American Ernest Hemingway once said: “Car racing, mountaineering and bullfighting are the only sports. The rest are games. » At the Fuji Speedway Hotel in Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture, visitors can enjoy two of the marvel’s three demanding situations while enjoying pampered luxury, at least if they’re gamers.
Opened in 2022 at the foot of Mount Fuji, at 3776 meters (12,388 feet) and with rooms overlooking the famous Fuji Speedway, the hotel is not only about comfort, but also about adventure.
For 110,000 yen (about $700), the hotel concierge will hire a personal advisor to take visitors to Mount Fuji’s peak Fujinomiya Highway climbing season, from mid-July to mid-September. The excursion lasts two days and visitors spend one night. in the mountain Participants must be in good physical shape, as the climb is physically demanding.
The experience of driving at the Fuji Speedway Hotel is more affordable: 3300 yen ($20) if you bring your own vehicle. Otherwise, you can purchase a Toyota GR Supra locally for an additional 9,900 yen ($60).
Fuji Speedway, owned by Toyota since 2000, has a long past. Since its structure in 1965, racing legends such as Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have raced or tested on its asphalt.
In 1976, the most important race of the Formula One season, leader Niki Lauda retired early at Fuji, meaning James Hunt only needed a fourth position to win the championship. driving globally in Lauda. In an exciting and complicated race, Hunt, after several problems, managed to move up to 3rd position, which gave him enough championship problems to overtake Lauda, 69 to 68.
Participants in the hotel’s driving program enjoy starting by forming a line in the pit lane, then are guided for 3 laps by a professional through the 16 corners of the 4. 56-kilometer (2. 84-mile) Fuji circuit. dressed in helmets or fireproof suits and the cars are not specially prepared like racing cars, moderation is the order of the day.
Last Monday I visited the track to participate in a rented GR Supra. It was a hot and humid day with Mount Fuji, unfortunately hidden by clouds. Generally this is not the case. But it was a lot of fun to go through such a historic circuit with its corners and other drivers, a varied group.
For example, the occupants of a minivan were a mother, a father and their two children. The van alone was the important engine of a beloved McLaren sports car.
Writer at Fuji Speedway in a Toyota GR Supra, July 2024.
To make the laps more attractive for me, coming out of the last corner before the long straight, I would slow down to let the car in front of me overtake me (overtaking is not allowed). Once that car was in the middle of the straight, I would put my Supra on the ground. The acceleration is impressive: we exceeded 160 km/h (100 mph) in a short time. However, I was temporarily slowing down as I caught up with the other car and prepared for the tight right corner at the end of the straight.
The fun on the track is so popular that next month, according to the hotel’s marketing director, Koshiro Masaki, a complex program will be offered for the most enthusiastic drivers. Among other things, it will have individual training provided by professionals.
View from the Fuji Speedway Hotel on the Japanese track of the same name.
As for the hotel itself, it is just 10 kilometers from Gotemba Station and offers 120 luxury rooms starting at 40,000 yen ($250) per night. Twenty-one are suites (100,000 yen per night) and five are villas (200,000 yen per night). Some even settle for having pets.
Facilities are plentiful and include a heated indoor pool, the attractive Fuji Motorsport Museum, a massage room, yoga, fishing, horseback riding and men’s and women’s onsens.
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