Automobile News

Suzuka Circuit Plans To Sell Chunks Of Asphalt To Racing Fans

January 4, 2026
Ever Current News







A core sample taken from Suzuka Circuit that will presumably be sold

Suzuka Circuit

If you’re still gift-hunting for a die-hard racing fan, there’s a legendary Japanese circuit that might have the perfect present available soon. Suzuka Circuit announced on Saturday that it will be selling pieces of the racing surface. It would definitely be an impressive conversation piece for a coffee table. Suzuka’s F1 date might have shifted to spring, but the round has decided the world championship on numerous occasions from the 1980s through the 2000s. The venue hasn’t revealed how much the chunks of asphalt will cost to purchase.

The unique memorabilia is a byproduct of preparations ahead of next March’s Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka revealed in a post on social media: “As part of the Suzuka Circuit West Course resurfacing project, we are selling asphalt from the racing course where various major races like F1 and the Suzuka 8 Hours have been held.” Track resurfacing isn’t uncommon on tracks that are regular stops for Formula 1, as the asphalt-scraping cars are sensitive to bumpy surfaces. It’s even more of a problem for motorcycle racing. While MotoGP hasn’t visited Suzuka since Daijiro Kato’s fatal crash during the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, the circuit’s 8-hour race is still a crown jewel of the motorcycle endurance racing calendar.

There’s history buried under older tracks




A core sample taken from the racing surface at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Suzuka cutouts that will be sold resemble a scientific ice core sample. It’s a common practice at older tracks to take core samples before resurfacing. The most impressive examples are from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The fabled oval, built in 1909, has over a century of history still lying beneath the current racing surface. The Brickyard earned its name because the 2.5-mile oval was paved with 3.2 million Culver Block bricks in late 1909, replacing its original gravel surface. Indianapolis was resurfaced with asphalt six times over the decades, each layer stacking atop the previous one like a cake.

The Speedway’s most recent project was a partial repave in Turn 2. The hope was to remove the bumps in the corner, which can be a problem when drivers are averaging speeds over 230 miles per hour during Indy 500 qualifying. The underlying bricks were causing issues after a century of freeze-thaw cycles over Indiana winters. The bricks in certain areas of Turn 2 had to be torn up and removed. The rest of the bricks aren’t going anywhere, including the three-foot-wide strip of bricks still exposed at the start-finish line.



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