Tokyo R246 is a real street circuit, located in Tokyo, Japan, exactly around Route 246, featured in every main Gran Turismo game to date since Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, with the exceptions of Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7.
Circuit Layout[]
Sector 1[]
Sector 1 is a short section from the start/finish line to just beyond turn 1.
Sector 1 begins on Route 246, beginning with a 600m straight before heavy braking for the first corner. Turn 1 is a tricky 90-degree right hander with tyre-barriers on both inside and outside. There is a small amount of pavement on the outside which can be used as runoff. In most cars, expect to understeer under braking into the corner. More powerful, rear-wheel drive cars are also prone to oversteer on exit. Plenty of time can be gained or lost here, so a good exit is essential. The short first sector ends around 100m after this corner.
Sector 2[]
Sector 2 runs from before turn 2 to just after the chicane of turn 6/7. It is almost a mile and a half long.
Turn 2 is a tight left-hander which directly leads into the right-hand turn 3. The corner can be cut on entry to turn 2, but is ill-advised as it will compromise entry to turn 3. A better line involves skirting the kerb of 2, and taking plenty of kerb into 3. This gives a better exit speed for the short straight leading to turn 4. This straight takes the circuit past the Jingu baseball stadium and Tokyo Olympic stadium.
Turn 4 is a long, right-hand parabolic corner. Taken at medium speed in most cars, this turn can take around 10–15 seconds to traverse, so good control and steady throttle application are necessary to maintain good speed. Overtaking can be very difficult here, as there is only one racing line. A short straight follows leading to turn 5.
Turn 5 is a tricky left hander which appears to be a double-apex corner. However, turning in too early can bounce a car into the outside barrier. Instead, a better line avoids the first apex, instead hitting the second. The fairly long straight that follows means that good exit speed will lead to a good sector time.
After this straight is a right/left chicane. The first part can be taken flat out, but most cars need to brake in the short gap before the left-hander. Taking some kerb on the inside can give a good exit, but too much will rebound the car into the opposite wall. The end of sector 2 stands just beyond the chicane.
Sector 3[]
Sector 3 runs from turn 8 to the finish line. It is generally fairly fast but also contains the slowest corner on the circuit, turn 12. Sector 3 measures around 1.3 miles
Turn 8 and 9 are two 80-degree right-handers which form a single, double-apex corner. The circuit then proceeds downhill, twisting left, right then left again and passing under the overpass of Expressway #4 and into a complex junction. Here, the track turn sharply to the right (Turn 12). This slow corner is the slowest and, possibly, trickiest corner on the circuit. The corner leads out onto the main straight, so a good exit is essential. The following straight is over a mile in length, with the finish line two-thirds of the way along. It is punctuated by a slight right-left chicane that is taken easily at lower speeds, but in a fast car can prove tricky. The pit-lane is on the right-hand side of the main straight, and runs almost for the straight's entire length.
Related circuits[]
Tokyo R246 has no sub-circuits in Gran Turismo, but is available in reverse in all games.
