Can You Drift at Mobility Resort Motegi? Rules and Fees (2026)
The Rundown
- No. Mobility Resort Motegi (Tochigi) prints the same line under the hire table of all 4 courses, checked 26 September 2026: running that damages the surface, 'such as drifting', is not allowed.
- Private hire does not change that. Hiring the Multi Course costs ¥55,000 an hour on a weekday and the full 4.8 km Racing Course costs ¥605,000 an hour, and the drift ban sits under every one of those prices.
- What a private driver can buy is grip sports running: the MCoM four-wheel Racing Course licence costs ¥48,000 in year one, then ¥4,800 per 20-minute weekday session.
- None of the 13 four-wheel schools and run days on Motegi's official school page mentions drifting. The nearest real drift days are at Nikko Circuit and Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu, both also in Tochigi.
- Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu charges ¥15,000 for a drift day or ¥10,000 for a half day, cash, plus a ¥5,000 circuit licence, per its own running terms checked 26 September 2026.
Contents
Drifting at Mobility Resort Motegi at a glance
No, you cannot drift at Mobility Resort Motegi (Tochigi), the circuit many fans still know as Twin Ring Motegi. Its official course guide prints the same line under the hire table of all 4 courses: running that damages the surface, 「ドリフトなど」 (“such as drifting”), is not allowed, and that holds even on a private hire from ¥55,000 an hour. Every rule and price below was checked on the official pages on 26 September 2026. If you want to slide a car in Tochigi, the places that sell drift days are Nikko Circuit and Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu.
Motegi is run by Honda Mobilityland, the same company as Suzuka Circuit. It hosts MotoGP and SUPER GT, which is why AI assistants and forum threads keep suggesting it for a drift trip. The circuit is world class. It is simply not a drift venue.
Is drifting banned at Motegi, or just not offered?
Both. Motegi has four courses, and each one carries the ban in writing under its hire prices, together with a ban on race-format running.
| Course | Size | Weekday hire | Weekend hire | Drifting? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racing Course (full) | 4,801 m | ¥605,000 per hour | ¥968,000 per hour | No |
| Racing Course (West) | 1,490 m | ¥242,000 per hour | ¥363,000 per hour | No |
| South Course | 50,993 m² pad, 1.19 km lap | ¥137,500 per hour; ¥561,000 per 7-hour day | ¥220,000 per hour | No |
| North Short Course | 982 m | ¥110,000 per hour; ¥440,000 per day | ¥165,000 per hour | No |
| Multi Course | about 20,000 m² pad | ¥55,000 per hour; ¥220,000 per day | ¥82,500 per hour | No |
All prices include tax. The hire desk lists its contact details for 企業・法人様, companies and corporations, and books through the motorsport department by phone or fax. The big flat pads look like drift pads in photos, but Motegi uses them for pylon courses, driver training and car launches.
Outside hire, the answer is the same. The official school page lists 13 four-wheel schools and run days, from the Yamano Tetsuya Handling Club to Honda’s own driving schools, and none of them mentions drifting. A drift event is not officially listed on the pages we checked (26 Sept 2026).
What can you drive at Motegi instead?
Grip running, through the circuit’s club, MCoM (Motorsports Club of Motegi). You join online, upload a face photo and your driving licence, watch a video lecture, and pass a test that needs every answer right. After that you book sessions yourself in the member system.
| What you buy | Who can join | Year-one cost | Session price |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCoM four-wheel Racing Course licence | 18+, ordinary driving licence or JAF A licence | ¥48,000 (¥20,000 + ¥18,000 annual + ¥10,000 aid fee) | ¥4,800 / 20 min weekday, ¥5,100 weekend; ¥7,000 / ¥7,500 for 30 min |
| MCoM gymkhana licence | 18+, ordinary driving licence | ¥30,000 | ¥3,200 per 2 h 30 min slot |
| Visitor gymkhana running (no membership) | Visitor registration online | None | ¥5,500 per 2 h 30 min, plus a ¥500 aid fee for the day |
Gymkhana (ジムカーナ, jimukāna, a timed run round a cone or short course) is the closest thing Motegi sells to car control on your own. Visitor slots run on the North Short Course with up to 45 cars, and the visitor guide adds admission of ¥1,800 per adult and ¥1,000 to park, with different prices on some race and event days. Whether sliding a car inside a gymkhana slot is tolerated is not officially stated (checked 26 Sept 2026). The course hire rule above bans drifting on that same course.
Don't book Motegi for a drift day
A hire contract, a club licence or a school place at Mobility Resort Motegi will not get you drift running. If a tour offer promises "drifting at Motegi", ask which circuit the car will actually be on.
Where can you drift near Motegi in Tochigi?
Two circuits in the same prefecture sell drift running. These figures come from their own pages and PDFs, re-read on 26 September 2026, plus organiser dates on our event calendar.
| Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu (Nasushiobara) | Nikko Circuit (Utsunomiya) | |
|---|---|---|
| Drift running | Circuit-run drift category | Mostly organiser drift days (FLUKE and others) |
| Price | ¥15,000 day / ¥10,000 half day, cash | Organiser fees, e.g. ¥13,000 drift class (SSRA, 3 Oct) or ¥16,500 (FLUKE weekday, 16 Oct) |
| Circuit licence | ¥5,000 course and registration; ¥3,000 to renew | ¥10,000 new, incl. ¥4,000 insurance; ¥5,000 renewal |
| Ride-along | ¥500 passenger ticket | Varies by organiser |
| Next big dates | D1 Lights Rd.9 & 10, 10–11 Oct; FDJ3 Rd.6, 1 Nov | D1 NEXT Series Central Rd.4, 17 Oct |
Organiser prices on the calendar were checked on 4 September 2026. Nikko’s own October page still lists the SSRA, FLUKE and D1 NEXT Round 4 days as of 26 September.
