Track Focus – Keitune Racing Speedway

Track Name – Keitune Racing Speedway
Owner – Mr. Toru Kijima
Country – Japan
Location – Ichihara (70km S/E of Tokyo)
Direction – Anti-Clockwise
Surface – Asphalt
Previous key events hosted – 1:8 Japanese Nationals

On the drive up the narrow road between the tall trees and bamboo plants the last thing you would expect to find is an onroad r/c track, but on a plot of unused farm land in the middle of a forest is the Keitune Racing Speedway.  Host of this year’s 1:8 Onroad World Championships, the track was built in 1996 by Toru Kijima after his bank brought the site to his attention and a deal was agreed to rent it from a farmer who was no longer working the land. Situated a little over an hours drive South East of Tokyo City, the track has amassed a membership of 1,500 drivers since it was built with 1:8 Nitro and 1:5 the two most popular classes that use the venue.  The track has in addition to holding 1:8 Japanese Nationals also hosted the 1:12 and Pro 10 Nationals in the past.

Operated full time by Mr. Kijima as a private business, the track layout is fast flowing but its curbs are punishing with the sweepers either side particularly challenging for drivers. Get them wrong and its pretty much game over.  Kijima, who is the official time keeper for the event & also Japanese agent for MyRCM timing software, predicts fast lap times of 16-seconds around the 318 metre long track.

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