Events featuring Tokyo R246[]
(R) indicates reverse circuit
Gran Turismo 3[]
Beginner League[]
- 80s Sports Car Cup (BEG) (R); 2 Laps - Race 2
- Altezza Race (BEG); 2 Laps - Race 2
- Vitz Race (BEG); 2 Laps - Race 3
- Type-R Meeting (BEG); 2 Laps - Race 1 and 2 Laps - Race 5 (R)
- GT World Championship (BEG); 2 Laps - Race 1
Amateur League[]
- Japanese Championship; 3 Laps - Race 1 and 3 Laps - Race 5 (R)
- GT World Championship (AMA); 5 Laps - Race 1
- German Touring Car Championships; 3 Laps - Race 5
- FR Challenge (AMA); 5 Laps - Race 3
- MR Challenge (AMA) (R); 5 Laps - Race 1
- 80s Sports Car Cup (AMA); 3 Laps - Race 1
- Gran Turismo All Stars (AMA) (R); 5 Laps - Race 10
- All Japan GT Championship; 5 Laps - Race 10
- Altezza Race (AMA); 5 Laps - Race 4
- Type-R Meeting (AMA); 5 Laps - Race 1 and 5 Laps - Race 4 (R)
- Evolution Meeting (AMA); 5 Laps - Race 3
Professional League[]
- GT World Championship (PRO); 10 Laps - Race 8
- Race of NA Sports (PRO); 10 Laps - Race 3
- Gran Turismo All Stars (PRO); 15 Laps - Race 10
- All Japan GT Championship (PRO; 15 Laps - Race 9
- Race of Red Emblem; 10 Laps - Race 1
- Dream Car Championship; 15 Laps - Race 4
- Polyphony Digital Cup (R); 20 Laps - Race 10
- Formula GT; 25 Laps - Race 9
Endurance League[]
- Tokyo R246 Endurance; 100 Laps
Gran Turismo 4[]
Professional Events[]
- Tuning Car Grand Prix; 2 Laps - Race 3
- Race of Turbo Sports (R); 2 Laps - Race 2
- GT World Championship; 10 Laps - Race 1
Extreme Events[]
- Dream Car Championship (R); 4 Laps - Race 2
- Polyphony Digital Cup (R); 5 Laps - Race 4
- Formula GT World Championship; 60 Laps - Race 1
European Events[]
- Schwarzwald Liga B; 2 Laps - Race 2
Japanese Events[]
- Japan Championship (R); 5 Laps - Race 3
- All Japan GT Championship (GT4); 5 Laps - Race 1
One Makes Races[]
- Renault Alpine Cup; 2 Laps - Race 1
- Tourist Trophy; 1 Lap - Race 2
- NR-A Roadster Cup (GT4); 1 Lap - Race 2
- Evolution Meeting; 1 Lap - Race 3
- Club 'Z'; 2 Laps - Race 2
- Elise Trophy; 1 Lap - Race 1
- Mini Sports Meeting; 1 Lap - Race 2
Endurance Events[]
- Tokyo R246 300km; 60 Laps
Gran Turismo 5[]
Gran Turismo 6[]
- City Trials
- Japanese 90's Challenge
- Tour of Japan
- 550 PP World Touring Car Championship
- 600 PP World Touring Car Championship
Take Your Honda Home[]
- Main article: Take Your Honda Home
The hidden bronze-level trophy, Take Your Honda Home, is awarded for taking a photo of a Honda passing in front of the Honda offices building in Tokyo, located about 400 yards past the start/finish line on the Tokyo R246 circuit.
Tokyo R246 in Real Life[]
The Tokyo circuit is set on actual roads in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Using roads such as R246 and Expressway #4, the circuit can actually be driven in real life, although portions of the route were pedestrianized in 2021.
Onboard Lap Video[]
Trivia[]
The logo of 246 Press, a fictional sponsor in GT Sport likely named after the track/route.
- The internal name of the track is "akasaka" in all the games it appeared, referring to the Akasaka Palace.
- In GT3, Tokyo R246 II (which is the reverse layout of the track) is raced on a cloudy day rather than the usual clear sky. This cloudy sky trait was only passed on to GT4.
- Despite being a road course, the car has rally plates that will appear with any of 2008 WRC cars, Toyota CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST205) '95, and Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car '86 in the PS3-era games. The Citroen Xsara Rally Car '99 also has permanent Tokyo R246 plates in these games, replacing Rally de Catalunya ones.
- In Gran Turismo 4, this is the only city track in the game to have a grid start, as all the other city tracks feature rolling starts.
- In GT Sport, a fictional sponsor named 246 Press is possibly named after the track. Additionally, the Meiji Jingu Stadium that appears on the track is also used on the Tokyo Expressway tracks in that game, as well as in Broad Bean Raceway.
- The Nogizaka46 song "Route 246", released in 2020, is named after the very same route where the track is located.
- Starting from 2023, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has been held as part of Formula One. The track used for the GP shares many similarities with Tokyo R246. including its layout, and the fact that both tracks incorporate a famous road (the Las Vegas GP incorporates the Las Vegas Strip, and R246 incorporates Route 246), as well as many landmarks of the respective cities. However, the Las Vegas GP is held at night.