotation. Subscribers vote on each week's track.
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