What does a drift day cost, and where do foreigners get stuck?
There are two ways to price the same Tochigi drift day.
| Tier | What it covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself, cheapest | Your own car at Tsukuruma: half-day drift ticket plus first-time licence | ¥15,000 cash (¥10,000 + ¥5,000) |
| Organiser day | Your own car on a Nikko organiser day | ¥13,000 to ¥16,500 entry, plus whatever the organiser asks |
| Arranged with TSUISO | Date, circuit, paperwork and the last leg sorted for you | Actual cost + fee; we quote the total first |
The blocked step is the paperwork. Nikko Circuit’s licence briefing is in Japanese and needs a hanko (a personal name seal) along with a photo and your licence. Tsukuruma’s forms ask for a Japanese address and phone number and end with a box for a hanko. Neither is something you can finish from abroad the week before you fly.
Stuck at the hanko and the Japanese forms?
That is the part we take on. Send us your travel dates and we will line up a Tochigi drift day at Nikko or Tsukuruma around them, with the forms, the booking and the trip from the station handled. Drift near Tokyo with us: seat time and ride-alongs at Nikko, Tsukuruma, Mobara and Minami Chiba.
How do you get to Motegi if you still want to watch?
Motegi is worth the trip for a race weekend. The official access page gives Tokyo Station to Utsunomiya by Shinkansen in about 50 minutes, then about 50 minutes by rental car or taxi. There is also a train route via Oyama and Shimodate to Motegi Station, finished by taxi. The only published bus runs from Mito Station North Exit on weekends and public holidays: it leaves Mito at 8:35 and leaves the circuit at 16:50.
Before you plan a Tochigi week
- Pick your Motegi race day first, if you want one
- Check Nikko and Tsukuruma dates in the same week on the calendar
- Remember Motegi's hire and school options are grip only
- Plan for a car or taxi: the only published bus runs at weekends and on holidays
Is Motegi worth adding to a drift trip?
As a place to watch, yes. As a place to drive sideways, no, and the circuit says so itself. For a wider view of Kanto options, see our guide to drifting in Kanto near Tokyo and the track directory. The same pattern applies at another famous name nearby: Tsukuba Circuit allows drifting only through hire or organiser days.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drift at Mobility Resort Motegi?
No. As of 26 September 2026, Mobility Resort Motegi in Motegi, Tochigi (the circuit many fans still call Twin Ring Motegi) states under the hire table of each of its 4 courses, the Racing Course, South Course, North Short Course and Multi Course, that running which damages the surface, such as drifting, is not allowed. That rule applies even when you hire a whole course, which starts at ¥55,000 an hour for the Multi Course on a weekday. Motegi's official school list has no drift school, and no drift event is listed on its official pages. The nearest circuits that run drift days are Nikko Circuit and Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu, both in Tochigi.
How much does it cost to drive on the Motegi Racing Course?
As of 26 September 2026, Mobility Resort Motegi (Tochigi) sells four-wheel sports running on its 4.8 km Racing Course to members of its club, MCoM. The four-wheel Racing Course licence is open to drivers aged 18 or over with an ordinary driving licence or a JAF A licence and costs ¥48,000 in the first year: a ¥20,000 registration fee, an ¥18,000 annual fee and a ¥10,000 mutual-aid fee. Sessions are extra: ¥4,800 for 20 minutes or ¥7,000 for 30 minutes on weekdays, and ¥5,100 or ¥7,500 at weekends and on public holidays. This is grip running only; drifting is not offered.
Can I hire a course at Motegi privately to drift?
No. As of 26 September 2026, Mobility Resort Motegi's official course hire page lists weekday hourly rates of ¥605,000 for the full Racing Course, ¥242,000 for the West Course, ¥137,500 for the South Course, ¥110,000 for the North Short Course and ¥55,000 for the Multi Course, with higher weekend rates. Under every course the page adds that running which damages the surface, such as drifting, is not permitted, and that race-format running is not permitted either. The hire desk addresses its contact details to companies and corporations.
Where can I drift near Motegi in Tochigi?
The two Tochigi circuits that run drift days are Nikko Circuit in Utsunomiya and Tsukuruma Circuit Nasu in Nasushiobara. As of 26 September 2026, Tsukuruma's own running terms price a drift day at ¥15,000 and a half day at ¥10,000, paid in cash, and its licence course and registration cost ¥5,000. Nikko Circuit's own licence costs ¥10,000 new, including ¥4,000 insurance, and most of its drift days are run by outside organisers such as FLUKE; the D1 NEXT Series Central Round 4 is listed there on 17 October 2026.
How do I get to Mobility Resort Motegi without a car?
As of 26 September 2026, Mobility Resort Motegi's official access page gives these routes: Tokyo Station to Utsunomiya by Shinkansen in about 50 minutes, then about 50 minutes by rental car or taxi; or a train via Oyama and Shimodate to Motegi Station, then a taxi. A bus from Mito Station North Exit runs on weekends and public holidays only, leaving Mito at 8:35 and leaving the circuit at 16:50, operated by Ibaraki Kotsu. The circuit address is 120-1 Hiyama, Motegi, Haga District, Tochigi.
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