Life in the Luxury Lane
A new supercar club in Chiba promises to push drivers to their limit and help them relax in luxury.
We call it takotsubo, the octopus pot,” says Hideto Yasuoka, pointing at a hairpin turn on the Magarigawa Club track.
“The entrance is wide, then narrow, and the inside area fans out like an octopus pot.”
The long, downhill approach leaves the driver barreling toward the second turn at 250 kilometers per hour.
“Then you have to brake and change direction once before turning left,” Yasuoka explains. “The takotsubo is a true challenge for drivers.”
A veteran Super GT racer, Yasuoka is project manager at the Magarigawa Club, a private members’ facility for car lovers that is set to open this spring in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture. A car enthusiast’s haven hewn out of lush mountains overlooking the ocean, the club will host not only members and their invited guests but also supercars in the 1,000-horsepower range.
Yasuoka says the best tracks should offer driving thrills while being in harmony with the natural environment. The Magarigawa Club’s 3.5-kilometer track, with its 22 corners, was designed by Tilke Engineers & Architects, the famed German designers of more than 80 tracks worldwide, including 19 Formula One circuits.
“Drivers will enjoy mid-speed, technical sections as well as two high-speed straights,” says the firm’s partner and circuit mastermind Carsten Tilke.
The Magarigawa Club’s premium experiences extend well beyond the track. An owners’ paddock is home to luxury villas with spacious living and dining areas, bedrooms and, naturally, a parking area.
Adjacent to the paddock is a stylish clubhouse designed by architect Tatsuya Ogawa of 16A, with interior design by Joyce Wang and hospitality services from Kanaya Resorts. There, members can enjoy high-end amenities, including a restaurant, state-of-the-art fitness facility, indoor and outdoor onsen baths and a 25-meter infinity pool with views of Tokyo Bay and Mount Fuji.
The clubhouse sits among verdant, landscaped surroundings, designed by Fujiueki, which has shaped and cultivated traditional Japanese gardens for more than 170 years.
But the greenery will flash by in a blur.
“This part going up and down and left and right in front of the clubhouse will leave traction control, vehicle stability, ESC and ABS going tick, tick, tick,” Yasuoka excitedly explains. “For cars without those aids, it’s going to be super fun because you’ll be slipping and sliding if you go in at speed.”
Once drivers have conquered the takotsubo, they can pamper their car at the onsite storage facility that holds 300 vehicles—at least until they’re ready to take on the track again.
THE MAGARIGAWA CLUB
magarigawa.com
