Asia’s first ever private racetrack resort, the Magarigawa Club, is open for business and it looks rather like it’s sprung to life right out of a Gran Turismo title.
Built in the hills above Minamiboso in the Chiba Prefecture, an hour away from Tokyo, Magarigawa Club is a purpose-built, motoring-themed, luxury leisure facility. The centerpiece is, of course, the race track itself which you may be surprised to learn comes from the renowned circuit designer Tilke Engineers & Architects.
It comes in at 2.22 miles (3.57km) long and packs in some 22 corners. Despite those numbers seeming somewhat busy, there’s also an 875yd (800m) straight and an accompanying, if slightly more snaking, return that’s almost as long.
The course is carved into the mountains high above the city, around 1,000ft above sea level, and features quite the elevation change itself. Its steepest climb is 19.4% — just shy of 1 in 5 — with the sharpest drop coming in at 14.7%, and a total of over 800ft (250m) of falls and rises. It also features a full digital safety flag system and an indoor pit lane.
In total it’s taken three years to build the circuit, in a mountainous region known for landslides, with construction undertaken by the Maeda Corporation. That name might ring a bell with Gran Turismo fans, as this is the same company which once produced a feasibility study for building Grand Valley Speedway in the real world, through its Fantasy Marketing Department!
Access to the track and its one-to-one tuition from dedicated instructors is strictly limited to members, who can buy their way onto the track for a mere ¥36,000,000 ($240,000) plus an annual ¥220,000 ($1,500) fee.
Of course there’s also higher-tier memberships, with 25 special “paddocks” that include overnight lodgings and up to four parking spaces for the owner’s vehicles. These are climate-controlled and come with maintenance checks from the facility’s on-site mechanics.
Some of the first owners reportedly bid up to ¥800m ($5.4m) for these exclusive areas, which also come with clubhouse access. The clubhouse itself sports a 25m infinity pool, a natural hot spring, bar, gym, karaoke room, and a family lounge, while the dining area overlooks Tokyo Bay and has views of Mount Fuji — some 70 miles away.
All things considered, it’s a location we could very much imagine coming to Gran Turismo at some point. For that matter, it’d make a great spot for hosting a GT World Tour event during the upcoming 2024 season…
